The Hong Kong Linguistics Olympiad (HKLO)
November 17, 2020
HKAH Fellow Prof. Kathleen Ahrens would like to share the following news about The International Linguistics Olympiad (IOL) with the Fellows of the HKAH and the broader community. The event and its results demonstrate how scholars in the humanities in Hong Kong are serving the local community, helping gifted secondary students identify their academic talents, and forging the connection between what is learned and the wider world.
The logo of The International Linguistics Olympiad (IOL)
The International Linguistics Olympiad (IOL) is one of the 13 official scientific Olympiads and the 8th scientific Olympiad to be held in Hong Kong. IOL is a contest for junior and senior secondary school students to solve language-related data analytic puzzles. These puzzles focus on developing the skills necessary to uncover patterns of new information from the data set of an unknown language containing only limited clues. Through this competition, students can learn more about world languages and improve their observation, logic, and awareness of how to provide an explanation with a well-supported argument.
Hong Kong Linguistics Olympiad (HKLO) is the local branch of the International Linguistics Olympiad and it is accredited by both IOL and APLO (Asia Pacific Linguistics Olympiad). The Hong Kong Linguistics Olympiad aims to nurture interests in linguistics at the HK secondary school level as well as to provide a unique opportunity for young people in HK to be exposed to data analytics and problem-solving.
The HKLO is currently led by Professor Chu-Ren Huang, Chair Professor and former Dean of the Faculty of Humanities at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and former President of the Hong Kong Academy of Humanities (HKAH), and organized by a team from the Faculty of Humanities at PolyU, many of whom are elected members of HKAH. This support shows the dedication of HKAH colleagues to produce the future leaders of the humanities.
The 2nd Asia Pacific Linguistics Olympiad (APLO 2020) was held simultaneously in six countries/regions on 27 September 2020. A total of 97 contestants participated in seven cities. The top eight students from each delegation were regarded as official participants. Hong Kong’s team received one Gold, one Bronze, and six Honorable Mentions in the APLO international ranking: https://aplo.asia/results/
Ip Tsz Oi, from Diocesan Girls' School, received a Gold medal. She was the only participant in the APLO (all countries) who fully solved and received full marks for problem 3.
Training for HKLO2021
The training for HKLO2021 will begin on 15 November 2020. Interested students can register using this link https://forms.gle/4DTnB9Xg7Bg8zrHj7 or clicking the button below:
We look forward to your participation!
– HKLO organizing team
Continue reading:
Visit the HKLO website: https://polyu.hk/amuVS
Learn more about the International Linguistics Olympiad: http://www.ioling.org
See the APLO results: https://aplo.asia/results
See the APLO problems: https://aplo.asia/problems-by-year