Hindi I and Mediation
A.Y. 2024/2025
Learning objectives
This course aims to provide students with an understanding of the fundamental structures of the Hindi language, so that they are able to identify and reproduce the different elements of the sentences and their syntactic disposition. By introducing the basics of Hindi, this course will guide students in developing communication skills - in terms of both language reception and production - enabling them to participate in conversations about everyday topics at an elementary level, in order to fulfil basic communication needs. Finally, the course aims to promote the students' interest and sensitivity towards the socio-cultural aspects of linguistic structures, so that they can identify and adopt the most appropriate lexical, syntactic and grammatical constructions based on the context and the interlocutor's social status.
Expected learning outcomes
By the end of the course, students should be able to master the devanāgarī alphabet, both in terms of identification of the letters (whether isolated, in words or in consonant combinations), and of reproduction of the sounds associated with vowels and consonants. They should also be able to identify such sounds when pronounced by others. Students should be able to recognise the grammatical, syntactic and lexical structures studied both in oral communications and written texts, and should have developed automatisms in the use of certain grammatical and syntactic structures. Moreover, they should be able to participate in conversations at an elementary level and understand simple oral/written communications. Lastly, by the end of the first year of the programme, students should be familiar with the fundamental grammatical and syntactic structures of the Hindi language, and have identified a study method enabling them to fill any educational gap related to the topics discussed in class
Lesson period: year
Assessment methods: Esame
Assessment result: voto verbalizzato in trentesimi
Single course
This course can be attended as a single course.
Course syllabus and organization
Single session
Responsible
Lesson period
year
Course syllabus
The course will first introduce students to the knowledge of the Devanāgarī alphabet, the same as Sanskrit with some variants that will be explained, along with its structure and phonematic logic. Reading rules and pronunciation variations will also be explained. The grammatical topics covered will include: the personal pronouns subject and complement, the nominal and adjectival inflection, the comparative and superlative of adjectives, possessive pronominal adjectives, demonstrative pronouns, indefinite pronouns, interrogative pronouns, simple and compound pospositions, the fundamental structures of the verb, the present indicative, the simple and compound present indicative of the verb to be, the imperfect, the simple and compound imperfect of the verb to be, the present progressive, the past progressive, the future, the present progressive, the present dubitative, the future subjunctive, the present and future imperative, the anterior gerund, servile verbs, nominal verbs, the expression of possession, the expression of pleasure, the expression of duty, the expression of knowledge, the main adverbs of place, time, quantity and manner, interrogative adverbs, some correlative propositions (jab... tab; jab jab...tab tab; jab tak...tab tak; jab bhī...tab; jab se...tab se; jahāṁ...vahāṁ; jitnā...utnā; jaisā...vaisā; jaise...vaise); the use of vālā. In addition to the topics listed, special attention will be paid to the use of the many formulas of greetings contemplated by the Hindi language, whose link with the heterogeneous Indian society will be analysed, explaining the logic that rules the choices made by Hindi speakers at this juncture. In addition, the formulas adopted for greetings, introductions and farewells will be related to some of the basic concepts and principles of the different religious doctrines professed in the country. Similarly, the use of personal pronouns will be traced to the social rules that implicitly guide the attribution and recognition of authority. Finally, we will begin to introduce students to the great lexical richness of the Hindi language, evident especially in its wealth of synonyms, and to the ideological implications of the choices made by Hindi speakers in the lexical sphere.
TEACHING UNIT I: the first teaching unit is dedicated to the study of the devanāgarī alphabet and, in particular, to the analysis of its structure and phonematic logic, to the explanation of reading rules, including the rule of the inherence of the short "a", and of pronunciation variations, to the introduction of consonantal combinations, to the way the semivocal र (ra) is written, to the presence of modified consonants and the use of punctuation and punctuation marks. The first unit will also introduce the personal pronouns subject, the present indicative of the verb to be, the present compound of the verb to be, the present indicative of all verbs, the structure of the Hindi sentence (affirmative, negative sentence, interrogative negative).
TEACHING UNIT II: In the second teaching unit, the following topics will be covered: the fundamental structures of the verb, the imperfect, the simple and compound imperfect of the verb to be, the present progressive, the past progressive, the future, the present progressive, the present dubitative, the future subjunctive, the present and future imperative, the front gerund; interrogative adverbs; nominal and adjectival inflection; personal complement pronouns; possessive pronominal adjectives; demonstrative pronouns; indefinite pronouns; interrogative pronouns; simple and compound postpositions; the expression of possession.
TEACHING UNIT III: In the course of the third teaching unit, the following topics will be considered: the comparative and superlative of adjectives; servile verbs; nominal verbs; the expression of pleasure; the expression of duty; the expression of knowledge; the main adverbs of place, time, quantity and manner; some correlative propositions (jab... tab; jab jab...tab tab; jab tak...tab tak; jab bhī...tab; jab se...tab se; jahāṁ...vahāṁ; jitnā...utnā; jaisā...vaisā; jaise...vaise); the use of vālā. The last lessons of the third teaching unit will be devoted to a review of what has been done during the year and to fine-tuning the students' preparation for the exam.
TEACHING UNIT IV: the socio-cultural implications of some of the topics addressed in the previous teaching units will be analysed and, specifically, the use of personal pronouns will be traced back to the social rules that implicitly guide the attribution and recognition of authority within Indian society and in particular within the family sphere. Furthermore, the many formulas of greetings contemplated by the Hindi language will be introduced, relating them to the different components of the Indian society and tracing in the expressions adopted to greet, introduce oneself and bid farewell some of the concepts and principles underlying the different religious doctrines professed in the country. Lastly, the great lexical richness of the Hindi language will be analysed, relating it to the country's history and the succession of cultures and influences of different origins along its course. In particular, students will be introduced to the wealth of synonyms and the ideological implications of their use.
TEACHING UNIT I: the first teaching unit is dedicated to the study of the devanāgarī alphabet and, in particular, to the analysis of its structure and phonematic logic, to the explanation of reading rules, including the rule of the inherence of the short "a", and of pronunciation variations, to the introduction of consonantal combinations, to the way the semivocal र (ra) is written, to the presence of modified consonants and the use of punctuation and punctuation marks. The first unit will also introduce the personal pronouns subject, the present indicative of the verb to be, the present compound of the verb to be, the present indicative of all verbs, the structure of the Hindi sentence (affirmative, negative sentence, interrogative negative).
TEACHING UNIT II: In the second teaching unit, the following topics will be covered: the fundamental structures of the verb, the imperfect, the simple and compound imperfect of the verb to be, the present progressive, the past progressive, the future, the present progressive, the present dubitative, the future subjunctive, the present and future imperative, the front gerund; interrogative adverbs; nominal and adjectival inflection; personal complement pronouns; possessive pronominal adjectives; demonstrative pronouns; indefinite pronouns; interrogative pronouns; simple and compound postpositions; the expression of possession.
TEACHING UNIT III: In the course of the third teaching unit, the following topics will be considered: the comparative and superlative of adjectives; servile verbs; nominal verbs; the expression of pleasure; the expression of duty; the expression of knowledge; the main adverbs of place, time, quantity and manner; some correlative propositions (jab... tab; jab jab...tab tab; jab tak...tab tak; jab bhī...tab; jab se...tab se; jahāṁ...vahāṁ; jitnā...utnā; jaisā...vaisā; jaise...vaise); the use of vālā. The last lessons of the third teaching unit will be devoted to a review of what has been done during the year and to fine-tuning the students' preparation for the exam.
TEACHING UNIT IV: the socio-cultural implications of some of the topics addressed in the previous teaching units will be analysed and, specifically, the use of personal pronouns will be traced back to the social rules that implicitly guide the attribution and recognition of authority within Indian society and in particular within the family sphere. Furthermore, the many formulas of greetings contemplated by the Hindi language will be introduced, relating them to the different components of the Indian society and tracing in the expressions adopted to greet, introduce oneself and bid farewell some of the concepts and principles underlying the different religious doctrines professed in the country. Lastly, the great lexical richness of the Hindi language will be analysed, relating it to the country's history and the succession of cultures and influences of different origins along its course. In particular, students will be introduced to the wealth of synonyms and the ideological implications of their use.
Prerequisites for admission
No prerequisites are required: the course is intended for students with no previous knowledge of Hindi language.
Teaching methods
The lessons will alternate between frontal explanations of grammatical and syntactic rules and structures, and extemporaneous exercises of translation from Hindi to Italian and from Italian to Hindi, listening exercises, drills, extrapolation by the students of unfamiliar grammatical rules from sentences in Hindi, role plays and guided dialogues. Throughout the course of the year, various types of assimilation and consolidation exercises of the topics introduced will be proposed, which students may, at their discretion, do or not do outside lesson time and hand in to the teacher who will return them corrected. On the other hand, periodically, during the lessons, exercises, written and/or oral, will be proposed for intermediate verification so that students can monitor their learning process. No assessment will correspond to these exercises.
Teaching Resources
All the teaching material submitted to the students in the course of the lessons (power point files illustrated in the course of the lessons; readings; exercises; texts of the songs listened to, analysed and translated during the lessons; glossaries and indications for conducting guided dialogues and role-plays) will be uploaded on weekly basis on the Ariel page of the course. In addition to this teaching material, the recommended textbook is:
- M. Angelillo, Introduzione alla lingua hindi Unicopli, Milano, 2020.
In the first module, the topics contained in chapters I to IV will be considered; in the second module, the content of chapters V to XVII will be dealt with; finally, in the third module, the topics dealt with in chapters XVIII, XIX, XX, XXI, XXII, XXIII, XXIV, XXV and XXVI will be addressed.
- M. Angelillo, Introduzione alla lingua hindi Unicopli, Milano, 2020.
In the first module, the topics contained in chapters I to IV will be considered; in the second module, the content of chapters V to XVII will be dealt with; finally, in the third module, the topics dealt with in chapters XVIII, XIX, XX, XXI, XXII, XXIII, XXIV, XXV and XXVI will be addressed.
Assessment methods and Criteria
The examination consists of a written test and an oral test: passing the written test, equivalent to obtaining a mark of no less than 18/30, is binding for access to the oral test. There are no ongoing tests during the year. The result of the written test will be communicated, within five days from the date on which the written exam was taken, by the course lecturer to each student by sending an e-mail to their institutional e-mail address containing a summary evaluation of the test with an indication of the major critical points and difficulties encountered and the grade expressed in thirtieths.
The written test consists of four exercises, each of which corresponds to a mark and an indication of how it will be calculated (e.g. in the first exercise, the correct translation of three sentences corresponds to a mark). The first exercise envisages the translation from Italian into Hindi of a series of very short sentences with the aim of ascertaining, first of all, the ability to correctly reproduce the letters of the devanāgarī alphabet and to write known lemmas without making spelling mistakes. Secondly, the exercise intends to test the ability to apply the grammar rules introduced during the course of the year in the formulation of simple sentences necessary to meet the most common and everyday communicative needs. The length of the exercise, which involves the translation of several dozen sentences, is intended to test the degree of assimilation of both basic vocabulary and grammar, as well as the most common and recurrent interaction formulas. The second exercise involves the translation from Hindi into Italian of a few, generally between five and seven, periods, more articulate and syntactically complex than the sentences of the first exercise. The third exercise may alternatively consist in a completion exercise, in the translation of a short list of propositions from Italian into Hindi or in the translation of a short passage, having as subject the description of an individual/family/household, from Italian into Hindi. The last exercise, on the other hand, consists of translating a well-known passage from Hindi into Italian or of writing a dialogue in hindi. Overall, the last three exercises are intended to test knowledge of the vocabulary introduced, the ability to recognise known syntactic structures and to be able to reproduce them, and the acquisition of a correct translation method. The use of vocabulary is not included in the written test. Students have five hours to complete the exercises in the written test.
The oral test starts with a preliminary check of the written results, with a request to rectify any errors made in the performance of the exercises. This is followed by a request to read aloud and translate a known text or a text on a similar subject to the readings analysed during the year and included in the examination syllabus, in order to check the candidate's knowledge of the Hindi writing system, his or her correct pronunciation and intonation, his or her assimilation of vocabulary, grammar and syntax and the translation technique acquired. Finally, the teacher will ask the candidate a few questions in the language in order to check his/her ability to understand orally, to sustain brief communicative exchanges on everyday and/or personal topics and to articulate his/her thoughts using the assimilated linguistic resources.
The written examinations given in previous semesters will be made available to students from the end of the first semester.
The examination procedures for both the written and the oral examination are the same for attending and non-attending students.
The final assessment, expressed in thirtieths, will take due account of the result of the written test, but will be determined predominantly by the outcome of the oral test.
The written test consists of four exercises, each of which corresponds to a mark and an indication of how it will be calculated (e.g. in the first exercise, the correct translation of three sentences corresponds to a mark). The first exercise envisages the translation from Italian into Hindi of a series of very short sentences with the aim of ascertaining, first of all, the ability to correctly reproduce the letters of the devanāgarī alphabet and to write known lemmas without making spelling mistakes. Secondly, the exercise intends to test the ability to apply the grammar rules introduced during the course of the year in the formulation of simple sentences necessary to meet the most common and everyday communicative needs. The length of the exercise, which involves the translation of several dozen sentences, is intended to test the degree of assimilation of both basic vocabulary and grammar, as well as the most common and recurrent interaction formulas. The second exercise involves the translation from Hindi into Italian of a few, generally between five and seven, periods, more articulate and syntactically complex than the sentences of the first exercise. The third exercise may alternatively consist in a completion exercise, in the translation of a short list of propositions from Italian into Hindi or in the translation of a short passage, having as subject the description of an individual/family/household, from Italian into Hindi. The last exercise, on the other hand, consists of translating a well-known passage from Hindi into Italian or of writing a dialogue in hindi. Overall, the last three exercises are intended to test knowledge of the vocabulary introduced, the ability to recognise known syntactic structures and to be able to reproduce them, and the acquisition of a correct translation method. The use of vocabulary is not included in the written test. Students have five hours to complete the exercises in the written test.
The oral test starts with a preliminary check of the written results, with a request to rectify any errors made in the performance of the exercises. This is followed by a request to read aloud and translate a known text or a text on a similar subject to the readings analysed during the year and included in the examination syllabus, in order to check the candidate's knowledge of the Hindi writing system, his or her correct pronunciation and intonation, his or her assimilation of vocabulary, grammar and syntax and the translation technique acquired. Finally, the teacher will ask the candidate a few questions in the language in order to check his/her ability to understand orally, to sustain brief communicative exchanges on everyday and/or personal topics and to articulate his/her thoughts using the assimilated linguistic resources.
The written examinations given in previous semesters will be made available to students from the end of the first semester.
The examination procedures for both the written and the oral examination are the same for attending and non-attending students.
The final assessment, expressed in thirtieths, will take due account of the result of the written test, but will be determined predominantly by the outcome of the oral test.
L-OR/19 - MODERN LANGUAGES AND LITERATURES OF THE INDIAN SUBCONTINENT - University credits: 12
Lessons: 80 hours
Professor:
Angelillo Maria Del Carmelo
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