Artificial language decoding — select the word that could mean “lighthouse” Given translations: • mallonpiml = blue light • mallontifl = blueberry • arpantifl = raspberry Which constructed word could stand for “lighthouse”?

Difficulty: Easy

Correct Answer: pimldoken

Explanation:


Introduction / Context:
The task is to extract morphemes for “light” and “berry/blue” then build a word for “lighthouse”. We are not given a direct morpheme for “house”, so we must choose the only choice that plausibly pairs the known light stem with an unknown but consistent new stem for house.



Given Data / Assumptions:

  • mallonpiml = blue light → “mallon–” = blue; “–piml” = light.
  • mallontifl = blueberry → “–tifl” = berry.
  • arpantifl = raspberry → “arpan–” = rasp; “–tifl” = berry (confirms).
  • No direct “house” morpheme appears in the given list.


Concept / Approach:
“Lighthouse” = “light” + “house”. We must preserve the known “piml” for light and attach a plausible new stem for house. A valid option will include “piml” and a new second part that has not been mapped to “blue”, “berry”, or “rasp”.



Step-by-Step Solution:

Map stems: mallon = blue; piml = light; tifl = berry; arpan = rasp.Identify candidate containing “piml”: choices (b) pimlarpan and (d) pimldoken.Reject pimlarpan because “arpan” is rasp; “light-rasp” does not form “lighthouse”.Accept pimldoken as “light” + (unseen stem “doken”) that can logically represent “house”.


Verification / Alternative check:
Check the others: tiflmallon would be “berry blue”; mallonarpan = “blue rasp”; arpantifl repeats “raspberry”. None matches “lighthouse”.



Why Other Options Are Wrong:

  • tiflmallon: order and meanings yield “blueberry” components in reverse, not “lighthouse”.
  • pimlarpan: “light-rasp” is semantically wrong.
  • mallonarpan: “blue-rasp” nonsense here.
  • arpantifl: exactly “raspberry”, already mapped.


Common Pitfalls:
Insisting every component must be previously seen. In constructed-language items, using one new, consistent stem with a known stem is acceptable if it fits the requested meaning.



Final Answer:
pimldoken

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