KEEN language students at a college in Taunton took part in a competition that challenged their ability to comprehend different languages.

The UK Linguistics Olympiad saw students from Richard Huish College tackle and analyse some of the world’s most obscure tongues.

The national competition is designed to introduce students to linguistics as a subject by challenging them to think about language in a new way.

The students had to work out the difficult patterns and complete tasks in languages which are completely unknown to them, developing their awareness of different linguistic systems that are seen throughout many different countries, many of which they may have never heard of.

The students, who are studying A- Levels in French, German and Spanish, were challenged to solve five demanding puzzles which this year focused on the languages of Tamil, Maori and Choctaw, a Native American language, among others.

A spokesman from Richard Huish College said: “After an intense two and a half hour exam, they were rewarded with certificates and a sense of achievement. The Olympiad is just one of the regular language based enrichments available.”