Apr 18, 2024  
2019-2020 Course Catalog 
    
2019-2020 Course Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

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TRIN 1075 - Reading and Writing in Somali

Credits: 3
Hours/Week: Lecture None Lab None
Course Description: This course is designed for native speakers of Somali who did not receive their primary literacy education in Somali-language schools, or those with advanced oral proficiency in the language. The course reviews formal writing conventions and linguistic structures of Somali and discusses regional dialectical variation. This course is intended for students who have some basic knowledge of reading and writing in Somali.
MnTC Goals
None

Prerequisite(s): Course placement into college-level English and Reading OR completion of ENGL 0950  with a grade of C or higher OR completion of RDNG 0940  with a grade of C or higher and qualifying English Placement Exam OR completion of RDNG 0950  with a grade of C or higher and ENGL 0090  with a grade of C or higher OR completion of ESOL 0051  with a grade of C or higher and ESOL 0052  with a grade of C or higher; or instructor consent.
Corequisite(s): None
Recommendation: Language proficiency level equivalent to the American College Teachers of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) advanced-high or higher rating in both English and the second language. Native Somali speaker or advanced oral proficiency, and basic reading and writing skills in the language.

Major Content
  1. Written vs Spoken registers of language
  2. Formal and informal registers of language
  3. Dialectal and regional variation
  4. Basic sound-letter correspondences
    1. Long and short vowels
    2. Geminate consonants
    3. Dialect variations 1. ¿r, -dh 2. ¿ey, -ay
    4. Disputed spellings
    5. Diphthongs
  5. Bound morpheme categories
  6. Free morpheme categories
  7. Declarative Markers, Topic Markers, and Focus Markers
  8. Sound change rules reflected in the orthography
  9. History of written Somali
  10. Frequent writing assignments

Learning Outcomes
At the end of this course students will be able to:

  1. explain writing conventions surrounding topic markers, declarative markers, and focus markers.
  2. identify words with long and short vowels.
  3. identify words which are disputed and may vary by dialect.
  4. explain regular sound change rules reflected in the orthography.
  5. identify bound morpheme categories and free morpheme categories.
  6. analyze the orthographic structure of a translated text.
  7. explain the history of the Somali writing system.
  8. identify words with geminate consonants.

Competency 1 (1-6)
None
Competency 2 (7-10)
None


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