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LING66 – Structure of Swahili

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LING66 – Structure of Swahili LING66 – Structure of Swahili Fall 2015 – As of 10/22 Class time: M, 1:15-4pm, Science Center 102 Instructor: Jamie A. Thomas Email: [email protected] Office hours: Parrish W211, Thursday 11:30am-12:30pm, and by appointment Course description Carrying a strong literary and political tradition, Swahili is the most commonly spoken Bantu language. Swahili incorporates influences from Arabic, Hindi, Portuguese, German, English, and French, from South Sudan, to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia, Mozambique, the Comoros Islands, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, and southern Somalia. Using a hands-on approach with bilingual materials, this course is an examination of the major phonological, morphological, syntactic, and semantic structures of Swahili. This course also considers second language development and regional and urban dialects in the history of the language and its cultural context. Course goals 1. Build knowledge of the major structural features of Swahili 2. Understand how to dissect and approach a technical, theory-driven paper in linguistics 3. Appreciate the contributions of linguistics in the exploration of Swahili language and culture 4. Perform introductory Swahili greetings Required readings & materials Out of print: J. Kitsao (Ed.) 1991. Mcheshi goes to the market/ Mcheshi aenda sokoni. Nairobi: Jacaranda Designs Ltd. J. Kitsao (Ed.) 1993. Mcheshi goes on a journey/ Mcheshi aenda safari. Nairobi: Jacaranda Designs Ltd. All readings and additional materials will be posted on our Moodle webpage. Assigned podcasts or videos will also be made available through Moodle. These should be listened to or viewed prior to the start of class. WARNING Course materials and in-class discussion will touch upon the use of language that may be considered vulgar, offensive, or discriminatory. The purpose of this is to frankly approach the reality of language as it used within our communities so as to better understand it. No language will be permitted in the classroom or written work that specifically targets anyone or any group with a hateful or disparaging purpose. Course grade Participation, leading discussion 20% Take-home assignments 35% In-class quizzes 15% Course project 30% Page 1 of 7 – LING66 Attendance Regular attendance will aid you in better comprehension and retention of the course material. Therefore, you are expected to attend every class and to notify me by email when you will be absent due to illness, religious observance, family emergencies, etc. Should you choose not to come to class, your grade for the course will reflect the lack of participation accordingly. Participation Discussion questions for the readings will be posted to Moodle each week to help guide you to think about the general ideas that I find particularly important about the readings. These will be a starting point for discussion, so you should have taken notes and thought about the questions before class. I may collect your answers to discussion questions if I am dissatisfied with class preparation & participation. If you know you will need to miss class, you should e-mail me your comments and questions before class. Assignment deadlines All assigned work must be submitted by the start of class on the due date unless specifically approved in advance by the instructor. Late work without prior approval may not be accepted. I may take off points for each day late. Participation is an important part of this course. All students are expected to: • Complete assigned readings before coming to class • Be prepared to actively contribute to class discussions and activities • Ask questions in class when there is something that you do not understand or disagree with • Responsibly use electronic devices in class • Come to my office hours when you need help • Check email and our Moodle webpage regularly for assignments, announcements, and handouts Using languages other than English in class As a class, we will review examples from different languages. However, our main language of discussion is English. If you are a speaker of a language we will analyze, you are encouraged to share your language experiences with the class while respecting the endeavor of your classmates. You are encouraged to be mindful of our classroom community and consider the implications of the uses of other languages. Additionally, you are also encouraged to share with the class relevant current events and information in languages other than English, accommodating those who do not comprehend the chosen language with a suitable translation. Using languages other than English to complete assignments You are encouraged to incorporate data or sources in other languages into your assignments for this course, as appropriate. These data should be presented with an English-language translation. Sources should be cited, with an English-language translation of the citation provided as well. If you submit work that references a source in a language other than English, you may be asked to include an electronic or hard copy of that source along with the assignment. Page 2 of 7 – LING66 Criteria for written work Written work must be typed in English. Work submitted in hard copy (problem sets, field projects) must be typed in 12-point Times New Roman font, with 1” margins all around. Pages must be numbered, and your full name needs to be on the assignment. You may be asked to resubmit work that does not conform to these guidelines. Grades will be largely determined on content and critical analysis, but spelling, grammar, and conventions will also be considered. Three areas will be considered during grading: 1. Depth of coverage: Thorough treatment of the topic reflecting a clear understanding of the subject 2. Presentation: Clear, concise, readable prose 3. Argument: Strength of evidence, and attention to counterarguments where necessary. Academic honesty: Two notable kinds of academic dishonesty are plagiarism and “recycling” papers. • Plagiarism is the use of another’s work, ideas, or writings (including those found on the internet) without proper attribution. If you are in doubt as to when you need to cite a source or the form your citation should take, you can review the Harvard Guide to Using Sources (http://usingsources.fas.harvard.edu/icb/icb.do). • In addition, turning in the same paper for more than one class is prohibited. Please see the Swarthmore College website on academic misconduct (http://www.swarthmore.edu/student- handbook/academic-policies#academic_misconduct). • Any student found to be in violation of these regulations will receive a grade of 0% or an F for the assignment. For students with disabilities If you believe that you need accommodations for a disability, please contact Leslie Hempling in the Office of Student Disability Services (Parrish 113) or email [email protected] to arrange an appointment to discuss your needs. As appropriate, she will issue students with documented disabilities a formal Accommodations Letter. Since accommodations require early planning and are not retroactive, please contact her as soon as possible. For details about the accommodations process, visit the Student Disability Service Website (http://www.swarthmore.edu/academic-advising-support/welcome-to-student-disability-service). You are also welcome to contact me (your instructor) privately to discuss your academic needs. However, all disability-related accommodations must be arranged through the Office of Student Disability Services. Page 3 of 7 – LING66 Tentative Course Calendar Readings are listed in a suggested order of progression. Any changes will be updated on Moodle. All assigned material and discussion questions will be posted on Moodle. Week 1 Monday, August 31 Structures of codeswitching What is codeswitching? & hip hop Are there structural foundations to multiple language use? Group exercise Problem Set 1 In-class film Excerpts from Hip Hop Colony In-class reading Excerpts from Myers-Scotton (1993) ‘Codeswitching’ Week 2 Monday, September 7 Kenyan hip hop & advertising **Required online discussion during class time 1:15-3pm NO MEETING (Respond to at least 2 questions posted by someone else) **Use remaining class time 3-4pm to prepare/discuss Problem Set 1 Readings Due APP Episode 36: Endangered African Languages Complete Hip Hop Colony Mutonya (2008) ‘Advertising in Nairobi’ Assignments Due Post 2 discussion questions to Moodle; respond to 2 others Week 3 Monday, September 14 Key features of sound system What are major features of Swahili as a Bantu language? & verb structure How can monitoring child language development highlight these features? Readings Due Nurse & Philippson (2003) ‘Introduction – The Bantu Languages’ Gangji, Pascoe, & Smouse (2015) ‘Phonetic inventory’ Deen (2003) ‘Verb structure’ Assignments Due Problem Set 1: Mzungu data Week 4 Quiz 1 Monday, September 21 Word parts How are words related across space and time? & historical linguistics How do speakers create complex word meanings? Readings Due Contini-Morava (2000) ‘Swahili noun class as number’ Katamba (2003) ‘Bantu nominal morphology’ Demuth (2000) ‘Semantic productivity in Bantu noun classes’ Schadeberg (2003a) ‘Comparative Bantu’ Vansina (1995) ‘Wave model’ In Class Team Exercise 1: Noun class (presentation in next class) Page 4 of 7 – LING66 Week 5 Monday, September 28 More on word parts How does morphophonology link words in the spreading of features? & agreement What is agreement? How is it theorized to operate in Swahili? Readings Due Mufwene (1980) ‘Noun class: inflectional
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