UNISA Short Course in Basic Communication Skills in Northern Sotho
Short Course in Basic Communication Skills in Northern Sotho (72850)

Purpose
To empower adult speakers for whom the specific African language is not the first language through basic theoretical and practical language training relevant to their background, so that they can use their communication skills in a social context or gain access to higher education and training, and can develop as multilingual South Africans

Target group
Any adult speaker for whom Northern Sotho is not the first language

Duration
Three months

Language medium
English and Northern Sotho

Registration periods
Semester registration dates (when 10 or more students registered for class)

Tuition method
Class attendance and CD’s

Kind of assessment
Note:
Formative assessment and examination admission will comply with UNISA’s formative assessment rules and policies
Formative assessment:
Activities, assignments and short tests provide formative assessment in that they are part of the short course and lead students through a series of activities in which they apply the skills that they are learning. Students have to perform certain communicative activities that form part of each lesson, and complete tasks that accompany the lessons. In this manner the material that they have studied is properly revised.
Summative assessment:

The examination will require students to apply their basic linguistic knowledge of the African language and its vocabulary in order to communicate in a social multilingual context. Apart from regular activities, there will be a test in the middle of the course which will count 20% towards the final examination. The pass mark is 50%. The examination will be conducted orally in May or October, counting 80% towards the final mark. The sub-minimum for the examination is 40%, under which the year mark does not count. A distinction is 75%.

Basic Communication Skills in Northern Sotho (CNSO01K)
Syllabus/Content Topics
General Language Introduction
In the introduction students will be guided in revising general grammatical knowledge. This knowledge was already obtained in their first language up to NQF-level 4. The grammatical function of basic parts of speech such as nouns and verbs will be explained in a simple manner by means of handy communicative phrases, some of which are used in the media. It should be mastered during the first two lessons.
Topics
After an introduction to the African languages, the lessons will be based on the following topics:
Lesson 1: Greetings
(Greetings and Personal Information; cultural background)
Lesson 2: My family
(Identifying copula for persons – building vocabulary, cultural information on African families)
Lesson 3: The body
(Identifying copula for objects – building vocabulary, relevant cultural information)
Lesson 4: At the garage
(Requests – building vocabulary; cultural background)
Lesson 5: Transport
(Interrogatives; instrumental prefix; locatives, African culture)
Lesson 6: At the restaurant
(Polite requests; present tense; positive/negative; African cultural background)
Lesson 7: At the store
(Locatives; building vocabulary, African culture)
Lesson 8: What is the weather like today?
(Days of the week; seasons; time words, African culture)
Lesson 9: African funerals
(Culture exploration; present and past tense)
Lesson 10: At the party
(Personal information; counting words; building vocabulary, African culture)
Vocabulary
The following situations areas will determine the vocabulary used: my home, family; body parts, clothing, transport and the weather; social activities: going to the garage, store, restaurant, funeral, party

Course leader
Prof D S (Sekepe) Matjila DLitt et Phil
Centre for Pan African Languages and Cultural Development
Office 7-057, Theo van Wijk Building, UNISA
Tel: 012 429 8097
Tel: 012 429 8247
Fax: 012 352 8288
E-mail: matjids@unisa.ac.za

Programme administrator(s)
Prof D S (Sekepe) Matjila DLitt et Phil
Centre for Pan African Languages and Cultural Development
Office 7-057, Theo van Wijk Building, UNISA
Tel: 012 429 8097
Tel: 012 429 8247
Fax: 012 352 8288
E-mail: matjids@unisa.ac.za
E-mail: dklerknm@unisa.ac.za