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2025 · open round · B · 10 points

Swidden in Plain Sight

NACLO 2025 Problem Committee · morphology · semantics · rule discovery

Kri is a Vietic language spoken in Laos, with about 250 speakers as of 2009. Below are some words in Kri, alongside their English translations. Kri vowels come in two registers, heavy and light, but for simplicity this distinction is not marked in this problem.

blang
(of the eyes) to become open1
balang
to open one's eyes
plaajh
an arm span2
palaajh
to measure something by arm spans
cabuuc
to pick up or measure out purse-hand3
truum
to be on its face
paang
to signal ownership of a swidden4
ckaang
a hand span5
basơt
to turn off, put out
kooq
to live
bsơt
to go out (as a light or fire does)
cakaang
to measure something by hand spans
cooh
to pierce
krnooq
a house
prnaang
a sign placed in a swidden to show ownership

1 As an example, this verb can be used to describe the point a few weeks into a puppy's life, when its eyes open for the first time.
2 An arm span is the length of a person's outstretched arms, from fingertips to fingertips.
3 Purse-hand means to put the thumb and other four fingers together in a pinching motion.
4 A swidden is an agricultural field that has been cleared by cutting and burning vegetation.
5 A hand span is the length of a person's hand.

B1. Give the Kri word for each of the following:

  1. a unit of measure equal to an amount that can be picked up purse-hand
  2. to put something on its face
  3. a hanging thread, pierced through many objects

Here are six more Kri words. Their English meanings are given below, in a random order.

A. kaleer    B. kleer    C. koorq    D. krneep    E. krnoorq    F. paraang

  1. to scoop out strips of a vegetable for food preparation
  2. to fall off (as a fruit does)
  3. an instrument to scoop out strips of a vegetable
  4. to take someone across (e.g., across a river)
  5. tongs, pincers
  6. to pick something off (e.g., to pick a berry off of a bush)

B2. Match the Kri words (A to F) with their English translations (1 to 6).

B3. A Kri word in this problem can be modified to translate exactly one of the English phrases below. Choose that phrase and give the Kri word that translates it.

  1. a river
  2. to put someone into a river
  3. to cross over
  4. a cross
TimerOptional. Set whatever limit suits you.

Questions

0 of 11 correct
B1

Give the Kri word for each of the following meanings.

a unit of measure equal to an amount that can be picked up purse-hand
to put something on its face
a hanging thread, pierced through many objects
B2

Match each English translation (1 to 6) with the correct Kri word (A. kaleer, B. kleer, C. koorq, D. krneep, E. krnoorq, F. paraang).

1. to scoop out strips of a vegetable for food preparation
2. to fall off (as a fruit does)
3. an instrument to scoop out strips of a vegetable
4. to take someone across (e.g., across a river)
5. tongs, pincers
6. to pick something off (e.g., to pick a berry off of a bush)
B3

One Kri word in this problem can be modified to translate exactly one of the English phrases 7–10. Choose that phrase, then give the Kri word.

Which English phrase can be translated? (give its number)
Give the Kri word that translates the phrase you chose.

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 10 points in the real exam.