COLL 194 - SPEAKING "ABYSSINIAN"
Long Title: ከውቂያኖስ ባሻገር - SPEAKING "ABYSSINIAN" (WIESS)
Department: College Courses
Grade Mode: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory
Language of Instruction: Taught in English
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 1
Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Level(s):
Undergraduate Professional
Visiting Undergraduate
Undergraduate
Description: While being one of the only two African countries never colonized by European powers has preserved Ethiopia’s sovereignty, having its own written language system has distanced the country and its official language from exploration. This course titled “ከውቂያኖስ ባሻገር” read as Ke’wik’iyanosi Bashageri, a phrase in the country’s official language, Amharic, which translates to “across the ocean” will push students out of what they know and peek into the country’s culture through its language. This is an introductory course for speaking Amharic with no previous exposure required. Even students with some exposure will improve greatly as they will recite the alphabets, count in Amharic, and use the most common words in basic social dialogues. Students will refer to the Amharic alphabet, amharicteacher.com resources and my teaching as a native speaker. By summarizing the cultural background each morphological and syntactical rule is rooted in, this class goes beyond a language to also learn about Ethiopia and its culture, hence the second part of the title – Speaking Abyssinian - Abyssinia being the first name given to Ethiopia. By the end of the term, this course ensures that students explain how languages serve as a means of understanding others and one’s own culture.