Swahili Learners' Reference Grammar. African Language Learners' Reference Grammar Series.

392 Pages·2012·3.56 MB·English

DOCUMENT RESUME
FL 026 769
ED 455 681
Thompson, Katrina Daly; Schleicher, Antonia Folarin
AUTHOR
Swahili Learners' Reference Grammar. African Language
TITLE
Learners' Reference Grammar Series.
Wisconsin Univ., Madison. National African Language Resource
INSTITUTION
Center.
Department of Education, Washington, DC.
SPONS AGENCY
ISBN-1-58684-115-7
ISBN
2001-00-00
PUB DATE
391p.; Foreword by John Mugane.
NOTE
P229A990001
CONTRACT
National African Language Resource Center (NALRC),
-AVAILABLE FROM
University of Wisconsin-Madison, 4231 Humanities Building,
455 North Park Street, Madison, WI 53706. Tel: [phone];
Web site: http://www.african.iss.wisconsin.edu/nalrc.
General (130)
Reference Materials
PUB TYPE
MF01/PC16 Plus Postage.
EDRS PRICE
*African Languages; *Grammar; Second Language Instruction;
DESCRIPTORS
*Second Language Learning; *Swahili; Syntax; Uncommonly
Taught Languages; Vocabulary
ABSTRACT
This reference grammar is written for speakers of English
who are learning Swahili. Because many language learners are not familiar
with the grammatical terminology, this book explains the basic terminology
and concepts of English grammar that are necessary for understanding the
grammar of Swahili. It assumes no formal knowledge of English grammar and is
written in very simple language. This book is designed to be used as a
supplement to other Swahili language textbooks, and provides more extensive
explanations of the grammar lessons presented in textbooks. The manual is
arranged by topic to help learners locate information easily. The book is
organized in 55 chapters with a section for each part of speech: nouns,
pronouns, adjectives, verbs, adverbs, conjunctions, and prepositions. There
are also sections for sentences and miscellaneous. References appear in
footnotes throughout the text. Contains a glossary, an index, and an answer
key.
(KFT)
Swahili
Learners'
Reference
Grammar
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Office of Educational Research and improwm.nt
EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION
CENTER (ERIC)
O This document has been reproduced as
received from the person or organization
originating it.
O Minor changes have been made to
Katrina Daly Thompson
improve reproduction quality.
Points of view or opinions stated in this
and
document do not necessarily represent
official OERI position or policy.
Antonia Folarin Schleicher
188
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African Language Learners'
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Reference Grammar Series
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BEST COPY AVAILABLE
Swahili Learners'
Reference Grammar
3
Swahili Learners'
Reference Grammar
By
Katrina Daly Thompson
Antonia Folárin Schleicher
Foreword bji
John Mugane
NI:111ONFIL
RFRICrAN
LANGUAGE
RESOURCE
CENTER
NALRC Press
Air litan Language Learners' Refireme Grammar Seths
Antonia Folirin Schleicher, Series General Editor
© 2001, NALRC
The development of the NALRC African Language Learners'
Reference Grammar Series is made possible through a grant
from the U.S. Department of Education.
NALRC Publications Office
Kristi Hobson, Editor
Karin Gleisner, Assistant Editor
Amadou Fofana, Assistant Editor
Mary Rohrdanz & Janet Trembley, Graphic Designers
Aiming Wang, Financial Manager
NALRC African Language Learners' Reference Grammar
Series
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Thompson, Katrina Daly, 1975-
Swahili learners' reference gramrnar/Katrina Daly Thompson, Antonia
Folirin Schleicher; forward by John Mugane.
(African language learners' reference grammar series; 1)
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index
ISBN 1-58684-115-7 (alk. paper)
1. Swahili language--Grammar. 2. Swahili language--Textbooks for
foreign speakers--English. I. Schleicher, Antonia Yetande Folirin, 1953-
II. Title. III. Series
PL8702 .T48 2001
496'.39282421dc21
African Language Learners'
Reference Grammar Series
The African Language Learners' Reference Grammar
Series is written for speakers of English who are learning
African languages. Since many language learners are not
with
grammatical
familiar
terminology
used
their
in
textbooks, the books in this series seek to explain the basic
terminology and concepts of English grammar that are
necessary for understanding the grammar of an African
language. The primary objective of the African Language
Learners' Reference Grammar Series is to provide language
learners with grammar books that will supplement their
These books are not intended to replace a
textbooks.
The books in the series assume no formal
textbook.
knowledge of English grammar and are written in easy to
understand language.
Interested parties may contact the National African Language
Resource Center (NALRC) about the possibility of working
with the Center to publish a similar grammar book for their
Manuscripts are subject to external
respective languages.
review and must follow the theoretical framework established
for the series.
A series such as this depends on the vision, good will and
labor of many. Special appreciation is extended to the U.S.
Department of Education's IEGPS
and
(International
Education and Graduate Programs Service), the NALRC staff
members, the NALRC's Field Advisory, National Advisory,
and Local Advisory Boards, and the University of Wisconsin-
Madison College of Letters and Science, especially Jane Tylus
(Associate Dean for the Arts and Humanities) and Phillip
Certain (Dean of the College of Letters and Science), as well
as various individuals who support the
efforts of the
6
NALRC. Without the support, advice and assistance of all,
the African Language Learners' Reference Grammar Series would
not have become a reality.
Antonia Folitin Schleicher
Series General Editor
7
FOREWORD
This monograph is a pedagogical grammar of Swahili that is
well illustrated and exhaustive both in the wide range of
phenomena considered and examples provided. The book
provides the grammar of Swahili in such a way that the
novice and the advanced student will constantly find recourse
to read and revisit the contents of the book at various points
of their study.
The oft remarked elegance of the Swahili language will be
appreciated even by those whose need is not to speak Swahili
but merely to understand the workings of its grammar
components.
Crucial notions concerning nouns, verbs and
adjectives and the way these categories relate to one another
are clearly laid out so that no knowledge of linguistics and
teaching methodology is assumed or expected. The book is
organized in a way that makes it good for both quick and
detailed referencing. It follows the fundamentals of good
pedagogical grammars in that
is written with careful
it
attention to detail matched with simplicity of explanation.
The end result is that the learner will now be equipped with
the fundamentals of how the Swahili language is constituted.
Grammar remains an important component in
second
language learning in spite of much commentary to the
contrary. This grammar, being a work of considerable quality,
supports a teaching philosophy that places a premium on
learner autonomy.
Instead of students relying on teachers,
teachers evolve to become facilitators and mentors of the
learning process. This book will particularly aid our diverse
teaching personnel who may be presently apprehensive about
teaching grammar or integrating it into their lesson plans.
This grammar, being the inaugural volume in the Afiican
Language Learners' Refemnce Grammar Seties, is sure to serve as a
model for the upcoming ones. The first of its kind for
Swahili, this book should be a delight to those of us who
champion the nurturing of learner engagement and learner
initiative as some of the necessary elements towards lifelong
learning. This book is a milestone for the field of African
language learning and teaching and will hopefully be met with
the applause it deserves. The book Swahili Learners' Re:ference
testament work
the being
to
excellent
Grammar
is
accomplished by the National African Language Resource
Center (NALRC) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
The field owes many thanks to the authors and to the
NALRC.
John Mugane
President-Elect, African Language Teachers Association
(ALTA)
Assistant Professor of Linguistics
Ohio University, Athens, Ohio
January 2001
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Antonia Yétundé Folárin Schleicher is a Professor of
at the University of
African Languages and Linguistics
She is also the Director of National
Wisconsin-Madison.
African Language Resource Center (NALRC), funded by the
Department of Education.
She currently teaches courses
such as Yoruba language and culture, African linguistics,
second language
acquisition, with
specific
reference
to
African languages, and a culture course on Yoruba life and
She is experienced in developing both textual
civilization.
and technology materials for learning African languages. She
is the author of three textbooks and two CD-ROMs for
teaching and learning Yoruba.
These textbooks and CD-
ROMs are now used as models for developing other Less
Commonly Taught Language (LCTL) materials. She has also
co-authored a book with Professor Lioba Moshi, titled
"African Language Pedagogy: An Emerging Field."
She is
currently co-authoring a book on "Guidelines for Developing
African Language Textbooks."
Professor Schleicher has
organized different national workshops on how to develop
materials for African languages and LCTLs in general. She is
familiar with how different language acquisition theories can
impact the development of textbooks for learning and
teaching languages.
She is the Immediate Past-President of the African Language
Teachers Association (ALTA), the President-Elect of the
National Council of Organizations of Less Commonly
Taught Languages (NCOLCTL), and an Executive Board
Member of the UW-Madison Teaching Academy.
Katrina Daly Thompson is a doctoral student in the
Department of African Languages and Literature at the UW-
A student of both Shona and Swahili, she
Madison.
completed her M.A. degree in 1999 with a thesis entitled
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