Adapting and Writing Language Lessons/Appendix Q

by Earl W. Stevick

APPENDIX Q TO CHAPTER 6

CUMMINGS DEVICES IN A DO-IT-YOURSELF KIT

(KIKUYU)

(with Carolyn Jackson and John Thiuri)

The worksheets which make up this appendix were designed for people who find themselves in a situation where they must learn a new language on their own, and who have, or can make for themselves, pictures of life being lived in the language. The worksheets are of three kinds. The simplest deals with formulas and isolated useful phrases: greetings, 'thank you,' 'that is to say,' etc. The second kind of worksheet, which in effect produces Cummings devices, centers on questions based on pictures. The third type uses an action chain. In each type, the sequence of activities is (1) exploring, (2) establishing, (3) sorting, except that 'sorting' is not applied to the formulas.

The shorthand symbols in the 'establishing' sections of the worksheets are:

A - answer
C - correction
E - English
F - foreign language, complete utterance
f - "", fraction of complete utterance
G - gesture
n - number of utterances chosen for learning

Q — question
S — student
T — teacher
x — some one utterance in category indicated by preceding capital letter
y — some other utterance

The questions to be asked on the second and third types of worksheet might be drawn from some general list such as the ones given for Thai in Appendix G (pp. 161-164). Both the Cummings device (Worksheet Type 3) and the action chain (Worksheet Type 2), because they tend to consist of sentences with some one surface structure, allow for both lexical and structural exploration. Neither in itself provides a convincing 'sample of language use' (Chapter 3, p. 57), but such samples can readily be constructed by a native speaker who is familiar with the content of one or more completed worksheets. Payoff will be greater if the filling in of the worksheets and the taking of the pictures can proceed hand-in-hand, under the joint initiative of student and instructor.

EXPLORING: Formulas

1. Ask for 4-8 highly useful formulas. Examples are greetings, courtesy phrases, 'please say it again,' 'I don't understand,' ways of expressing agreement or disagreement. Find out the approximate meaning of each and when and with whom you can use it. Write this down in E. DO NOT write in the FL yet!

ESTABLISHING

2.SE/G, TF, SF, TC (Fx max. 3)
3.SE/G, TF, SF, Tf, SF, TC

4.TE/G, SF
5.write down F_1-n
6.S read F_1-n

	FL	English
F1	ũrĩ mwega(?)	Hello-anyone anytime
F2	wenda	please
F3	nĩ wega(?)	thank you
F4	cokera)	say it again
F5	ndira menya	I don't understand
F6	nĩ-guo	I agree- (or yes) or both--
F7	ti-guo(?)	I don't agree (or no) or both
F8	tigwo na wega thű na wega	a. Remain in peace - Goodbye b. Go in peace

Do not try to do 'sorting' for the words in Formulas.

EXPLORING: An action chain

General subject: What one does in the morning

Q1	__________________________	What does one do first?
Q2	__________________________	What does one do first?

1. Learn to ask these 0.

2.Get 8-12 short A. Discard the 4-8 most difficult, so that you are left with 4-8 answers. Write down the approximate meanings in E. DO NOT write in the FL yet!

ESTABLISHING 3-11. (AS for questions based on pictures. BE sure to keep all A in the right order.)

A1	Njũkĩraga kĩroko	I Get up in the morning.
A2		I wash (my) face.
A3		I comb (my) hair.
A4		I put on (my) clothes.
A5	Ndĩaga irio	I eat my breakfast.
A6	Haicaga nagri	I catch the bus.
A7	Thiaga wĩra-inẽ	I go to work.
	Nagithĩ - before the last member of a sequence.
A8	Thutha-ini- then after

EXPLORING: Question based on pictures

Q

Mũnduũ ũyũ arĩ kũ

?

Where is this perosn?

1. Learn to ask this Q.
2. Get 8-12 short A, based on the pictures. Discard the 4-8 most difficult, so that you are left with 4-8 answers. Write down the approximate meanings in E. DO NOT write in the FL yet.

ESTABLISHING

3. SQ, TA, SA, TC, (Ax max. 3)
4. SQ, TA, SA, Ta, SA, TC (Ax max. 3)
5. TAx? , Sye sAx
6. TAx?, SyesAx/noAy
7. TAx?, SnoAy
8. TQ, SA, TC
9. SA_1-n
10. Write down A_1-nTC
11. S read A_1-n'

	FL.	English.
A1	(Műndĩ ũyũ) arĩ cukuru	She is in School.
A2	"" arĩ kigũ.	He is in cowshed.
A3	"" arĩ gĩthĩi-inĩ	He is at the thresher
A4	"" arĩ wabiei	He is in an office
A5
A6
A7
A8

12. Get 2-4 A that are demonstrable or known to be true outside the pictures. Treat as above.

SORTING

1. Which words in this set of sentences have occurred only once so far?
2. Which have occurred twice or more?
3. Of the words that have occurred more than once, which ones seem to have exactly the same form in all of their occurrences?
4. Which words have different prefixes, suffixes, tones, etc. from what they had in earlier occurrences? What exactly are the differences?
5. Which of these differences have already been found between other pairs of forms?
6. Which of these differences have not yet been found between other pairs of forms?

Words in this set only one occurence so far? Two or more occurences so far?

List here and make out card for file

Always the same form? Differences in form?

Rejoice and list here Familiar difference? New differences? Make cross reference here, and apply procedure D-l Make cross reference here, and apply procedure D-2 -->

EXPLORING: Question based on pictures

Q

Areka atĩa

?

What is this person doing?

1. Learn to ask this Q.
2. Get 8-12 short A, based on the pictures. Discard the 4-8 most difficult, so that you are left with 4-8 answers. Write down the approximate meanings in E. DO NOT write in the FL yet!

ESTABLISHING

3. SQ, TA, SA, TC (Ax max. 3)
4. SQ, TA, SA, Ta, SA, TC (Ax max. 3)
5. TAx?. SysAx
6. TAx?, SyesAx/noAy
7. TAx?, SnoAy
8. TQ, SA, TC
9. SA_n-1
10. Write down A_n-1TC
11. S read A_1-n'

A1	Arahe mywana irio	She is feeding her child
A1	Aathekia mwana	He ismaking the child laugh.
A1	Aathekia mwana	He ismaking the child laugh.
A3		He is mounting a horse
A4	Arathomithia Gĩthũngũ	She is teaching English
A5	Arathĩa ngano	He is grinding wheat
A6	Arararora ng'ombe	He is looking at the cows
A7	Arathomithioa Kĩbarrabja	She is teaching French
A8

12. Get 2-4 A that are demonstrable or known to be true outside the pictures. Treat as above.