EGST ACADEMIC ENGLISH—01 INTRODUCTION

1. SYLLABUS

1.1 Aim of this Course

To understand English thoroughly enough to use for effective academic study at a post graduate level.

1.2 What We Cover Today

• Syllabus
• Introduction to English
• How to Learn

1.3 Course Description

The Academic English course teaches students to do the daily work to train themselves in the skills necessary to
use a language with understanding for effective academic study at a post graduate level. Students are taught how
to understand English using Basic Linguistic Theory, and grammatical features of English are compared to
Amharic. Students are taught how to write well using Aristotle's Poetics as a framework. Finally, they are taught
software, listening, reading and logical comprehension skills to help them succeed at using English at the
research level.

1.4 Course Objectives

1. Be able to break down an English clause into its constituent parts, and identify when an English clause is
correctly or incorrectly composed.
2. Be able to plan and write essays well and quickly.
3. Be able to extract information from lectures and books and analyse that information critically.

1.5 Teacher

Rev Dr Pete Myers. I am available most days in my office.

1.6 Methods of Instruction

Weekly 3 hour lectures.

1.7 Materials

Electronic Zotero; LibreOffice

Physical Printed lecture notes.
Online Telegram Group
Literature
General theory for the core content is mostly from Dixon (2009) pp. 102-10 §§3.3-4. Description of English
grammar is mostly drawn from Huddleston (1984 and 1988) with extensive adjustments by the instructor.

1.8 Assessment

There will be an exam in the final week (week 13) that will award a PASS or FAIL.
There is NO HOMEWORK for this course.

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 1.9 Course Content

1 Syllabus, Introduction to English & How to Learn

2 Grammar: Clauses
3 Grammar: Verbs
4 Grammar: Other Grammar
5 Good Writing: Originality
6 Good Writing: Aristotle's Poetics
7 Good Writing: Planning a Paper/Article/Chapter
8 Good Writing: Paragraphs
9 English Skills for Research: Using Software
10 English Skills for Research: How to Listen and Understand
11 English Skills for Research: How to Read and Understand
12 English Skills for Research: Analysing Texts for Logic
13 ?? YOU CHOOSE! ??
14 Exam

1.10 Structure of a Lecture

• Review
• Lecture Content
• Assignment Surgery

1.11 Policies

1.11.1 Attendance

Please attend all the classes.

Multiple studies have shown that class attendance directly affects learning and examination performance
(Maloney and Lally 1998; Credé, Roch and Kieszczynka 2010).
• It is a scientific fact that if you don't come to class, you will not learn effectively.

1.11.2 Lateness

Please turn up to all the classes on time.

• Turning up late to class will disrupt your learning, and my teaching. So this is bad for everyone.

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 2. INTRODUCTION TO ENGLISH

2.1 Aim

To gain a big picture view of Amharic, English and the relationship between the two languages.

2.2 What is Language?

Language is a tool human beings use to build, change or destroy relationships.

There are 6 aspects to learning how to understand and use a language:

Phonology —How we use sound to communicate.

Orthography —How we use written signs to communicate.
Vocabulary —How we use words to refer to things outside of language itself.
Morphology —How we change words to communicate.
Syntax —How we arrange words to communicate.
Pragmatics —How we use language to influence people in the real world.

2.3 History of English

Figure from Clackson (2007) p. 19.

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 2.4 Comparison of Amharic & British English

Amharic British English

Phonology Consonants p pʼ b t tʼ d k kʼ g kʷ kʷʼ gʷ pbtdkg
tʃ tʃʼ dʒ tʃ dʒ
mnɲ mnŋ
f s sʼ z ʃ ʒ h fvθðszʃʒh
r
wj ɹjw
l l
Vowels ieaouɨə ieaou
Orthography Script Single letters, LTR Single + joined letters, small + cap, LTR
Proto-Sinaitic -> South Arabian Proto-Sinaitic -> Phoenician -> Greek ->
orginally an abjad Latin
+ addition of vowels as an abugida abjad -> alphabet
Vocabulary Basic Proto-Semitic, Cushitic, Arabic Indo-European -> Germanic, Latin ->
French, Greek, Arabic
Derivation Frequently by compounding Rich methods
Morphology Verbs Person, Gender, Number, Aspect, Aspect, Modality
Negation
Nouns Gender, Number, Minimal classes Number, Minimal classes
Syntax Phrases Noun Phrases and Verb Phrases Noun Phrases and Verb Phrases
Clauses Subject, Object, Verb Main clauses: Subject, Verb, Object
Sub clauses: Verb, Subject, Object
Sentences Main clause final Parts of sentence determined by verb
type & position

2.5 Phonetics and Phonology

Phonetics: describing the sounds of a language,

which are called phones, written between []

Phonology:describing the collections of sounds that

are the smallest units of meaning, which are called
phonemes, written between //

Taken from Davenport and Hannahs (2010).

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 2.5.1 Consonants

When symbols appear in pairs, the one on the right is voiced.

2.5.1.1 ረድፎች: የመፍጠር ዘዴ Rows: Manner of Articulation

Top to bottom: roughly from most obstructive to least obstructive.

Plosive እግድ Nasal ሰርናዊ Trill ላሽ
Fricative ሹልክልክ Lateral Fricative ጉናዊ ሹልክልክ
Approximant ከፊል አናባቢ Lateral Approximant ጉናዊ ከፊል አናባቢ

2.5.1.2 አምዶች: የመፍጠር ቦታ Columns: Place of Articulation

Left to right: front to back in the mouth.

Bilabial ከናፍራዊ Labiodental ከንፈር ወሰናዊ Dental ጥርስ Alveolar ድዳዊ
Postalveolar ላንቃዊ Retroflex ወደ ኋላ ዞር Palatal ፓልታይ Velar ትናጋዊ
Uvular ዩላ Pharyngeal ፋራኒክስ Glottal ማንቁርታዊ

2.5.1.3 Amharic

ከናፍራዊ ከንፈር ወሰናዊ ድዳዊ ላንቃዊ ፓልታይ ትናጋዊ ማንቁርታዊ

Bilabial Labiodental Alveolar Postalveolar Palatal Velar Glottal

k
እግድ p t kʼ g
b d
Plosive pʼ tʼ kʷ gʷ
kʷʼ

ፍግድ tʃ͡
d͡ʒ
Affricate tʃʼ͡
ሰርናዊ Nasal m n ɲ
ላሽ Trill r

ሹልክልክ s
f z ʃ ʒ h
Fricative sʼ
ከፊል አናባቢ
Approximant
w j

ጉናዊ ከፊል
አናባቢ
Lateral
l
Approximant

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2.5.1.4 British English

ከናፍራዊ ከንፈር ወሰናዊ ጥርስ ድዳዊ ላንቃዊ ፓልታይ ትናጋዊ ማንቁርታዊ

Bilabial Labiodental Dental Alveolar Postalveolar Palatal Velar Glottal
እግድ
Plosive
p b d t d k g

ፍግድ affricate tʃ͡ d͡ʒ

ሰርናዊ Nasal m n ŋ
ሹልክልክ
Fricative
f v θ ð s z ʃ ʒ h

ከፊል አናባቢ
Approximant
r j w

ጉናዊ ከፊል
አናባቢ
Lateral
l
Approximant

2.5.2 Vowels

Front
Central
Back

Open
Close-mid
Open-mid
Open

Where symbols appear in pairs, the one on the right occurs with rounded lips.

2.5.2.1 Amharic

Figure taken from IPA (1999), p. 47.

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2.5.2.2 British English

Figures taken from Roach (2004), p. 242-43.

2.6 Orthography

Graphs: the shapes used in a writing system, written between «»

Graphemes: the collections of shapes that are the smallest units of meaning in a writing
system, written between ‹›

2.6.1 What Do Graphemes Represent?

2.6.1.1 Concepts examples: ። ፥ 😀 😂 😜 😬

2.6.1.2 Words examples: ዶ/ር
2.6.1.3 Syllables examples: ባ ኮ ለ
2.6.1.4 Segments examples: Eng. x (k + s, ክ + ስ)
2.6.1.5 Phonemes examples: ብ

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 2.6.2 History of The Alphabet

𓃾 𐤀 Α A a 𐩱 ࠀ 𐡀 ‫א‬ አ ֶ በሬ
‫אל ֶף* אָל ֶף‬ ox /ʾ/

𓉐 𐤁 Β B b 𐩨 ࠁ 𐡁 ‫ב‬ በ ‫ּבֵית‬ ‫ ּבָי ִת‬ቤት house /b/

𐤂 Γ G g 𐩴 ࠂ 𐡂 ‫ג‬ ገ ‫ּג ִימֶל‬ /g/

𓉿 𐤃 Δ D d 𐩹 ࠃ 𐡃 ‫ד‬ ደ ‫ּדָל ֶת‬ ‫ ֶדל ֶת‬መዝጊያ door /d/

𐤄 Ͱ E e 𐩠 ࠄ 𐡄 ‫ה‬ ሀ ‫הֵא‬ /h/

Columns:
𓉽 𐤅 Ϝ F f 𐩥 ࠅ 𐡅 ‫ו‬ ወ ‫ו ָו‬ *‫ ו ָו‬ምስማር nail /w/ • ግብፃዊ Egyptian
• ፊንቄያዊ Phoenician
𐤆 Ζ Z z 𐩸 ࠆ 𐡆 ‫ז‬ ዘ ‫זָי ִן‬ /z/
• ግሪክኛ Greek
𐤇 Η H h 𐩭 ࠇ 𐡇 ‫ח‬ ሐ ‫חֵית‬ /ḥ/ • ላቲን Latin
• ላቲን Latin minuscule
𐤈 Θ 𐩷 ࠈ 𐡈 ‫ט‬ ጠ ‫טֵית‬ /ṭ/
• ደቡብ አረቢያ South Arabian
𓂧 𐤉 Ι I i 𐩺 ࠉ 𐡉 ‫י‬ የ ‫יֹוד‬ ‫ י ָד‬እጅ hand /y/ • ሳምራዊ Samaritan
• ኢምፔሪያል አራማይክ Imperial
𓂩 𐤊 Κ K k 𐩫 ࠊ 𐡊 ‫ךכ‬ ከ ‫ּכַף‬ ‫ ּכַף‬መዳፍ palm /k/
Aramaic
𐤋 Λ L l 𐩡 ࠋ 𐡋 ‫ל‬ ለ ‫לָמֶד‬ /l/ • ዘመናዊ ዕብራይስጥ Modern
Hebrew
𓈖 𐤌 Μ M m 𐩣 ࠌ 𐡌 ‫םמ‬ መ ‫מֵם‬ ָ ውኃ
‫מי ִם‬ water /m/
• ዘመናዊ ኢትዮጵያዊ Modern
𐤍 Ν N n 𐩬 ࠍ 𐡍 ‫ןנ‬ ነ ‫נּון‬ /n/ Ethiopic
• Hebrew letter name
𐤎 Ξ X x 𐩪 ࠎ 𐡎 ‫ס‬ ሰ ‫סמְֶך‬
ָ /s/
• Hebrew meaning
𓁹 𐤏 Ο O o 𐩲 ࠏ 𐡏 ‫ע‬ ዐ ‫עַי ִן‬ ‫ עָי ִן‬ዓይን eye /ʿ/ • Amharic cognate
• English translation
𓂋 𐤐 Π P p 𐩰 ࠐ 𐡐 ‫ףפ‬ ፈ ‫ּפֵא‬ ‫ ּפֶה‬አፍ mouth /p/
• Phonemic value
𐤑 Ϻ 𐩮 ࠑ 𐡑 ‫ץצ‬ ጸ ‫צִָדי‬ /ṣ/

𐤒 Ϙ Q q 𐩤 ࠒ 𐡒 ‫ק‬ ቀ ‫קֹוף‬ /q/

𓁶 𐤓 Ρ R r 𐩧 ࠓ 𐡓 ‫ר‬ ረ ‫ ֹראׁש ֵריׁש‬ራስ head /r/

𐤔 Σ S s 𐩦 ࠔ 𐡔 ‫ש‬ ሠ ‫ׁשִין‬ /š/, /ś/

𐤕 Τ T t 𐩼 ࠕ 𐡕 ‫ת‬ ተ ‫ּתָו‬ /t/

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 2.7 References

General Introduction

Campbell, L. (2013). Historical Linguistics: An Introduction (3 ed.). Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
Clackson, J. (2007). Indo-European Linguistics: An Introduction (Cambridge Textbooks in Linguistics). Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press.
Fox, J. (1996). A Sequence of Vowel Shifts in Phoenician and Other Languages. Journal of Near Eastern Studies, 55,
pp. 37-41.
Huddleston, R. (1984). Introduction to the Grammar of English. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
———. (1988). English grammar: an outline. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Huehnergard, J., & Pat-El, N. (2019). Introduction to the Semitic languages and their history. In J. Huehnergard &
N. Pat-El (Eds.), The Semitic Languages (2nd ed., pp. 1-21). Oxon: Routledge.
Kogan, L. (2011). Proto-Semitic Phonetics and Phonology. In S. Weninger, G. Khan, M. P. Streck, & J. C. E. Watson
(Eds.), The Semitic Languages: An International Handbook (Vol. 36, pp. 54-151). De Gruyter: Berlin.
Rubin, A. D. (2008). The Subgrouping of the Semitic Languages. Language and Linguistics Compass, pp. 79-102.

Phonology and Orthography

Blau, J. (2010). Phonology and Morphology of Biblical Hebrew: An Introduction (Linguistic Studies in Ancient West
Semitic 2). Winona Lake, Indiana: Eisenbrauns.
Coffin, E. A., & Bolozky, S. (2005). A Reference Grammar of Modern Hebrew. Cambridge: Cambridge University
Press.
Davenport, M., & Hannahs, S. J. (1998). Introducing Phonetics & Phonology. London: Arnold.
Gardiner, A. H. (1916). The Egyptian Origin of the Semitic Alphabet. The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology, 3.1, 1-
16.
Hamilton, G. J. (2006). The Origins of the West Semitic Alphabet in Egyptian Scripts (The Catholic Biblical
Quarterly Monograph Series 40).
Washington, DC: The Catholic Biblical Association of America.
IPA (1999). Handbook of the International Phonetic Association: A Guide to the Use of the International Phonetic
Alphabet. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Khan, G. (2012). A Short Introduction to the Tiberian Masoretic Bible and its Reading Tradition. Piscataway, New
Jersey: Gorgias Press.
Laufer, A. (1999). Hebrew. In Handbook of the International Phonetic Association: A Guide to the Use of the
International Phonetic Alphabet (pp. 96-99). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Leslau, W. (1973). English-Amharic Context Dictionary. Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz.
Myers, P. (2019). The Greek Alphabet and the Canaanite Sibilants. Journal of Semitic Studies, 64, 51-66.
Roach, P. (2004). British English: Received Pronunciation. Journal of the International Phonetic Association, 34,
239-245.

ይማም, ባ. (2000). የአማርኛ ሰዋስ. P. 5.

አማረ, ጌ. (1989). ዘመናዊ የአማርኛ ሰዋስው በቀላል አቀራረብ. አዲስ አበባ: በአልፋ አታሚዎች ታተመ. P. 5.

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 3. HOW TO LEARN

3.1 Literature

Ariel, R., & Karpicke, J. D. (2018). Improving Self-Regulated Learning With a Retrieval Practice Intervention.
Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, 24, 43-56.
Dunlosky, J., & Rawson, K. A. (2015). Teacher-Ready Research Review—Practice Tests, Spaced Practice, and
Successive Relearning: Tips for Classroom Use and for Guiding Students’ Learning. Scholarship of Teaching
and Learning in Psychology, 1, 72-78.
Kornell, N., & Hausman, H. (2017). Performance bias: Why judgments of learning are not affected by learning.
Mem Cogn, 45, 1270-1280.

3.2 How to Study

• Turn up to lectures
• Pay attention in lectures
• Cull your workload
• Do a little bit of work every day.
• Have a variety of activities in your study each day.
• Study at the same time each day.
• Have cheap physical objects you can use in "dead time".
• As best as possible, have a "study space" where you can work.
• Used spaced repetition.
• Find things you enjoy reading.
• Mix between things you find hard to concentrate on and things you enjoy.
• Meet with others every week to keep motivated.
• Read out loud.
• Read standing up.
• Practice skills work while exercising.
• Play games.

3.3 How to Learn a Language

Phonology —Practice listening and speaking

Orthography —Practice reading
Vocabulary —Repetition: Anki, flashcards; Exercises: worksheets; Practice reading
Morphology —Repetition: grammar tables; Practice listening and speaking Practice reading
Syntax —Lectures: review once a week; Exercises: worksheets; Practice reading
Pragmatics —Practice reading

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