Course syllabus
SO1203, Somali II
In this course, the reading skills in Somali are developed through the study of adapted texts. An additional vocabulary of about 500 words and phrases is introduced. Translation skills are developed further, mainly from Somali, but also into Somali. Additional linguistic terminology is introduced together with information about Somali phonetics, grammar and semantics. also the sociolinguistic situation is further discussed.
Term: Spring 2025, starts 20 January, ends 8 June
Credits: 7.5 ects
Study Pace: 10 working hours/week
Teacher: Morgan Nilsson
Lessons: on Zoom most Thursdays from 17.00 to 19.00 CET.
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Language policy
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Canvas, Zoom and Eduroam
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Gothenburg University Library
- Syllabus and reading list SO1203
Textbooks
All the reading materials needed for this course will be available online.
- The main textbook is Beginner's Somali 2 supplemented with audio recordings.
- The grammar has also been compiled in Beginner's Somali Grammar (there is also an older and shorter Swedish version: Somalisk nybörjargrammatik).
- Certain parts of the grammatical explanations will also be available as video lectures (in Swedish: videoföreläsningar).
They constitute a complement to the written texts and might be useful for review. - There is also a test version of a Somali-Swedish-English electronic dictionary and a work-in-progress Somali-Swedish dictionary.
- Alongside the study of the Somali language you will also read some texts about the language situation in the Horn of Africa from a sociolinguistic and historical point of view.
Learning outcomes
- account for the linguistic terminology that is used in the course;
- describe the grammatical structures of Somali that are covered in the course;
- in a basic way account for the sociolinguistic situation of Somali and its speakers;
- demonstrate good pronunciation;
- use an everyday vocabulary of about 1000 words and phrases;
- correctly apply important Somali rules of grammar that have been studied in the course;
- demonstrate communicative skills in Somali in everyday situations and in familiar subject areas;
- discuss linguistic questions where Somali is compared with other languages;
- translate simple texts into and from Somali with the help of dictionaries;
- write short texts in Somali;
- relate in a critical way to literature about the Somali language and the Somali language situation;
- relate critically to his/her own learning process.
Exams and grading
The course is divided into three parts. Each part consists of five or six weekly modules. Every week there are obligatory exercises and assignments that contribute points to your results on each of the three parts. You can find an good overview of your progress and your points under Grades in the left hand menu.
After each part of the course there is also a test that you will be taking online through Canvas. These tests must be taken on fixed dates, on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday. You will find the exact dates in the weekly Modules in Canvas. Each test takes about 90 minutes to complete, and you are free to choose on which of the three days that you want to take the test.
Part 1 - Exam 1: after Unit 5, Retake: Three weeks later.
Part 2 - Exam 2: after Unit 10, Retake: Three weeks later.
Part 3 - Final Exam: after Unit 16, Retake: Three weeks later.
After each part you will be awarded 2.5 ects. The points on each of the tests are added to the points from the exercises and assignments. Two different grades are available: a result of 70 % is required for G (Good) and 90 % is required for VG (Very Good). The percentages are calculated on the basis of the total amount of points earned from exercises, assignments and tests.
Your result on a previous part of the course do not affect your result on a later part. The grade on Part 3 is equal to the final grade that you will receive for the whole course.
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Other courses in Somali and African languages at University of Gothenburg
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