Trey Jones
l’École de SpecGram, Washington D.C.

In the April issue, Speculative Grammarian made a shameless attempt to cash in on the popularity of the number/logic game SuDoku by concocting a SuDoku-like activity suitable for Linguists.

Our original LingDoku puzzle simplified the logical reasoning component of traditional SuDoku, and introduced a thin veneer of linguistics to create an artificial barrier to participation for . The solution to last issue’s puzzle is given here. In all likelihood it is the correct solution, but nothing in life is certain

LingDoku II symbol inventory

Well, as it turns out, the original LingDoku puzzle is pretty easy, so we at SpecGram are rising to the challenge to provide a more complex (and thus perhaps more interesting) LingDoku II puzzle.

This new LingDoku II extends the simpler LingDoku puzzle form as follows:

In the puzzle below, some symbols are given to get you started. Also, for a number of squares, rather than giving a whole symbol, only one pertinent feature of the symbol is given.

A strategy hint: using normal SuDoku techniques, you can solve some of the puzzle separately for place and manner of articulation. Only after that should whole symbols be considered.

Those of you who still find LingDoku II “too difficult” should make a point of shying away from any serious work in phonology and syntax Those of you who think LingDoku II is fairly easy should email your solutions to SpecGram. A random winner chosen from among who send in correctly completed puzzles by August 15th, 2006, will win a SpecGram magnet.

The solution (all the usual disclaimers of quality apply) and the name of the prize winner (if any) will appear in the upcoming issue, along with another puzzle.