A team of four pupils represented the Isle of Man at the International Linguistics Olympiad held at the American University in Bulgaria in the city of Blagoevgrad from the 20th to the 24th of July. The event, sponsored by Google and Coca Cola, is one of 13 International Science Olympiads for secondary school students and attracted 44 team entries from around the world. The Olympiad hosts a range of lectures and forums on linguistics in addition to a 6 hour individual contest and 4 hour team in which competitors’ minds are tested against the world's toughest puzzles in language and linguistics. Although it is a distinct advantage, no prior knowledge of linguistics or languages is required; even the hardest problems can be solved by logic, lateral thinking and intense concentration.

The members of the Isle of Man team, Daniel Quayle, Max Quayle, Dylan Leonine and Annie Lennon, qualified via the Isle of Man Linguistics Olympiad held in February. This is the third time the Isle of Man has entered the competition. Although one of their solutions for the decryption of a phonetic algorithm received a special mention, there were no medals.

Having won the team competition at the previous four Olympiads, the United States were favourites to win again, but were pipped for gold by the United Kingdom, who recorded their best ever results in the competition. Ireland also won their first medal at their seventh attempt; a bronze in the individual competition.

Organiser Robert Teare said: “Beyond the contest, this was a fantastic experience for the competitors and involvement in the competition is a great vehicle for promoting linguistics and analytical understanding of language. Nevertheless, our ultimate aim is to win medals, and I am determined that we build on our experiences going forward.”

The organisers and team would like to thank the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company, RL360 and the Elizabeth Clucas Trust for their support.

Photo - left to right - Daniel Quayle, Annie Lennon, Max Quayle, Dylan Leonine.