NACLO Frequently Asked Questions

How do I register for the competition?

You should register through the NACLO web site; you may choose one of the two options:

• Online / High School: Participate at your high school under the direction of a teacher.
• Live / University: Participate at a local site under the direction of a professor.

Is there a registration fee for participating in the Open Round (February 5) or Invitational Round (March 11)?

The participation is free of charge.

If I advance to the International Linguistics Olympiad, will I have to pay for my trip?

We are working on the funding for participating in the international competition, and we will probably be able to provide funding for all teams; at the very least, the top team of the United States will have full funding. If you are a member of a team that does not have full funding, you would need to pay for your trip; of course, you may decline to participate if you are unable to make this payment.

Do I have to attend the information session?

You may participate in the competition without attending the information session; however, if it is available in your city, we encourage you to attend, which will help you learn more about the competition.

How long is the competition?

The Open Round (February 5) will be three hours long; however, note that the judges have the authority to lengthen it in the event of unforeseen circumstances. The start time of the Open Round depends on the time zone:

Time zone		Start		End
Pacific		9:00am		12:00noon
Mountain		10:00am		1:00pm
Central		9:00am		12:00noon
Eastern		10:00am		1:00pm

The judges have not yet decided on the duration of the Invitational Round (March 11), and we will announce it later.

How many problems should I expect?

You should expect 3-5 problems during the Open Round (February 5) and 5-7 harder problems during the Invitational Round (March 11).

What problem types should I expect?

You may encounter the following problem types; however, this list is not exhaustive, and you may also get problems of other types. The problems will contain all information required for solving them, and you do not need any specialized linguistic knowledge.

• Translation problems: A problem includes a set of sentences in a foreign language and their translations into English, which may be in order or out of order. Your task is to learn as much as possible from these translations and then translate other given sentences to or from English. Note that the foreign language may have "tricky" structure and grammar. For example, German sentences often end in verbs. Japanese people talk differently about their family and about someone else's family. Some languages do not use articles or any equivalent of "to be." Others treat animate and inanimate objects differently. Be prepared to figure out these unusual features.
• Number problems: A problem includes foreign sentences that describe basic arithmetic facts, such as "six times four is twenty-four," and your task is to figure out how to translate different numbers and expressions. Some languages use bases other than ten, others use different words for the same number depending on the objects being counted, etc.
• Writing systems: Your task is to figure out how a particular writing system works, and then use it to write out a given text, such as an ancient inscription. Some languages are written right to left or top to bottom, others do not use vowels, etc.
• Calendar systems: Your task is to figure out what calendar was used by a particular civilization based on sentences that refer to it.
• Formal problems: In this context, "formal" means that you have to build a logical model of a language phenomenon. For example, a transformation rule may say "to convert an active voice sentence to passive voice, make the object of the former sentence the subject of the latter one, convert the verb to passive by using an appropriate form of the verb "to be" with the past participle of the verb, and add "by" before the word that was the subject of the former sentence." If we apply this rule to "Maya ate an apple," we get "An apple was eaten by Maya."
• Phonological problems: Your task is to figure out the relationship between the sounds of a language and its writing system.
• Computational problems: Your task is to develop a procedure to perform a particular linguistic task in a way that can be carried out by a computer.
• Other types: Deciphering kinship systems, transcribing spoken dialog, associating sentences with images, and many other types.

Where can I find example problems and related reading materials?

You may find some reading materials on the NACLO website; note that these readings are not required for participation. You may also find example problems in the following archives:

• NACLO practice problems.
• Linguistics challenge puzzles.

What knowledge and skills do I need?

You mostly need logical thinking, as well as basic general knowledge, such as arithmetic and standard calendar. Since the competition is on a subject not taught in most schools, we have designed it for students with no prior training in linguistics, computer science, programming, or foreign languages.

What happens if I do well?

If you earn a high score at the Open Round (February 5), you will advance to the Invitational Round (March 11). The winners of the Invitational Round will represent the United States and Canada at the International Linguistics Olympiad.

How well did the United States do last year?

Two teams from the United States participated in the International Linguistics Olympiad, which was held in St. Petersburg, Russia. The top US team tied for first place; furthermore, one of the US contestants, Adam Hesterberg, earned the highest score in the individual contest and won one of two "first diplomas."

How well did Canada do last year?

Canada has not yet participated in the competition; this year, it is participating for the first time.