INDIANA UNIVERSITY

DEPARTMENT OF LINGUISTICS & AFRICAN STUDIES PROGRAM
                        THE AFRICAN LANGUAGES PROGRAM.

S 101  - ELEMENTARY SWAHILI : FALL 2007

COURSE INFORMATION:

Class Schedule: MW           
11:15A-12:05P        SY 210 

                         TR      11:15A-12:30P        SY 210

 

Class Schedule: MW -  12:20P-01:10P     SY 108   

                         TR  -   01:00P-02:15P         SY 137

 

Instructor: Abdulwahid Mazrui  Email: ammazrui@indiana.edu  
Office:   Memorial Hall 217
Office Hours: MW 1:15-2:15


COURSE DESCRIPTION:

Swahili is a language spoken in East and Central Africa. It is widely spoken in Tanzania and Kenya. It is also spoken in Burundi, Uganda, Rwanda, Congo and some parts of Somalia. There are about 50 million speakers of the language in these areas.

Swahili (also known as Kiswahili) is a medium of instruction in Tanzania in Primary education.

This course provides an introduction to the Swahili language and culture. The primary goal of the course is to provide the students with the spoken knowledge of the language. However, by the end of the course, students should have also acquired some knowledge of reading and writing in the language and its structure. .

 

The course also aims to meet the five goals of language standards: Communication, Cultures, Connections, Comparisons, and Communities.

SPEAKING AND WRITING GOALS:  

Students use appropriate Swahili expressions and gestures to greet and take leave of teachers and classmates.

Students give and follow simple instructions in Swahili in order to participate in classroom activities. Students share their likes and dislikes in Swahili with each other.

Students play role in Swahili everyday situations, such as buying wares in the market or ordering food at a restaurant.

Students ask and answer questions in Swahili about topics such as family, school, animals, familiar objects, and possessions.

Students prepare and present in Swahili short illustrated personal descriptions of topics, like their home or their family.

Students prepare and present and/or record in Swahili puppet shows, short skits, and simple plays based on familiar folktales and stories, such as “Mgeni siku ya kwanza” (The guest first day)

Students retell stories in oral and written Swahili.

Students perform songs, stories, skits or plays in Swahili for classroom and some events.

LISTENING and READING GOALS:

Students follow oral instructions in Swahili related to daily classroom activities.

Students understand oral and/or written statements in Swahili on familiar topics, such as numbers, time of day, and weather.

Students read and/or listen in Swahili to descriptions and identify the corresponding pictures or illustrations, such as people, animals, objects, places, common activities, weather and time of day.

Students understand brief spoken or written Swahili messages on familiar topics, such as personal preferences, family, school, and celebrations.

CULTURAL GOALS:

Students use appropriate gestures and Swahili expressions for greetings, leave takings and common classroom interaction.

Students identify social customs that are of interest to either children or adults, topics, may include traditional foods, aspects of family life, and cultural events of Swahili culture.

Students identify the similarities and differences between school life in their own region and in Swahili culture.

Students identify and recognize products and symbols of the Swahili people, such as foods, clothing, type of dwellings and modes of transportation.

Students identify and learn about products reflecting the lifestyle of people in various Swahili communities, such as household items, clothing, and foods.

Proficiency Level to be achieved (Novice Mid)

At the end of the first semester the students are expected to reach the Novice Mid level of the ACTFL.

Speakers at the Novice-Mid level communicate minimally and with difficulty by using a number of isolated words and memorized phrases limited by the particular context in which the language has been learned. When responding to direct questions, they may utter only two or three words at a time or an occasional stock answer. They pause frequently as they search for simple vocabulary or attempt to recycle their own and their interlocutor=s words. Because of hesitations, lack of vocabulary, inaccuracy, or failure to respond appropriately, Novice-Mid speakers may be understood with great difficulty even by sympathetic interlocutors accustomed to dealing with non-natives. When called on to handle topics by performing functions associated with the Intermediate level, they frequently resort to repetition, words from their native language, or silence.

COURSE MATERIALS:

 

1.  On-line Kiswahili course: KIKO – Kiswahili kwa Kompyuta www.africa.uga.edu/Kiswahili/doe

2.  Text book:  Tuseme Kiswahili : F.E.M.K.Senkoro

3.  http://africanlanguages.com/swahili/index.php?l=en (Dictionary)

4.  http://www.indiana.edu/~afrilang/  (Online material)

5.  http://www.glcom.com/hassan/ 


GRADING POLICY:

 

The final grade shall be computed on the following basis:

Attendance and class participation                        10%

Assignments and homework                                   20%

2 Quizzes                                                                   20%

Midterm exam                                                          20%

Final exam  (Written)                                                30%

 

COURSE POLICY:

The course plan is subject to change. Any such change(s) will be announced in the course of the semester. Students will be responsible for such announcements whether or not they are in the class when the announcement is made.

Attendance is mandatory. However, if for some legitimate reason a student is unable to attend a class it is the student’s responsibility to get notes on the class from either the instructor or a colleague.  

Food is not allowed in class. Cell phones should be switched off during class.


COURSE SCHEDULE

Week 1: Introductions


Day 1:  
Introduction (Kiswahili)

Students introducing themselves.

Talk about syllabus

Day 2: Greetings http://www.indiana.edu/~swahili/maamkio.html

People of the same age 

Video clips (Cultural project) - Maamkio

Singing the Jambo Song
KIKO:      Unit 1 lessons 1 and 2

Day 3: More greetings, going into someone house (hodi) and Farewells
            KIKO:  Unit 1 lessons 3 and 4

Day 4: Greeting people of the different age and greeting during different time of the day.

Greeting endings (farewell)
Cultural project- Maagano. http://www.indiana.edu/~swahili/maagano.html

 

Week 2: Greetings and Introductions

Day 1: Asking each others names and where from.

Extended greetings
KIKO:  Unit 1 lessons 5 and 6 http://www.africa.uga.edu/Kiswahili/doe/unit_01/index.html

Day 2: Telling each other where you live, study and where and what do you study.

Singing an introduction song

Day 3: Using scenarios to practice introducing one another and introducing more than

one person.

Day 4: Reading (Introduction)

Practicing the dialogues on different greetings

Grammar focus (Swahili pronouns)

On-line exercise (Diagnostic test 1)

 

Week 3: Numbers

Day 1: Knowing and using numbers(1-10 and 10-100)

            Introduce some nouns in N-Class to help in saying numbers *

Day 2: Doing math(addition,multiplying etc)

Reading and knowing telephone numbers

1-10 number song

KIKO Unit 2 (http://www.africa.uga.edu/Kiswahili/doe/unit_02/index.html )

Day 3: More on numbers.

            More “math” with higher numbers.

            Knowing how to say dates, months and years.

Day 4: More on Using numbers:

Using dates to talk about birthdays (introduce phrases like “nilizaliwa” and “alizaliwa” , also “hakuzaliwa” and “sikuzaliwa”, “ana” and “nina”(using it to tell about age)

            Days of the week.    

Online homework http://www.africa.uga.edu/Kiswahili/doe/unit_02/diagnostica.html

Week 4: Family (KIKO Unit 3) (Senkoro pg 51 – Somo la Pili)

Day 1: Talk about family by identifying the Swahili terms for family, introduce members                                                                                                                                                          of family (baba, mama, bibi, babu, kaka, dada etc)  

Day 2: Names of family members (Baba yangu jina lake……….. )                                      Talk about family, introduce other members of the family and their professions.         Kutembeleana (Reading and listening) http://www.africa.uga.edu/Kiswahili/doe/unit_03/section_C/lesson01.html         

Day 3 Describing people (Example: best friend/close relative/best teacher: name, age, nationality, where the friend lives and likes and dislikes)                                                Review                                                                                                                             Day 4: Quiz I (September, 17)                                                                                         Online homework assignment http://www.africa.uga.edu/Kiswahili/doe/unit_03/diagnostic2a.html

Week 5: Telling the time

Day 1:   Saying and asking time in Swahili : hours.(Senkoro 288) http://www.africa.uga.edu/Kiswahili/doe/unit_04/index.html                                           Day 2: Saying and asking time in Swahili : minutes.                                                                Picture story to practice saying time.                                                                                           Day 3: Daily Activities(what do you do everyday)                                                                Day 4: Reading on daily activities

Week 6: Talking about past and future activities

Day 1: Talking about things I did in the past. (Using past positive)

Day 2: Talking about things I did not do in the past.

Day 3: Talking about future plans (p165 -179) Senkoro

Day 4: Reading about the past and the future.

Week 7: Body parts and health

Day 1: Learning body parts and sing a song.

Day 2: Talk about illness and expressing emotions.

Day 3: Going to see a doctor.

Day 4: Visiting a friend who is not feeling well.

Week 8: Talk about professions and animals.

Day 1: Talking about people professions.(Introducing M-WA noun class).  Talk about animals

Day 2: More about people professions.(Introducing M-WA noun class).(Reading)

Talk about animals (animals I like and I don’t like, places where animals live) 

Day 3: Review.

Day 4: MIDTERM TEST ,October, 18.

 

Week 9 Going to the market and Knowing about fruits.

 

Day 1: Knowing Swahili fruits.(Ji-MA)

 

Day 2: Describing my car. (Practicing JI-MA)

 

Day 3: Going to the market.

http://www.indiana.edu/~swahili/kuuza.html

 

Day 4: Bargaining

            http://www.indiana.edu/~swahili/kuuza.html

Week 10 Buying and Finding an accommodation

Day 1: Going to the store (Dukani) http://www.indiana.edu/~swahili/kuuza.html

Day 2: Going to the post office http://www.africa.uga.edu/Kiswahili/doe/unit_05/section_C/lesson01.html

Day 3: Looking for an accommodation and talk about your house

Day 4: Reading to practice N class. (Reporting a problem in your house)

Week 11 Food and renting a room

Day 1: Looking for a room (Call a landlord)

Day 2: Describing your room and a kind of a room you want  (KI-Vi Class)

Day 3: Talking about food and complementing food(More practice on KI-VI Class

Day 4: Reading and listening

Chakula: http://www.indiana.edu/~swahili/vyakula.html

Week 12 Location and Directions         

Day 1: Directions(West,South, East and North) (Mahali Class)

Day 2: Asking and giving directions

Day 3: Talking the location of different things: Geographical(cities,countries etc)

                        items location, and people using  PO-KO-MO

Day 4: Quiz II, November 15.

Week 13: Making requests

Day 1 and Day 2: Subjunctive and how to ask and make polite requests, and

ordering things (accepting and refusing)

            Thanksgiving Break

Week 14: Our environment

Day 1 and 2: Talk about environment ( rivers, cities and mountains.)(M-Mi Class)

Day 3:            In class writing about environment (where would you like to go and visit or live)

Day 4 : Reading about environment. (Mito na milima na umuhimu wake kwa wanadamu)

Week 15        Review

Week 16        Final Exam