2024 · open round · H · 15 points
Evidentially, My Dear Tariana
Babette Verhoeven & Simi Hellsten · semantics · morphology · table completion
Tariana is an endangered language spoken in the Vaupés River area in Brazil, close to the border with Colombia. There are about 100 speakers of Tariana today, while there are a further 1,500 Tariana people who do not speak the language.
One morning, Antônia, Cândido, Margarida, João, Maria, and Emílio were playing a detective game, in which they had to discover who had just “poisoned” their sleeping friend Ismael! They very quickly decided that he had drunk some poisoned manioc-flour, a mixture of cassava (or tapioca) flour and water. When asked what happened to Ismael, their responses were as follows:
| Speaker | Tariana Statement | English Translation | Evidence for Claim |
|---|---|---|---|
| Antônia | Diha kawhi-nuku diiɾaka | He drank manioc-flour | Antônia saw Ismael drink it before he (Ismael) fell asleep. |
| Cândido | Mayẽ kawhi-nuku diiɾanihka | Ismael drank manioc-flour | Cândido saw some manioc-flour on Ismael’s upper lip (like a “milk mustache”). |
| Margarida | Diha kawhi-nuku diiɾamahka | He drank manioc-flour | Margarida had heard Ismael slurping his manioc-flour in the room next door. |
| João | Mayẽ kawhi-nuku diiɾasika | Ismael drank manioc-flour | João knew that Ismael took some of his sister’s manioc-flour every morning. |
| Maria | Diha kawhi-nuku diiɾapidaka | He drank manioc-flour | Ismael told Maria (before falling asleep) that he (Ismael) had drunk some. |
| Emílio | Mayẽ kawhi-nuku diiɾamahka | Ismael drank manioc-flour | Emílio could smell manioc-flour on Ismael’s breath. |
First, they suspected José, so they went to his house. They investigated the house and spoke to a key witness (José’s mom). They all concluded José was innocent—he had an alibi! When asked what José had been doing, their responses were as follows:
| Speaker | Tariana Statement | English Translation | Evidence for Claim |
|---|---|---|---|
| Antônia | Juse iɾida dimanikaka | José was playing soccer | Antônia saw José playing soccer on the field by the road. |
| Cândido | Juse iɾida dimanikanihka | José was playing soccer | Cândido saw that both José and José’s soccer equipment were missing. |
| Margarida | Juse iɾida dimanikasika | José was playing soccer | Margarida knew it was time for José’s weekly soccer match. |
| João | Naha iɾida namanikaka | They were playing soccer | João could see José playing soccer with his brother. |
| Maria | Naha iɾida namanikapidaka | They were playing soccer | Maria was told by José’s mum that José was playing soccer with his brother. |
| Emílio | Naha iɾida namanikanihka | They were playing soccer | Emílio saw that José’s soccer ball and both sets of soccer shoes were missing. |
Next, they went to Ismael’s house. Again they looked around, and they spoke to a second key witness (Ismael’s sister, Olívia). They agreed she was acting very suspiciously, as she wouldn’t say what she was doing at the time of Ismael’s “death”. This time, they didn’t all agree. When asked what they thought had happened, their responses were as follows:
| Speaker | Tariana Statement | English Translation | Evidence for Claim |
|---|---|---|---|
| Antônia | Óli dukwasika | Olívia was sleeping in the hammock | Antônia believed that Olívia always sleeps all morning. |
| Cândido | She was swimming | Cândido saw that Olívia’s clothes were wet. | |
| Margarida | Duha duayhamahka | She was swimming | Margarida had heard Olívia splashing around in the river earlier. |
| João | Óli kawhi-nuku dunimahka | Olívia was making manioc-flour | João could smell manioc-flour in the kitchen. |
| Maria | She was making manioc-flour | Maria was told by Ismael’s dad that Olívia had been making manioc-flour. | |
| Emílio | Duha hinipuku dumeyutanihka | She was raking the garden | Emílio saw that the garden had recently been raked. |
When João and Maria shared their information, they told Olívia:
“ mayẽ piinunihka!” You killed Ismael!
They began explaining all of the things they had come across that morning. They establish that Olívia had also gone swimming, and that Leonardo had raked the garden before going to lie down in the hammock.
H3 table. For each statement below (numbered 1 through 4), three possible pieces of evidence are given (labelled A, B, and C).
| Speaker | Tariana Statement | English Translation | Possible Evidence for Claim | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1) | Leonardo | Óli duayhaka | Olívia was swimming | A. Leonardo knew that Olívia liked swimming. B. Leonardo had seen Olívia swimming in the river. C. Leonardo saw that Olívia’s clothes were wet. |
| 2) | Maria | Leó hinipuku dimeyutasika | Leonardo was raking the garden | A. Maria knew that Leonardo raked the garden every morning. B. Leonardo smelt of the garden. C. Maria saw that someone had raked the garden. |
| 3) | João | Diha hinipuku dimeyutamahka | He was raking the garden | A. Leonardo smelt of the garden. B. João had heard Leonardo raking the garden. C. João saw that someone had raked the garden. |
| 4) | Emílio | Leó dikwanihka | Leonardo was sleeping in the hammock | A. Leonardo told Emílio that he (Leonardo) had been asleep. B. Emílio saw that someone had been sleeping in the hammock. C. Leonardo looked well-rested. |
H4 table. Fill in the gaps (d)-(h) with the correct Tariana translation.
| Speaker | Tariana Statement | English Translation | Evidence for Claim |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cândido | You were swimming | Cândido had overheard Olívia confirm that she (Olívia) had gone swimming. | |
| Margarida | He was raking the garden | Margarida saw that Leonardo’s clothes had bits of grass and leaves on them. | |
| Olívia | Leonardo was sleeping in the hammock | Olívia knew that Leonardo always lies down in the hammock after gardening. | |
| Antônia | You drank manioc-flour | Antônia saw a dirty cup next to the hammock where Leonardo had been sleeping. | |
| Olívia | They were playing soccer | Olívia had heard a soccer game going on while she was swimming. |
The rest of the questions are below, under Questions.
Questions
0 of 12 correctSome answers use letters your keyboard does not have. Type the closest plain spelling instead and it still counts, and you can leave accents off.
For each statement (1-4) in the H3 table, say which of the three pieces of evidence (A, B, C) the speaker may have had in mind. You may give zero, one, or more than one option.
1) Leonardo: Óli duayhaka — Olívia was swimming
2) Maria: Leó hinipuku dimeyutasika — Leonardo was raking the garden
3) João: Diha hinipuku dimeyutamahka — He was raking the garden
4) Emílio: Leó dikwanihka — Leonardo was sleeping in the hammock
Explanation
Try the questions first. Use the Hint button next to any part if you need a nudge.
Reading the explanation costs no XP. Worth 15 points in the real exam.