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2025 · open round · A · 10 points

Fox out of the Box

NACLO 2025 Problem Committee · morphology · semantics · rosetta-stone translation

Zorro the fox is looking for his friend Mapache the raccoon, who likes to hang out in houses where humans live. The following picture shows the fox's search through the house and its surroundings.

Line drawing of a house on stilts, with a fox drawn at nine numbered places: 1 entering the front door, 2 on top of the chimney, 3 coming through a hole in the roof, 4 at a window in the front wall, 5 in a flower box on the side wall, 6 under the house, 7 coming out from under the porch, 8 standing beside the house, 9 in a hole in the ground.

Below, sentences in Totonac describe the numbered phases of the search.

Although we've given English descriptions to clarify the drawings, don't assume that the Totonac sentences are direct translations of the English sentences. The sentences in both languages describe the fox's journey, but different languages can focus on different aspects of a scene.

Notes:

  • In the Totonac sentences, a colon “:” indicates a long vowel. The word “n” is added to sentences based on phrasal prosody (making the sound flow well). It doesn't have a meaning (but you are still responsible for using it correctly in your answers).
  • This problem features the variety of Totonac spoken in the town of Zongozotla, Mexico.
  1. Tanu:yi kchiki wa:qni’
    The fox goes into the house through the front door.
  2. Akpu:tukuta n chiki wa:qni’
    The fox comes out of the chimney.
  3. Akpu:tanu:yi n chiki wa:qni’
    The fox enters the house through a hole in the roof.
  4. Cha:qe:taxtiyi n chiki wa:qni’
    The fox comes out the back door.
  5. Lakpa:tuju:yi n chiki wa:qni’
    The fox goes into a flower box on the side of the house.
  6. Tampi:tanu:yi n chiki wa:qni’
    The fox goes under the house.
  7. Tampi:taxtiyi n chiki wa:qni’
    The fox comes out from under the house.
  8. Tuju:yi ktaqalhwaxni wa:qni’
    The fox goes into a hole.
  9. Tukuta ktaqalhwaxni wa:qni’
    The fox comes out of a hole.
TimerOptional. Set whatever limit suits you.

Questions

0 of 6 correct

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A1

Construct Totonac sentences describing each of these events.

10. The fox comes out the front door.

11. The fox goes into the chimney.

12. The fox comes out a hole in the roof.

13. The fox comes in the back door.

14. The fox goes into a window on the side of the house.

15. The fox comes out of a flower box on the back of the house.

Explanation

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Reading the explanation costs no XP. Worth 10 points in the real exam.