Decipherment

Day 12: Distribution & Structure without Meaning

Dr. Andrew M. Byrd

Review

Review

  • What are the five types of writing systems, and which one has the most characters? The least?
  • How does this help us identify the type of system?
  • What is the difference between a token and a type?
  • How does frequency help us in identifying the type of writing system at play?

Today

  • We’ll review how grammar works in English and in languages more broadly
  • We’ll examine the distribution of characters within words
  • Both will help us identify evidence for morphology, especially affixes and function words

Overview of Grammar

Overview of Grammar

Examine the following sentences. What is the difference in meaning of the bold forms in the following the sentences?

  • I bought a cat. Now I have three cats. The dog walked into the room and found the cat’s toy.
  • He picked it up, but she hissed at him.

cat vs. cats vs. cat’s

she vs. he vs. him

Grammar Differences – Nouns & Pronouns

cat vs. cats – number

he vs. him – case

she vs. he – gender

Overview of Grammar

  • Even though yesterday I bought some groceries, today I will buy some more.
  • I am walking to school, even though I walked a couple miles earlier.
  • I walk to school every now and then, but my wife always walks.

bought vs. will buy

am walking vs. walked

walk vs. walks

Grammar Differences – Verbs

bought vs. will buy – tense

am walking vs. walked – aspect

walk vs. walks – person / number

English Morphemes

  • will (future, separate word)

  • ending:

    • -(e)s (plural, 3sg)

    • -’s (possessive)

    • -ing (progressive)

    • -ed (past tense)

Ending = _________

English Morphemes

  • will (future, separate word)

  • ending:

    • -(e)s (plural, 3sg)

    • -’s (possessive)

    • -ing (progressive)

    • -ed (past tense)

Ending = suffix

Identify all of the Morphemes

Person Hebrew Transliteration Meaning
1sg אֶכְתּוֹב ʔekhtov I will write
2sg m תִּכְתּוֹב tikhtov you (m.) will write
2sg f תִּכְתְּבִי tikhtəvi you (f.) will write
3sg m יִכְתּוֹב yikhtov he will write
3sg f תִּכְתּוֹב tikhtov she will write
1pl נִכְתּוֹב nikhtov we will write
2pl תִּכְתְּבוּ tikhtəvu you (pl.) will write
3pl יִכְתְּבוּ yikhtəvu they will write

Hebrew Morphemes

Root: khtov / khtəv

Suffix: -i, -u

______: ʔe, ti-, yi-, ni-

Hebrew Morphemes

Root: khtov / khtəv

Suffix: -i, -u

Prefix: ʔe, ti-, yi-, ni-

Identifying Structure Without Meaning

Imagine We Discover a Language

Talek moruni.
Talek moruna.
Talek morunes.
Narik moruni.
Narik morunes.
Taleki narikes peluna.

Examine the following made-up language. Which parts of words repeat? Which change? What might those changes represent?

Adding Meaning

Talek moruni.
Talek moruna.
Talek morunes.
Narik moruni.
Narik morunes.
Taleki narikes peluna.

How would it affect our analysis if we discovered that ‘morun’ means ‘to go’?

Adding Meaning

Talek moruni.
Talek moruna.
Talek morunes.
Narik moruni.
Narik morunes.
Taleki narikes peluna.

How would it affect our analysis if we discovered that ‘morun’ means ‘dog’?

Activity

With your neighbor, analyze the following made-up language for all morphemes. How can we analyze these words?

Kaluma sen toren, temira naviren sen loren. Tadaren kaviren sen mira, naluma sen toren. Naviren temira sen kaloren, tadaren sen mira. Kamira naviren sen toren, taloren sen luma. Nadaren kaviren sen mira, kaluma temira sen loren. Taluma naviren sen toren.

Returning to Our Undeciphered Scripts

Undeciphered Scripts

  • Last time we identified the type of script for three unidentified texts.
  • What conclusions did we draw?

Assigning Letters to Symbols

Symbol Letter Symbol Letter
■ A ◐ B
△ C ○ D
⬣ E ● F
⊕ G □ H
◒ I ◇ J
▽ K ⊟ L
◆ M ⊞ N
◑ O ⬢ P
★ Q ☆ R
⊗ S ⊙ T
⬡ U

First Paragraph

ABCDEF ABCDEF DGB HICIGI JF IQFFKDJ HI ILDDKDJ MD KBJNO FHD . DGB UF ILDDKDJ MD CDPD O KOJHDCB JF FHHD . CDPD CDGD IICFF AIAI MD JDMDGOHO CFHD . ILDDKDJ PD KIJI AIAI I JF AIHHO CDOHHD . IQFFKDJ HI RBHDGF NO AIAI I CFGIB HI EFHD HICF , JDCD CDGD MOJCF JD IHICI JI CI MD BADGOHD . RBHDGF PD CINIAI JF AIAIHDGII HI JDADO I SBCOHD .

Second Paragraph

AIAIHDGII PD UDTDCB IICFCB JDHHD . DGB UF IJF MD EFAD CDGD CFHO ABGD JI AIJI I JDTDADKOGB HI CFFHD . AIAIHDGII PD IJF I HDIEFHDF HI IAIHHD . ILDDKDJ PD CFLF NDJMI I SBCBHHO AIAIHDGII JF PDHDEFHD . IQFFKDJ AI MDJLDHHO CIF HI FHHD .

Third Paragraph

AFRF JI JDCD NO FJB HI KDGB HI CFQF JF DHHD . AIAIHDGII PD NDJMI I PDCOHO HIAINDRF JF EFHD . TIJ JFJ PD FKEI JF IJF JI EFAD O FHHD . IJF HI HDHDCDF SBTICB HDHDCDHHD . SBFJF IJF JF CDHHD . HDCBKDJ JI HDCDGD I HO JF FGOHD . ABGD JF CDOHHO AFJJD NO TIGICIJND .

Activity Instructions

  • We’ll split the room up into two groups.
    • Close your laptops; put away your phones!
    • In your group, divvy up labor as you see fit.

Activity Instructions

  • Group 1:
    • Assume that this language is prefixing.
    • Identify any 1, 2, and 3 letter sequences that occur at the beginnings of words.
  • Group 2:
    • Assume that this language is suffixing.
    • Identify any 1, 2, and 3 letter sequences that occur at the ends of words.

Group A - 1 letter

seq count % of eligible words
J 24 15.5%
I 24 15.5%
H 19 12.3%
A 17 11.0%
C 17 11.0%
P 9 5.8%
M 7 4.5%
F 7 4.5%
N 5 3.2%
D 4 2.6%
K 3 1.9%
U 3 1.9%

Group A - 2 letters

seq count % of eligible words
HI 13 9.0%
JF 12 8.3%
AI 11 7.6%
PD 9 6.2%
CD 8 5.5%
JD 7 4.8%
MD 6 4.1%
CF 6 4.1%
JI 5 3.4%
IJ 5 3.4%
HD 5 3.4%
AB 4 2.8%

Group A - 3 letters

seq count % of eligible words
AIA 8 8.2%
IJF 5 5.1%
ILD 4 4.1%
DGB 3 3.1%
IQF 3 3.1%
FHH 3 3.1%
CDG 3 3.1%
ABC 2 2.0%
HIC 2 2.0%
CDP 2 2.0%
KOJ 2 2.0%
CFF 2 2.0%

Group B - 1 letter

seq count % of eligible words
D 45 29.0%
I 41 26.5%
F 33 21.3%
O 15 9.7%
B 11 7.1%
J 10 6.5%

Group B - 2 letters

seq count % of eligible words
HD 18 12.4%
JF 17 11.7%
HI 10 6.9%
PD 9 6.2%
DJ 8 5.5%
HO 8 5.5%
JI 7 4.8%
GD 6 4.1%
GB 5 3.4%
MD 5 3.4%
CB 4 2.8%
RF 4 2.8%

Group B - 3 letters

seq count % of eligible words
HHD 9 9.2%
KDJ 8 8.2%
FHD 6 6.1%
GII 5 5.1%
IJF 5 5.1%
DGB 4 4.1%
DGD 4 4.1%
IAI 4 4.1%
HHO 4 4.1%
OHD 3 3.1%
DCB 3 3.1%
KOG 2 2.0%

Summary

1-Letter Distribution (155 words)

  • Word-Initial (Prefixes)

    Top 3 letters = 43% of all beginnings

  • Word-Final (Suffixes)

    Top 3 letters = 77% of all endings

Summary

2-Letter Sequences (145 words ≥2 letters)

  • Word-Initial (Prefixes)

    Top 3 letter sequences = 25% of all beginnings

  • Word-Final (Suffixes)

    Top 3 letter sequences = 31% of all endings

Summary

3-Letter Sequences (98 words ≥3 letters)

  • Word-Initial (Prefixes)

    Top 3 letter sequences = 17% of all beginnings

  • Word-Final (Suffixes)

    Top 3 letter sequences = 23% of all endings

Text

mukashi mukashi aru tokoro ni ojiisan to obaasan ga sunde ita . aru hi obaasan ga kawa e sentaku ni itta . kawa kara ookii momo ga nagarete kita . obaasan wa sono momo o ie ni motte kaetta . ojiisan to futari de momo o kirou to shita toki , naka kara genki na otoko no ko ga umareta . futari wa kodomo ni momotaroo to namae o tsuketa .

Text

momotaroo wa hayaku ookiku natta . aru hi oni ga shima kara kite mura no mono o nayamaseru to kiita . momotaroo wa oni o taoshitai to omotta . obaasan wa kibi dango o tsukutte momotaroo ni watashita . ojiisan mo ganbatte koi to itta .

Text

michi no naka de inu to saru to kiji ni atta . momotaroo wa dango o wakete tomodachi ni shita . yon nin wa issho ni oni no shima e itta . oni to tatakai tsuyoku tatakatta . tsuini oni ni katta . takusan no takara o te ni ireta . mura ni kaette minna de yorokonda .

Text

Once upon a time, in a certain place, there lived an old man and an old woman. One day, the old woman went to the river to do laundry. A large peach floated down the river. The old woman took the peach home. When she and the old man tried to cut the peach, a healthy baby boy was born from inside. They named the child Momotaro.

Text

Momotaro grew up quickly. One day, he heard that demons were coming from an island and causing trouble for the villagers. Momotaro wanted to defeat the demons. The old woman made millet dumplings and gave them to Momotaro. The old man also told him to do his best.

Text

Along the way, he met a dog, a monkey, and a pheasant. Momotaro shared the dumplings with them and made them his friends. The four of them went to the demon’s island together. They fought the demons bravely. Finally, they defeated the demons. They obtained many treasures. They returned to the village, and everyone rejoiced.