The Kusaal enigma
Here are two puzzles and you should allow 30 minutes in all. The first puzzle is easier, so allow more time for the second one.
We suggest you print this page out to help record and work out the answers....
Firstly, we have some data based on Kusaal, a language spoken in northern Ghana. It has been slightly altered just for this exercise.
On the left-hand column there is some language data, and on the right a fairly literal but not absolutely word-for-word translation.
Use the data to work out the answers to the questions at the bottom. Look for patterns and compare similar sentences to isolate particular elements.
The clues
1 o gela bood she wants eggs
2 o sa’ab bood she wants porridge
3 po’a nyuur bood the woman wants a yam
4 o po’a gela mor his woman (wife) has eggs
5 o sid nyuur dite her husband is eating a yam
6 o gela dite he is eating eggs
The questions
What are the words for:
1 eggs?
2 the woman?
3 wants?
4 a yam?
5 is eating?
What various English meanings does the word ’o’ have?
Translate ‘he is eating porridge’.
Go to answers page
