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Problem 3 - Entrance Test

In Dyirbal every noun belongs to one of four noun classes. The class can be inferred from the noun’s determiner forms: bayi (I), balan (II), balam (III), bala (IV). Given that ‘man’ takes bayi and ‘woman’ takes balan, what determiner will the phrase ‘man and woman’ take?

Correct: A

Dyirbal class agreement follows the highest-ranked referent on the animacy hierarchy: human males > human females > higher animals > lower animates > inanimates. Conjoined noun phrases agree with the highest member, here ‘man’, so bayi is required.