Given these five statements in an unknown language, whom does Phil "moiven"?

logic/boodle.phil.moiven New, unsolved

New entry, edited from material collected for the archive and not yet in a released version.

Problem

Given these five statements in an unknown language, whom does Phil
"moiven"?

1. Lucy sod'n pho Abner, kips Abner sod'n pho Lucy.

2. Hubert bink ptui Phil, kips Hubert bink ptui Abner.

3. Lucy sod'n pho Hubert myt Myrtle sod'n pho Hubert, kips Lucy pock
   matoo Myrtle.

4. Lucy pock matoo Leonard myt Leonard pock matoo Myrtle, kips
   Myrtle moiven Lucy.  Leonard moiven Hubert myt Hubert bink ptui
   Phil, kips Leonard moiven Phil.

5. Leonard sod'n pho Phil.  Boodle Phil moiven?

Extras:

A second interesting puzzle is: Can you invent meanings for "sod'n
pho", "bink ptui", "pock matoo", and "moiven" that make these axioms
reasonable?

And third--does anyone know where the problem is from, or even what
language it is in?

The following appeared in 1985 on a mailing list, together with some
Prolog code.  The apparent poser of the problem claimed it was forged,
and my questions about it were unanswered.  Would anyone care to
investigate the mystery?

-- Dan Hoey <Hoey@AIC.NRL.Navy.Mil> (February 1995)

[ Editor: the opening sentence is the editor's; the puzzle itself is
quoted from the posting. ]

Show solution

Instead of Prolog code I provide you an English explanation, rot13'd in
case you want to puzzle it out for yourself.

1. "Xvcf" zrnaf fbzrguvat yvxr "gurersber."  Guvf zrnaf gung "fbq'a
   cub" vf flzzrgevp--vs V "fbq'a cub" lbh, gura lbh "fbq'a cub" zr.

2. Guvf jnf genafyngrq gb zrna gung vs lbh "ovax cghv" nalbar lbh jvyy
   "ovax cghv" rirelbar.

3. "Zlg" zrnaf "naq".  Fb "Cbpx zngbb" vf gur eryngvbany fdhner bs
   "fbq'a cub"--vs gjb crbcyr rnpu "fbq'a cub" gur fnzr guveq crefba,
   gura gurl "cbpx zngbb" rnpu bgure.

4. "Zbvira" vf n yvggyr zber pbzcyvpngrq. "Zbvira" vapyhqrf gur
   eryngvbany fdhner bs "cbpx zngbb"--vs gjb crbcyr rnpu "cbpx zngbb"
   gur fnzr guveq crefba, gura gurl "zbvira" rnpu bgure.  Ohg "zbvira"
   vf rkgraqrq ol "ovax cghv", va gur frafr gung vs lbh "zbvira"
   fbzrbar jub "ovax cghv"f n guveq crefba, gura lbh "zbvira" gung
   guveq crefba nyfb.

5. Gur chmmyr cbfrq vf, jub qbrf Cuvy "zbvira"?

If you have the translation, please mark it as a spoiler to avoid
interfering with the second puzzle.

-- Dan Hoey <Hoey@AIC.NRL.Navy.Mil>

[ Editor: the explanation above interprets the five statements; no
answer to the question, to the "second puzzle" or to the origin of the
problem was found in the collected postings. ]