This class is a continuation of Introduction to Colloquial Tibetan (LAN500) and is oriented toward continuing students who have had training in the Tibetan alphabet, spelling, and beginning dialogs (see prerequisites below). The emphasis of the classes will be on developing further fluency with spoken Tibetan both in listening and in speaking. Students will focus on training in successively more complex Tibetan colloquial dialogs. The class will cover the material in chapters 4 through 7 of The Heart of Tibetan Language (HOTL) by Franziska Oertle. There will be homework assigned weekly.
Required Text:
The Heart of Tibetan Language, Franziska Oertle and its associated exercise book
Prerequisites:
At least three sessions of colloquial Tibetan at Nitartha Institute (LAN500) or equivalent (see details below).
Students should know:
- The equivalent of the first three chapters (77 pages) of HOTL
- How to pronounce in the Central Tibetan dialect all the letters and vowels in the Tibetan alphabet
- How to identify the main letter of a Tibetan word
- What prefixes, superfixes, subfixes, suffixes, and second suffixes are, and how they affect pronunciation
- How to verbally spell a Tibetan word
- What the essential and existential verbs are and how they are used (yin, min, red, ma red, yod, med, ‘dug, mi ‘dug, yod red, yod ma red)
- Demonstrative pronouns (‘di, de, pha gi, etc.)
- Personal pronouns (khong, khyed rang, etc.)
- Basic volitional and non-volitional verbs
- Verb tenses (past, present, and future) and auxiliary verbs
- Some basics of locative, genitive, and instrumental cases
- How to read basic Tibetan sentences aloud (but not necessarily understand their entire meaning)