Why Yoruba? ¬ Your Prof ¬ Syllabi ¬ Materials ¬ Student work ¬ Gallery ¬ Links

First-year Yoruba Syllabus
AF 371 and AF 372

Required texts
Student evaluation
First semester schedule
Second semester schedule

Required texts

1. Jê K'Á Sæ Yorùbá by Antonia Y. Fælárìn Schleicher (1993)
2. Iwe Kìíní - Alawiye by J.F. Odunjo (1970)
3. Iwe Kejì - Alawiye by J.F. Odunjo (1971)
4. Dictionary of Yoruba by United Press Ltd. (1950)
5. Jê K'Á Sæ Yorùbá Companion CD-ROM by Antonia Y. Fælárìn Schleicher (1997)
6. Yoruba Newspaper Reader by Antonia Y. Fælárìn Schleicher (1998)

(Top) (Back)

Student evaluation

Attendance and class participation	20%	Students are expected to attend class regularly and to have done the assignments for that day. The class participation grade will be based on whether the student is prepared for the class. Students are encouraged to ask questions, participate in drills and discussions, and volunteer answers. More than THREE absences will lower the class participation grade. Coming late to class will also affect your class participation grade.
Quizzes	20%	There will be a short quiz on every Friday of the week apart from the first Friday of the semester. Ten of these quizzes will count towards the 20% of the total grade. There will be no make-up quizzes except for unavoidable circumstances.
Written assignments	20%	Written assignments will be graded. I will announce when they are due. Ten of such graded assignments will also count towards 20% of the total grade.
Midterm exam	20%
Final exam	20%

(Top) (Back)

First semester schedule

Week 1	Introduction to the course Basic Greetings Consonant and Vowel Drills (The Alphabet) Yoruba Names Tone Drills Classroom Expressions Source: Schleicher, Preliminary lesson
Week 2	Social Communication More on Greetings Division of Days Numbers: 0-10 Use of "Honorific Wæn " Titles of Address Oral Vowels Source: Schleicher, Preliminary lesson
Week 3	Introducing Yourself Subject Pronouns Possesive Pronouns Numbers: Cardinals Asking for people's names Use of "Kí ni nõkan?" Elision Tone Drills Vowels "e" and "÷" Source: Schleicher, Lesson 1
Week 4	Family members Families in Yorubaland Polygamy "Yes/No" Questions Expressing "how many?" or "how much?" Numbers 10-20 Plural marker Àwæn Negation Nasal Vowels Source: Schleicher, Lesson 2
Week 5	Expressing likes and dislikes Talking about different activities The progressive marker The verb fêràn Conjunctions sí and àti Relationship between young men and women in traditional Yoruba setting Vowels o and æ Traditional education Poem: Ení Bí Ení Source: Schleicher, Lesson 3
Week 6	Describing a house Talking about household objects Yoruba traditional houses The verb "to be" Locative form wà The use of níbo ni? Numbers: Ordinals Imperative forms More on Yes/No Questions: Sé Consonants kp and gb Source: Schleicher, Lesson 4
Week 7	REVIEW AND MIDTERM
Week 8	How to talk about people's nationalities How to talk about people's age Numbers: 20-200 Object Pronouns Color Terms Consonants g and j Source: Schleicher, Lesson 5
Week 9	Personalities The notion of "being fat" The verb "to be": jê Adjectives and adjectival verbs Using Náà and Tún Consonants and s Poem: Ení Bí Ení L'æmædé Ñ Kawó Source: Schleicher, Lesson 6
Week 10	Recounting a trip and activities during a trip Talking about future plans The future marker: Máa Names of Days Days of the Week Useful expressions in talking about future plans Expressing Kí ni and Ohun tí The relative clause marker tí Expressing Nígbà wo? and ìgbà tí Expressing Nígbà tí and Nígbà tí --bá A tourist attraction Okè Olúmæ The consonant r Source: Schleicher, Lesson 7
Week 11	Expressing different ways of travelling Talking about previous days Names of the month Present perfect ti Habitual marker máa Using ilé, ibi, and ödö Living with parents in Yoruba communities Consonants b and gb Source: Schleicher, Lesson 8
Week 12	THANKSGIVING BREAK
Week 13	Describing what people wear and how they dress Interrogative adjectives ----wo? or irú ---wo Use of fi and lò Different verbs of clothing Formal and informal dressing among the Yoruba Elision Vowels i and e Game: ¿y÷ M÷ta Tolongo Wáyé Schleicher, Lesson 9
Week 14-15	REVIEWS AND FINAL EXAM

(Top) (Back)

Second semester schedule

Week 1-2	REVIEW OF FIRST SEMESTER YORUBA
Week 3	Shopping in an open market system How to haggle Haggling in Yoruba land Numbers: 200-1000 Expressing Báwo ni? and Bí a se Why questions: Kí l'ó dé? Expressing Eélòó and Oye tí Consonant y Source: Schleicher, Lesson 10
Week 4	How to tell time How to divide days in Yorubaland Using the word fún ---ní Difference between tí and pé Using Lêhìn, Lêhìn tí, and Lêhìn tí --bá Using Tán and parí Readings from Odunjo Consonants t and d Source: Schleicher, Lesson 11
Week 5	Talking about food Expressing hunger and thirst Cooking in Yorubaland Prepositional phrases Gerunds Meal time in Yorubaland Readings from Odunjo Yoruba lullaby Source: Schleicher, Lesson 12
Week 6	Talking about different professions Yoruba traditional professions More on Níbo? Comparative and Superlative form jùlæ Ta ni and ¿ni tí Using the words sæ, sörö, and sæ fún Difference between Mo máa and Màá Readings from Odunjo Source: Schleicher, Lesson 13
Week 7	REVIEW AND MIDTERM
Week 8	SPRING BREAK
Week 9	Talking about different ceremonies or important occasions Yoruba ceremonies Asking about ceremonies How to express reported speech Use of kí Additional greetings and useful expressions Readings from Odunjo Source: Schleicher, Lesson 14
Week 10	Daily routine Describing a typical day or week Reflexives fúnraara The verb tún --se More on numerals melòó?: kan, mejì etc. Game: Bojúbojú Readings from Odunjo Vowels i and in Source: Schleicher, Lesson 15
Week 11	Talking about differnt languages and countries in Africa Talking about one's hometown in Nigeria Prepositions sí and ní Using Jê kí Vowels æn and an Readings from Odunjo Source: Schleicher Lesson 16
Week 12	READINGS FROM ODUNJO REVIEW
Week 13	How to give directions How to express understanding or lack of understanding of some concept Becoming a king in Yorubaland The particle kí Vowels o and e Readings from Odunjo Source: Schleicher, Lessons 17
Week 14	How to talk about university life Traditional education Useful words in education University calender in NIgeria More on numbers: explaing fractions Song: Kí ni N ó f'olè se? Elision Source: Schleicher, Lesson 18
Week 15	REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW FINAL EXAM

(Top) (Back)

Why Yoruba? ¬ Your Prof ¬ Syllabi ¬ Materials ¬ Student work ¬ Gallery ¬ Links
UW-Madison home ¬ African Languages home ¬ Email

Copyright © 2000 The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System