Amharic 2 (PG)

Key information

Status
Module not running
Module code
15PAFC131
FHEQ Level
7
Credits
30

Module overview

Prerequisites

15PAFC130: Amharic 1 (PG) or equivalent

Objectives and learning outcomes

At the end of the module, a student should be able to demonstrate…

  1. knowledge and understanding of intermediate Amharic grammar
  2. knowledge and understanding of a wide range of Amharic vocabulary
  3. knowledge and understanding of the appropriateness of a wide range of Amharic structures and expressions in a given context
  4. the ability to understand passages in written Amharic of medium length on everyday and some specialised topics
  5. the ability to produce passages in written Amharic of medium length on everyday and some specialised topics
  6. the ability to understand spoken Amharic and to engage in spoken discourse of medium complexity on everyday and some specialised topics
  7. knowledge and understanding of the role of language in general, and Amharic in particular, in language-based scholarship and research (specific learning outcome for PG students)

Workload

A total of 22 weeks teaching with 3 hours classroom contact per week.

Scope and syllabus

This module provides teaching and learning of intermediate level Amharic language with emphasis on practical written and spoken Amharic. It covers complex points of morphology, particularly verb derivations and sentence structure particularly subordinating prefixes. Communicative practice and structural knowledge is established through reading and discussing a variety of Amharic texts dealing with different topics and of different length and complexity.

This module provides students with intermediate knowledge of Amharic and practice of using Amharic in a variety of everyday and more specialised situations, including the understanding and expression of opinions and different points of view. It allows students to interact with Amharic speakers in Amharic and to use original Amharic language sources within the level covered in the module. This provides students with a basis to approach research topics relating to Amharic language as well as the culture, history and society of Amharic speakers in Ethiopia.

A series of special PG lectures with associated seminars structured around the six themes Structure, Texts, Identity, Society, Translation and Transformation (provided for PG students studying different languages) introduces students to general questions of the role of language in language-based scholarship and research and provides them with the critical and methodological skills to relate their language acquisition to the thematic aspects of the studies.

Method of assessment

  • 30% Mid-term oral presentation
  • 20% Practical skill oral assessment
  • 20% End-of-term assignment
  • 30% End-of-term test
  • Exact assessment deadlines are published on the relevant module Moodle/BLE page.

Suggested reading

1) The module will be based on

  • The final four chapters of Appleyard, David. 1995. Colloquial Amharic.  London: Routledge

and additional materials which will be made available throughout the course.

2) Additional Amharic References

Amharic Learning Resources
  • Leslau, W.  1967.  Amharic Textbook.  Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz.
  • Kane, T.L.  1990.  Amharic-English Dictionary.  Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz.
  • Leslau, W.  1976.  Concise Amharic Dictionary: Amharic-English, English-Amharic.  Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz.
  • Ricter, R.  1987.  Lehrbuch der amharischen Sprache.  Leipzig: VEB Verlag Enzyklopädie.
  • Leslau, W.  1965.  An Amharic Conversation Book.  Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz.
Linguistic Studies
  • Cohen, M.  1936.  Traité de langue amharique (Abyssinie).  Paris: Institut d'Ethnologie.
  • Leslau, W.  1995.  Reference Grammar of Amharic.  Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz.
  • Leslau, W.  2000.  Introductory Grammar of Amharic.  Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz.
  • Dawkins, C.H.  1969.  The Fundamentals of Amharic (Second Edition).  Addis Ababa: Sudan Interior Mission
Texts
  • Kebede, M. & J.D. Murphy.  1984.  An Amharic Newspaper Reader.  Kensington, Maryland: Dunwoody Press.
    Ullendorff, E.  1978.  An Amharic Chrestomathy.  London: SOAS.

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