Isle of Man Represented at International Linguistics Olympiad
Four Isle of Man secondary students return after a wonderful showing at the International Linguistics Olympiad in the Czech Republic.
Congratulations and welcome home and to Emily Gray, Alice Lowdon, Nathan Harmer and George Boles!
This team of secondary students from the Island have just returned home from the International Linguistics Olympiad at Charles University in the Czech Republic.
The Competition
The International Linguistics Olympiad is an international competition for secondary school students and has been held annually since 2003. It is one of only twelve UNESCO recognised International Science Olympiads.
The students come together to test their minds against puzzles in language and linguistics. The competition is set in individual and team segments.
Isle of Man’s History in the International Linguistics Olympiad
Isle of Man students have been taking part in this Olympiad since 2013 sending a combined 28 participants in 7 teams over the 6 competition years.
Choosing the Competitors
Emily Gray (Ramsey Grammar School), Alice Lowdon (Ramsey Grammar School), Nathan Harmer (Queen Elizabeth II High School) and George Boles (Ramsey Grammar School) were chosen after a rigorous and challenging competition on Island.
This past February, the Isle of Man held its own Linguistics Olympiad in order to form the team for the international competition. 88 pupils from all of the Island’s secondary schools took part in the first round of code-breaking and problem solving puzzles. The second round was whittled down to 8 formidable competitors and the top four, Ms Gray, Ms Lowden, Mr Harmer and Mr Boles, were invited to join the international team.
Prague 2018
29 Countries were represented in this year’s competition which was held from 26 July to 30 July. Participants competed to solve problems on diverse languages including Creek, Hakhun, Terêna, Mountain Arapesh, Akan, and Mẽbêngôkre, Xavante and Krĩkatí.
Next year’s competition is set for Yongin, Korea on July 29-August 2, 2019
We commend these young adults for their efforts and proud representation on the global scale. Great things can be expected of these bright and conscientious pupils.
