Ali Akan 2000

"African languages through internet"

Introduction to Akan language and linguistics through new electronic technologies

Socrates-Erasmus 1999-2000

Intensive Program (IP)

 

Report

Overview

The Residential part of the second Ali Akan Introductory Course took place from February 18 to 26 at Humboldt University in Berlin. Due to limitations of space – 8 student working places – the number of admissions had to be restricted to 16. 1 or 2 applicants had to be turned down for this reason.

The 16 participating students were from the following universities: Zürich (4), Hamburg (3), Helsinki (2), Leiden (2), Bruxelles (1), Berlin (1), Vienna (1), Pisa (1), Naples (1). In addition, two students who had participated at the pilot course in 1999 joined the class at the beginning of the ODL phase.

11 students (Zürich 4, Hamburg 3, Helsinki 2, Leiden 1, Bruxelles 1) took the Final exams, almost all with satisfactory to excellent results.

The structure of the three-month IP was identical with that of the pilot course Ali Akan 1999:
1. Residential part, 2. ODL (online-distance learning) phase, 3. Trial Exams (end of May).

Following recommendations made after last year's pilot course, the period between Trial and Final Exam was extended over six weeks until early July, allowing students to review and discuss over internet the subject matter assimilated through ODL.

Organization

As in 1999, the residential part was organized by staff and students of the Seminar für Afrikawissenschaften at the Humboldt University under the direction of Prof. Dr. Brigitte Reineke. The Institute of Japanese Language and Culture at Humboldt again graciously made its computer facilities available. Teaching and technical instruction at the residential part was shared between the Ali Akan task force from Zurich and colleagues from Berlin.

Monitoring the online distance part from different locations – the teaching program from Hamburg and Zurich, technical support from Berlin and Zurich – put additional demands on coordination and communication.

For each participating university, a local supervisor had been asked to co-sign the students' application. The supervisors were responsible for overseeing the final exams.

Exams were taken (i) on paper (under local supervision), (ii) with downloaded audio-files (listening discrimination test) and (iii) over the phone (conversational competence).

The practical introduction to Akan by J. Frempong was again a popular focus of the Residential part. Students were encouraged to seek exposure to and regular practice with an Akan mother tongue speaker during the ODL phase as well. This worked more or less, depending on local conditions. Perhaps one should look for better ways to ensure continuous face-to-face training, for which the increased number of audio-links cannot be a full substitute.

Innovative features of Ali Akan 2000

In compliance with the recommendations made following the pilot experience (Report 1999, p. 6), a number of innovations were implemented during the course:

·        Students were enabled to download revised course materials and addenda during the ODL phase over the internet (instead of being sent new CD-ROMs): Special download macros ensured smooth processing and stability of the more than 2600 files and 12000 links on different system specifications (e.g. differences of drive assignments).

·        The Akan Text Pad (currently version 0.9-64) provided for simple conversion of Akan text from "q-notation" (Akan script in ASCII code with "q" as an escape letter for coding) to authentic Akan script (with special vowel symbols, tone and nasalization marks), and vice versa. This was a major asset enhancing the flow of Akan data over the internet and both student/student as well as student/teacher (still offline) interaction.

·        An Akan mailing list was installed on the server of the University of Zurich, which served for the distribution of assignments and control versions. The mailing list was also used by students for question and discussion purposes, essentially during the initial ODL phase and the period between the Trial exam and the Final exam.

·        Choice, a freeware Vocabulary training program integrated into the course, offered, through its interactive features, the means for a more controlled approach to vocabulary training.

·        Basic vocabulary, required for the exams, was earmarked in the Vocabulary sections and also listed in a separate file.

Revision of the course materials was completed in the following areas:

(i)                  accuracy of tone notation;

(ii)                correctness of grammatical detail;

(iii)               clarity and simplicity of presentation.

The updates were made available to the students in two installments during the ODL phase.

In accordance with the audio-scriptural approach to language learning advocated throughout the course, a substantial amount of new recordings, produced with technical assistance from the Language Laboratory of the Univ. of Zurich, were integrated into the latest CD-ROM version which will serve as basis for the final editing for publication in the Köppe Verlag, Cologne.

Work in progress:

·        Word form index (2^nd version completed)

·        Index of key terms

·        Revised list of basic vocabulary

·        Amendments and addenda to a number of lessons

·        Coherent theoretical exposition of tonal change and of tone-based grammar (suggested by students)

·        Improvement of Akan text/translation interface (word-by-word gloses and/or annotations).

Platform compatibility

Less than 100% reliability of the deployment of Akan fonts on some Macintosh systems continues to be a concern. The ultima ratio being considered is the recourse to composite fonts rathern than font combinations. A viable solution to this problem must be found until the end of this year.

Dissemination and capacity building

An informal evaluation of the Ali Akan pilot experience by a group of specialists of the application of new technologies to university teaching summarized the initial experience as follows:[1] “The ALI-AKAN project has opened up the road to a new appraisal of European linguistic strategy as regards the African continent and its languages.”

While it would still be somewhat premature to draw far-reaching conclusions regarding long-term effects on European and Swiss capacity building, there are clear indications of continued active interest by a good number of students having completed Ali Akan 1999 or 2000.

There are also indications that resorting to teleteaching procedures does not fatally lead to a decrease in conventional learning opportunities. Thus, an introductory classroom course was offered in summer 2000 at the University of Leiden by a doctoral student having taken Ali Akan in 1999. Another introductory classroom course is scheduled to be offered at the University of Hamburg in winter 2000-2001 as a direct offshoot of the Ali Akan experience.

Release

The release of the CD-ROM version is scheduled for the end of 2000 in a new students' software program of the Koeppe-Verlag (Cologne). Final editing is under way.

Publicity

·        The Ali Akan program was presented and submitted to discussion at the "Tage der Schweizer Linguistik" organised by the Schweizerische Sprachwissenschaftliche Gesellschaft (SGS) at the University in Berne, on Nov. 5, 1999.

·        It will be featured in the autumn issue of the "Unijournal" of the University of Zürich.

·        A presentation will be made at the national African studies Forum organized by the Swiss Society of African Studies at the University of Geneva on Oct. 22, 2000.

·        A considerable spontaneous interest for the program has recently been manifested in Ghana.

Outlook

·        An advanced version of the IP Ali Akan focusing on computer-supported applications to the study of Akan text and open to those having successfully completed the Introductory course will be held May 15-23, 2001, at the University of Leiden (Netherlands).

·        An update version of the Introductory course, with a major emphasis on improved interactivity and ODL methodology, is planned for 2002, again in cooperation with Humboldt university.

 

For further information, updated project description and sample, see

http://www.spw.unizh.ch/afrling/aliakan

 

The University of Zurich Ali Akan Work group

 

 

Thomas Bearth

Erika Eichholzer

Justin Frempong

Hannes Hirzel

 

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