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, , Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, , 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 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 ’ 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 or derivational?’ Contini-Morava (2006) ‘Zero vs. nothing’ Ferguson & Barlow (1988) ‘What is agreement?’ Zwart (1997) ‘Subject agreement via pronominal clitic’ Deen (2006) ‘Subject agreement via subject marker’ Assignments Due Team Exercise 1: Noun class In Class Team Exercise 2: AgrP predictions

Background Readings Posted Morphology and Phrase Structure As you review and study these, Ch. 1-5 from Sportiche, Koopman, & Stabler (2012), especially: compare with examples from the • Ch. 2 - Morphology: Starting with words articles we’re studying on Swahili to • Ch. 3 - Syntactic analysis introduced test your understanding. • Ch. 4 - Clauses • Ch. 5 - Other phrases: A glance

Week 6 Quiz 2 Monday, October 5 **Individual appointments this week Agreement: Take II What forms of agreement are present in Swahili? & an intro to verbal morphology How do borrowed words and loanwords fit into agreement patterns? Readings Due Pike (1986) ‘Resisting German language imperialism 1885-1910’ Myers-Scotton (2006) ‘Lexical borrowing’ Mutonya & Parsons (2004) ‘KiKAR as a variety of Swahili’ Bearth (2003) ‘Bantu syntax’ Reading for a Challenge Taniguchi (2013) ‘Coordination in subject and object agreement’ Assignments Due Fun with Agreement Handout/Worksheet Reaction Paper 1: What is your reaction to these readings individually, and as a composite group of ideas on structure? In Class Problem Set 2: Furahiday song lyrics (due next class meeting)

Fall Break – NO CLASS Monday, October 12

Page 5 of 7 – LING66 HONGERA (congrats), YOU’RE LEADING DISCUSSION! (1) Your objective is to explain the major themes, conclusions, and significance of the assigned reading(s). (2) Your discussion should place your selected reading in the context of the other readings for the week. Explore how it builds upon or relates to other themes discussed in each of the other readings. Feel free to incorporate new or related information on the general subject (or in related languages) to motivate our discussion and understanding. (3) Prepare a concise, paper handout (no more than 1-page, 10 copies) to help define essential terms/concepts using specific, numbered examples. You may need to include background information to help you explain the significance of concepts. Include at least 1 related question/issue for us to discuss. *Come to my office hours beforehand so we can discuss your handout and presentation. **If you email your handout to me by Monday morning 11am, I can make copies for you.

Week 7 Quiz 2 Monday, October 19 Verbal morphology: Are there any constraints on verb-internal parts? Negation as a tense marker How does verbal morphology impact sentence structure? Readings Due (SOPHIE) Ashton (1935) ‘The “idea” approach to Swahili’ Nurse (2003) ‘Aspect and tense in Bantu languages’ (CANAAN) Ngonyani (2001) ‘Morphosyntax of negation’ Supplemental Reading Ashton (1937) ‘Through Bantu eyes’ Assignments Due Problem Set 2: Furahiday song lyrics

Week 8 Quiz 3 Monday, October 26 Valency, applicatives, What purpose do applicatives serve? & the ‘O’ of reference How does negation interact with relative clause construction? In what ways do tense and agreement impact our analysis of relatives? Readings Due (PROF T.) Aronoff & Fudeman (2011) ‘What is morphology? Morphosyntax?’ (CONSTANCE) Marten (2003) ‘Valency vs. concept strengthening in applicatives’ (RACHEL W.) Barrett-Keach (1986) ‘Word-internal evidence for AUX/Infl’ (DANIEL) Ngonyani (1998) ‘Applied objects in Kindendeule and Kiswahili’ Assignments Due Homework 1: Trees for sample phrases

Week 9 Quiz 4 Monday, November 2 Asymmetry, movement, What is subject/object asymmetry? & long distance How do structural accounts support language learning data? Readings Due (JARED) Ngonyani (2006) ‘Head-raising in relative clauses’ (MURTAZA) Thomas (2011) ‘Long distance in L2 Swahili relative clauses’ Assignments Due Homework 2: Mcheshi aenda safari

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Week 10 Quiz 5 Monday, November 9 Phonetics, phonology, What are the major features of the Swahili sound system? & reduplication How does reduplication function? Readings Due Maddieson (2003) ‘The sounds of the Bantu languages’ Lodhi (2004) ‘Intensity and emphasis in Swahili’ Optional Reading Novotna (2000) ‘Reduplication in Swahili’ Assignments Due Homework 3: Mcheshi aenda sokoni

Week 11 Quiz 6 Monday, November 16 Speech & NLP To what other (wacky) questions can we apply structural accounts? & working with Swahili-speaker **Guest speaker: Prof. Deo Ngonyani (Michigan State University) Readings Due (SIYAN) De Pauw et al. (2011) ‘African language technology’ Steinberger et al. (2011) ‘Swahili natural language processing’ See, also - http://aflat.org/node/1 Assignments Due Homework 4: Mcheshi aenda sokoni

Week 12 Quiz 7 Monday, November 23 Recap What are your questions about Swahili? & working with Swahili-speaker **Guest speaker: Prof. Mungai Mutonya (Washington University in St. Louis) **TBD: Prof. Elaine Mshomba (University of Pennsylvania)

Week 13 Monday, November 30 7-minute presentations Present the most salient details of your planned analysis: & discussion (1) Describe the structural feature (2) Your research questions (3) Provide an example from the data (4) Give us 1-2 preliminary details of your analysis

LING 66 FINAL ASSIGNMENT: **Final assignment due by Monday, December 14, 11:59pm. (1) We’ll be working in class with a speaker of Swahili to collect elicited data for your final project. (2) This is your opportunity to tackle a specific issue of interest and explore lingering questions about syntactic, phonological, lexical and other properties of Swahili and potential social motivations relating to their use. (3) In order to prepare for our classroom workshop, you’ll need to carefully consider: a. What language-specific questions you’ll want to ask our guest(s), and b. How you’ll elicit particular words and phrases of interest. (4) The final product of your analysis will be a cogent, analytical essay (5-10 pages) providing a description of your chosen structural feature(s), including examples from our data, and your analysis of its structural details. Your analysis must connect your data with examples and discussion from our readings, citing at least 4 readings. It should also seek to highlight a surprising or unexpected aspect of your data. You may incorporate additional sources.

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