The Zarma course "Cawyan Zarma sanni"
General
The course "Studying the Zarma language"
encompass five linked components:
-
the lessons, or actual course
-
the answer book
-
the pronunciation guide
-
the grammar help
-
the dictionary (Zarma - English)
The course
The course
will eventually consists of about 26 lessons. Each lesson starts with an introduction in Zarma, e.g. a short story, which is followed by the vocabulary and grammar.
Words are classified in verbs, nouns and
other words. In addition to the
translation an indication of the
pronunciation is provided. An explanation of
the pronunciation is given in the
pronunciation guide. Each lesson ends with some exercises to practise the newly learned words and grammar.
In the first ten lessons attention will be
paid to greetings, just before the grammar
topics are discussed. The ritual of greeting
is very important in Zarma society, as well
as in many other African countries. One
takes time for greeting before coming to the
topic to be discussed. It goes far beyond
the "Hello" and "How are you?" used in
western Europe.
The answer book
The answer book can be used to check your
answers and to check whether or not you
comprehend the subject matter discussed and
explained in the lesson.
The pronunciation guide
The pronunciation guide provides a
general view of the tones used in Zarma,
as well as an indication of the
pronunciation. This guide also explains
how to use the indications of the
pronunciation of each new word given in the vocabulary of each lesson. To learn more about the pronunciation you can always click the pronunciation icon
see icon right. |
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The grammar help
The grammar help provides an overview per
topic. Most grammar topics are not discussed
and explained in one lesson but by gradual
stages in several lessons. The grammar help
gives you an opportunity to keep an overview
of the entire subject matter of the topic.
References are made to the lessons in which
the topic is discussed and explained.
The dictionary
The dictionary (Zarma - English) makes it
possible to easily find the translation of a
Zarma word, So as not to leaf through the
lessons to find the word in one of the
vocabulary lists. Nevertheless,
in the dictionary a reference is provided
to the lesson in which the word is introduced.
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