Language Training
Penn has a distinguished tradition
of language study and offers a
variety of African languages.
Kiswahili is regularly taught
through the fourth year, Yoruba
through the third year; Amharic
through the second year, and Hausa
is available according to need.
Arrangements can be made for the
study of other African languages
through individualized instruction.
Over the years, the African Studies
Center has offered Ewe, Geâez,
Kinyarwanda, Wolof, Igbo, Bambara,
Oshivambo, Douala, Twi, and Zulu.
Instruction in Arabic is available
through the Middle East Center,
and Egyptian, Coptic, and Demotic
are available through the Asian
and Middle Eastern Studies Program.
Literacy Training
Literacy training at Penn was
established as part of the Graduate
School of Educationâs International
Literacy Institute. Funded by
grants from UNESCO and USAID,
the program concentrates on research,
dissemination, instruction, and
curriculum development. Two training
workshops are held annually, one
at Penn and the other in one of
the targeted regional centers
in Botswana, Tunisia or Nigeria.
The program also co-sponsored
the Southern Africa Regional Forum
on Literacy, held at the University
of Cape Town.
Linguistic Analyses
The languages of sub-Saharan
Africa raise challenging questions
for the design of new writing
systems. The African Language
Resource Council focuses on the
creation and publication of resources
for the study of African languages,
dictionaries, grammar and texts,
and raises funds to provide facilities.
The Linguistics Data Consortium
supports language related education,
research, and technology development
by creating and sharing linguistic
resources, data tools, and standards.
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