NACLO Guide

Prepare for NACLO

The North American Computational Linguistics Open competition challenges high school students to solve linguistic puzzles using logic, pattern recognition, and problem-solving. Explore the topics below to get started.

Topics

Phonetics

The physical sounds of human speech—how they are produced, transmitted, and perceived.

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Phonology

How sounds function and pattern within languages, including phonemes, allophones, and sound rules.

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Nouns

How languages name and categorize things—gender, case, number, and noun classes.

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Verbs

Actions, states, and events—tense, aspect, mood, agreement, and conjugation patterns.

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Syntax

Sentence structure, word order, and the rules governing how phrases and clauses combine.

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Semantics

Meaning in language—how words, phrases, and sentences convey and combine meaning.

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Number Systems

How languages express numbers using different bases, patterns, and formation rules.

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Colors

Color terminology across languages—how cultures divide and name the color spectrum.

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Orthography

Writing systems and spelling conventions—how languages represent sounds in written form.

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