Religious Studies 30A: Introduction to Tibetan Language

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Logistical Details:

Class Time: MTWR, 9:00-9:50

Classroom: HSSB 3030

Instructor: Gregory Hillis ghillis@religion.ucsb.edu.

Office: HSSB 3060 Ph: 893-5505

Office Hours: TR, 10:00-12:00, or by appointment

Course Description:

This class functions as an introduction to the Tibetan language in its spoken and written forms. The Tibetan “language” consists of a wide variety of spoken dialects that are largely mutually incomprehensible, a classical literary language used for Buddhist literature and other texts since the ninth century and read across the plateau, and a modern literary language which is still relatively consistent across the plateau though there are vernacular elements that are particular to particular regions. 

The first year class focuses on modern written and spoken Tibetan in the Lhasa dialect. Not only is the Lhasa dialect, or at least a derivative form sometimes spoken of as “standard Tibetan” (spyi skad), the most widely understood dialect in cultural Tibet, it is also the standard form of Tibetan spoken across the world by Tibetans. Unfortunately for the language learner it is not, however, a “standard” in the sense that many modern languages have a standard form of language as it is usually understood. However, it is the closest thing Tibetans have at present. The final quarter of the year then offers an introduction to classical literary Tibetan using short literary passages, and a comparison of colloquial and classical literary grammar. This provides students a solid grounding in the living language, which is an appropriate and necessary foundation to pursue spoken Tibetan, modern literary Tibetan, and classical literary Tibetan.

The focus will be The Manual of Standard Tibetan and Essentials of Modern Literary Tibetan, which focus on Lhasa Tibetan, but also offer a bridge to literary Tibetan.  In the third semester, The Manual continues to serve as the base for the class, but it is gradually interwoven with natural speech units utilizing short videos shot in Tibet. In addition, the second semester has special “literary bridge units,” which utilize short passages from famous literary texts to introduce the student to literary Tibetan and its relationship to spoken Tibetan.

Texts:

  1. Tounadre, Nicholas. Manual of Standard Tibetan: Language and Civilization. Ithaca: Snow Lion Publications, 2003.
  2. Goldstein, Melvyn. Essentials of Modern Literary Tibetan. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1991

Requirements and Procedures:

The general principle will be to spend one week of class time on each unit of The Manual of Standard Tibetan (MST) and/or Modern Literary Tibetan (MLT), covering 25 chapters over the course of the year.  Each chapter consists of the following elements:

  • Dialog, including in for the first half videos of the dialogs
  • Vocabulary pertaining to dialog
  • Grammatical explanation
  • Exercises: Tibetan sentences to translate into English, English sentences to translate into Tibetan, and exercises to perform grammatical transformations.

Weeks centered on The Manual and Modern Literary Tibetan will have a common structure:

Monday: The class will begin with a brief five minute quiz on vocabulary and dialog from the week’s chapter.  There will be explanation of the week’s grammar and a chance to ask questions. Initial drilling will be done to make sure the students understand the basic principles.  Every dialog will be treated analytically in terms of the following “seven registers” (referred to elsewhere in the syllabus), which will also figure prominently in teacher feedback and evaluation.

·         Comprehension (go ba): Students should understand the dialogs when spoken to them.

·         Pronunciation (sgra gdangs):  Students should be able to accurately pronounce the words.

·         Grammar (brda sprod rig pa):  Students should be able to understand the grammar used in dialogs, but also be able to use the grammar with different vocabulary and other variations.

·         Vocabulary (tshig shes):  Students should memorize the relevant vocabulary, but also be able to use it in new sentences of their own creation, as well as learn affiliated vocabulary.

·         Fluency (rgyug po):  Students should be able to speak fluently with natural rhythms, not haltingly and with non-Tibetan rhythms.

·         Strategy (thabs shes): Students should be able to use the tools they have, i.e. the words and grammar they know, etc., and communicate effectively with Tibetans, even if they have to improvise with grammar and words.

·         Socio-linguistics (spyi tshogs gnas babs): Students should understand how to employ vocabulary, grammar and content in relation to specific social situations from a Tibetan point of view.

Homework:  memorize dialog and vocabulary from The Manual, study grammar section.  Note that memorization is extremely important throughout the course. All dialogs in Manual of Standard Tibetan (MST) must be memorized fully and performed fully or in part, as well as vocabulary

Tuesday: Efforts to speak English will be discouraged. The teacher will refuse to understand any comments or words expressed in English, and students are asked at the beginning of the semester to pledge not to speak English in the class meetings designated for drill.  In addition, no book or notes can be used within the class meeting unless the teacher specifically allows it.  The focus has to be verbal interaction not mediated by the written word.

The initial focus will be on repeating the reading, checking pronunciation, intonation, rhythms, etc., and then questions and answer exchanges about the dialog’s content. Any remaining time will be spent on extensions of the dialogs.

Homework: Journal entries. Preparation of dialog so that students can perform it and talk about it fluently. Preparation for creative exercises, practicing use of “seven registers” from the dialog.

Students will write short journal entries, the content of which is their own life events, thoughts and stories using vocabulary and constructions that are being studied, such that composition will be combined with handwriting. The teacher will provide examples to stimulate everyone’s imagination. The journals should be kept in a single notebook, which is turned in on Tuesdays and returned on Thursdays.

Wednesday: Continued explanation of the week’s grammar and a chance to ask questions, while otherwise drilling will be done to make sure the students understand the basic principles.

Homework: Exercises and worksheets from the Manual and Modern Literary Tibetan units are due today.

Thursday: This class opens with a 10-15 minute exam, which gives a final assessment of students’ mastery of that week’s lesson. The focus for the remainder of the class will be on extending the “seven registers” pertaining to the dialog using creative exercises and activities.

Homework:  preparation for exam.

Exams and Quizzes

In addition to the short weekly exams and quizzes, there will also be a comprehensive midterm and final.  Midterm and final will test all “seven registers”, and include written and oral dimensions

Grades

Grades are based on attendance, preparation for class, participation in class, and performance on assignments and exams/quizzes. This applies to the grammar and drill classes, and separate grades are given by both of the instructors, on the basis of which a final grade is given.

  • Attendance-30%
  • Participation and preparation-30%
  • Exams-30% (midterm 10%, final 10%, all weekly exams together 10%)
  • Quizzes-10%

Schedule and Assignments:

Week One

Grammar:

·         General introduction.

·         Review syllabus.

·         Present MST Intro highlights.

·         Alphabet explanation.

·         MLT 1.1-1.9

Drill:

·         Introduction to Language CDs.

·         Begin alphabet

Week Two

Grammar:

·         Continue alphabet.

·         MST Lesson 1 (“What is this?”, to be).

·         MST 1 Exercises. MST 1 exam.

·         Spelling and pronunciation changes.

·         Introduce Wylie transliteration.

·         MLT 2.1-2.5

Drill:

·         MLT 1.10-1.12.

·         Basic Tibetan syntax.

·         Practice classroom phrases.

·         Continue alphabet pronunciation.

·         Handwriting.

·         MST 1 dialogs and video.

·         Pronunciation practice.

Week Three

Grammar:

·         MST 2 (“who’s that”, interrogative endings ngas, gas, pas, plural marker tsho, who).

·         MST 2 Exercises and variations.

·         MLT 3.2-3.3.

·         MST 2 exam.

Drill:

·         Dialog ("Are you well?"; names).

·         Pronunciation practice.

·         Practice pronunciation changes with spelling.

·         MST 2 dialogs and video.

·         Handwriting.

Week Four

Grammar:

·         MST 3 (yin, asking 1st/2nd person questions, existential ‘dug).

·         MST 3 Exercises and variations.

·         MST 3 exam.

·         MLT 2.5-2.10 (Existential verbs, interrogatives)

Drill:

·         MST 3 dialogs and video.

·         Practice dialog (“Are you well?”; names).

·         Practice spelling aloud.

·         MST drills.

·         Handwriting.

·         Pronunciation practice.

Week Five

Grammar:

·         MST 4 (“come in!”; noun cases intro, genitive, unmarked nominative case, simple imperative).

·         MST 4 Exercises and variations.

·         MST 4 exam.

·         Dialog ("Are you well?"); dialog (“Welcome”; who questions).

Drill:

·         Practice Dialog ("Welcome").

·         Handwriting.

·         MST 4 dialogs and video

Week Six

Grammar:

·         MST 5 (“I have many books”; object case with la, more discussion of difference between ‘dug and red, yang, yod red and yod).

·         MST 5 Exercises & variations.

·         Review MLT 2.6.

·         Review for mid term.

·         MID-TERM EXAM

Drill:

·         All dialogs.

·         Pronunciation practice.

·         MST 5 dialogs and video.

·         Enacting dialogs.

Week Seven

Grammar:

·         MST 6 (“who is that?”; more about to have/to be).

·         MST 6 Exercises and variations.

·         MST 6 exam.

Drill:

·         Games with dialog and drill content.

·         MST 6 dialogs and Video.

·         Review old drills.

Week Eight

Grammar:

·         MST 7 (“where did you go?”, word order & clauses, intro to numbers, past tense).

·         MLT 3.4-3.5 (Simple past and present tenses).

Drill:

·         MST 7 dialog and videos.

·         Drill kinship vocabulary with “to have.”

·         Games with MST 6, 7 content.

·         Practice past & present tense.

Week Nine

Grammar:

·         Review mid term.

·         MLT 3.7 (Future tense).

·         Dialog: “where are you going?”; future tense.

·         MST 7 Exercises and variations.

·         MLT 3.8 (Interrogatives).

·         MST 7 exam.

Drill:

·         Continue review and drill simple past & future tenses, la postposition, word order, and other past material.

·         Past tense drilling; numbers drilling.

Week Ten

Grammar:

·         MST 8 (invitation to a meal (food vocabulary), intro to volitional/transitive verbs, agentive/instrumental case, past tense with byung, future tense, “which” questions).

·         MST 8 exercises and variations.

·         MST 8 exam.

·         MLT 5.1-5.7 (Voluntary/involuntary constructions; byung).

Drill:

·         Practice future tense buying and eating questions with food vocabulary.

·         Drill with photos of food.

·         MST 8 dialogs and video.

Week Eleven

Grammar:

·         MST 9 (more about verbs, nas ablative, dang, present tense red/’dug/yod, “from where” (ga nas) questions).

·         MST 9 Exercises and variations.

·         MST 9 exam.

·         Dialog practice.

Drill:

·         MST 9 dialogs and video.

·         Games with MST 8, 9 content.