Meeting time: MW 5PM to 7:00 PM - 317 Towne Building
Books and Software for the course:
1) HyperCard Tamil learning software by Vasu Renganathan (distributed in the class)
2) WALTT (Tamil learning Web site - http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/plc/tamilweb)
3) A reference Grammar of
Spoken Tamil by Harold F. Schiffman
4) Tamil for beginners Part I
and II by Kausalya Hart (Required)
5) A basic Tamil Reader and Grammar
(by Paramasivam and Lindholm) (optional)
This course is meant for beginners of Tamil who do not have any background in Tamil prior to taking this course. Instruction for this course include teaching both the writing and spoken system. An assignment will be due on every Monday, and a quiz will be held once in two weeks (on every other Wednesdays). There will be a midterm and final examination. Grade is issued based on the following:
Attendance - 5%, assignments - 10 %, Quizzes - 15 %, midterm - 30 % and final - 40 %.
Week of September 8th:
Class work: a) Introduction to Tamil Language, b) Introduction
to writing system, c) Tamil vowels d) Tamil consonants, d) Visiting the
computing lab at 441 Williams Hall.
Homework: Assignment No. 1. - Writing Tamil vowels and consonants
Reading for next week: WALT homepage: http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/plc/tamilweb/mkletter.html, saylet.html, framesyll.html and HyperCard software: lessons 1 and 2)
Week of September 13 and 15
Class work: a) Making syllables in Tamil, b) Practice writing syllables, c) Making words and d) Pronunciation of Tamil words - reading words
Homework: Assignment No. 2 - Writing syllables and making words
Reading for next week: WALT page: http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/plc/tamilweb/lessons/lesson1.html, Reading on Sandhi rules will be provided.
Week of September 20 and 22
Class work: a) Pronunciation of Tamil words contd., b) Making noun-noun sentences, c) Making interrogative questions versus information seeking questions and d) practice sandhi rules
Wednesday Quiz (23rd): (45 minutes) covering writing vowels, consonants and making simple words and simple sentences
Assignment: Writing words, translating simple sentences with noun-noun construction
Reading: Sandhi Rules, Interrogative questions, Information seeking question and negative markers
Week of September 27 and 29
Class work: a) Sandhi rules, b) Use of case suffixes, c) Introducing the use of verbs and d) use of tense markers (present tense)
Assignment: Combination of words and vowels, translating a reading passage
Reading: Reading - 1 from the reader