Corso di laurea magistrale in
Lingue dell'Asia e dell'Africa
per la comunicazione e la cooperazione internazionale

Inserire qui il testo in inglese. Non eliminare l’indicazione “English” tra le parentesi quadre; è necessaria per la creazione dell’etichetta di visualizzazione del testo in inglese. Una volta inseriti i testi eliminare queste indicazioni in modo che non risultino visibili agli studenti.

The goal of this class is to learn grammatical, practical, and philosophical elements of the Wolof language. We will learn mechanics of the language as well as how to express various important topics such as greetings, general socializing, asking questions, telling stories, talking about food among others. With the help of music, films, stories, and proverbs, we will consider the forms of Wolof thought and culture. We will also consider historical productions of key concepts associated with Senegal such as négritude, teraanga (hospitality), and topics of migration.

Students will acquire basic communicative skills in Wolof.

Week 1. Introduction/Greetings/Wolof Philosophy

            1.1 How to think in Wolof, where is Wolof spoken, "Wolofization" of Senegal, Islam and Arabic in the Wolof language and as part of Wolof thought

            1.2 Alphabet, pronunciation

            1.3 Grammar: Wolof conjugations and pronouns. Greetings: among friends, among         strangers (formal greetings)

Week 2. Origins

            2.1 Grammar: Predicator LA. Identifying oneself, talk about one's origins and where one lives and what family they come from

            2.2 Grammar: Emphatic pronouns demonstratives. Geography of Senegambia, ethnic      groups, caste, hierarchy, age groups, gender

            2.3 Grammar: possessives, asking questions. Mbokk (family, community)

Week 3. Time, Seasons

            3.1 Grammar: Predicator A. Numbers. Telling time, divisions of the day, prayer time

            3.2 Attaya time. Grammar: NA conjugation

            3.3 Rural seasonal work. lamb ji (wrestling). Urban work: bana-bana (informal      commerce)

Week 4. Going to the market, preparing a meal, eating etiquette

            4.1 Grammar: plural object pronouns, questions, ordering. Waxale (barter), jënd ak jaay (buying and selling)

            4.2 Cooking a dish, going to the market and buying things. Ordinal numbers, counting      money

            4.3 Grammar: Imperative/Kaay, Am!. Teraanga, the home space, eating around the         bowl

Week 5. Transportation and directions

            5.1 Grammar: locative prepositions, DA conjugation. Transportation

            5.2 Grammar: imperfect and future tenses. Visiting relatives.

            5.3 Grammar: cardinal points. Penc mi (gathering spaces)

Week 6: Family ceremonies and celebrations

            6.1 Grammar: Auxiliary verbs, imperative negative. Family ceremonies, griots and taasu (praise singing).

            6.2 Grammar: Temporal clauses. Music, sabar

            6.3 Grammar: Relative clauses, expressing negation. Yere Wolof (Wolof clothing),            tapestries and tailors

6 hours/week classes (2 hours/day x 3 days/week).

Written test plus final oral test.

Ka, Omar, 2009. Nanu Dégg Wolof: A Multidimensional Approach to the Teaching and Learning of Wolof As a Foreign Language. NALRC Press. Madison, Wisconsin.

NB:
The text will be made available to all students as a pdf.

Various documents created by Dr. Riley

Attendance to all classes is necessary.