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143522 KU Dagaare and the Mabia Languages (2020S)

Continuous assessment of course work

Registration/Deregistration

Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).

Details

max. 20 participants
Language: English

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

  • Tuesday 10.03. 09:00 - 11:00 Inst. f. Afrikawissenschaften, Seminarraum 4 UniCampus Hof 5 2M-O1-10
  • Tuesday 17.03. 09:00 - 11:00 Inst. f. Afrikawissenschaften, Seminarraum 4 UniCampus Hof 5 2M-O1-10
  • Tuesday 24.03. 09:00 - 11:00 Inst. f. Afrikawissenschaften, Seminarraum 4 UniCampus Hof 5 2M-O1-10
  • Tuesday 31.03. 09:00 - 11:00 Inst. f. Afrikawissenschaften, Seminarraum 4 UniCampus Hof 5 2M-O1-10
  • Tuesday 21.04. 09:00 - 11:00 Inst. f. Afrikawissenschaften, Seminarraum 4 UniCampus Hof 5 2M-O1-10
  • Tuesday 28.04. 09:00 - 11:00 Inst. f. Afrikawissenschaften, Seminarraum 4 UniCampus Hof 5 2M-O1-10
  • Tuesday 05.05. 09:00 - 11:00 Inst. f. Afrikawissenschaften, Seminarraum 4 UniCampus Hof 5 2M-O1-10
  • Tuesday 12.05. 09:00 - 11:00 Inst. f. Afrikawissenschaften, Seminarraum 4 UniCampus Hof 5 2M-O1-10
  • Tuesday 19.05. 09:00 - 11:00 Inst. f. Afrikawissenschaften, Seminarraum 4 UniCampus Hof 5 2M-O1-10
  • Tuesday 26.05. 09:00 - 11:00 Inst. f. Afrikawissenschaften, Seminarraum 4 UniCampus Hof 5 2M-O1-10
  • Tuesday 09.06. 09:00 - 11:00 Inst. f. Afrikawissenschaften, Seminarraum 4 UniCampus Hof 5 2M-O1-10
  • Tuesday 16.06. 09:00 - 11:00 Inst. f. Afrikawissenschaften, Seminarraum 4 UniCampus Hof 5 2M-O1-10
  • Tuesday 23.06. 09:00 - 11:00 Inst. f. Afrikawissenschaften, Seminarraum 4 UniCampus Hof 5 2M-O1-10
  • Tuesday 30.06. 09:00 - 11:00 Inst. f. Afrikawissenschaften, Seminarraum 4 UniCampus Hof 5 2M-O1-10

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

In this field methods course, course participants will be given the opportunity to learn how to discover and analyze the core grammatical structure (phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics) of an Africa language. The language in question is the Dagaare language of West Africa (Ghana, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire), but data from other related Mabia (Gur) languages will also be presented. This is not a proficiency course, though course participants who want to learn how to speak it will have the opportunity to do so.
Methods: Lecture, language consultant appearances.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1. To get students to be familiar with the basic structures of African languages, and to be able to elicit data directly from speakers and from spoken and textual databases.
2. To get students to critically examine earlier treatments of these structures from a cross-linguistic perspective.
3. To give students an in-depth knowledge of one African language from theoretical, typological, and cross-linguistic perspectives.

Lecture Schedule
Introduction
Part I – Phonetics and Phonology
1. Vocalic and Consonantal Systems in Africa
2. Suprasegmental Features: Tone and Tonal Processes
3. Phonological Processes: Vowel Harmony
4. Syllable: Types and Structure
5. Representation in Orthography form
Part II – Morphology
1. Morphology of Noun
2. The Pronominal System
3. Nominal Processes
Part III – Syntax and Semantics
1. Word Order Parameter and Syntax
2. Syntax of Nominal Phrase
3. Structure of the Verb Phrase
4. The Preverbal Particles
5. The Main Verb
6. The Post-verbal Particle lá
7. Adverbs and Adjuncts
8. Double Object Constructions
9. Major typical African language constructions: SVCs
10. Major typical African language constructions: SVNs and Coordination
11. Other Syntactic Alternations
Student presentations
Summary and Revision
Final Quiz/Assessment
ormat of Class meetings
Class interaction will be in the form of lectures, student presentations, computer-based teaching such as WebCT or blogs, and demonstrations of fundamental African issues through maps, artifacts, testimonies, and photos.

Assessment and permitted materials

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

Active participation during all class sessions will be key. The course will be assessed as follows:
.) Attendance and active participation in class and online discussions, debates, and exercises: 30%
.) Mid-term quiz: 30%
.) Final quiz: 40%

Some Study Questions/Activities
1. Name as many African languages as you can off the top of your head
2. What linguistic family groups are represented in Africa?
3. Do you think we should only promote major languages or small languages that are in danger of dying out should also be studied and documented?

Examination topics

Reading list

Bodomo, A. B. 1997. The Structure of Dagaare. CSLI, Stanford. (main textbook)
Bodomo, A. B. 2000. Dagaare: Languages of the World Materials no 165. Lincom Europa
Childs, Tucker George. 2003. An Introduction to African Languages. John Benjamins.Stanford Monographs in African Languages, CSLI, Stanford, CA

Association in the course directory

SAS.L3

Last modified: Mo 07.09.2020 15:20