Loving Linguistics

For the first time, Truro School have entered the UK Language Olympiad. The olympiad is a problem-solving competition and last year 470 UK schools registered.

The puzzles require competitors to spot patterns in unfamiliar data. A typical question offers a small sample of sentences or words from an unfamiliar language, and competitors work out the rules needed to produce a further example. The competition requires skills of analysis and pattern-spotting, and the focus on language patterns has a special attraction for many students.

Although they carry no formal exam credit, they can be seen as an attractive ‘extra’ when applying for university places or careers.

This year’s host nation for the 18th International Linguistics Olympiad will be Ventspils, Latvia and the final will take place in July.