African Studies Center, University of Pennsylvania

AFRICAN LANGUAGES AT PENN

Penn National African Language Initiative Summer Institute (NALISI) Zulu Program
June 13 — August 05, 2011

Zulu Intermediate Proficiency Outcomes: Level 2 Plus

As their performance floor, intermediate students will be able to satisfy routine social demands and limited work requirements. They will be able to handle with confidence, but not with facility, most normal, high-frequency social conversational situations including extensive, but casual conversations about current events, as well as work, family, and autobiographical information. The linguistic structure will be usually not very elaborate and not thoroughly controlled. Vocabulary use will be appropriate for high-frequency utterances, but unusual or imprecise elsewhere. They will be able to perform, with consistency, all of the following Level 2 tasks and range of topics:

Topics	Tasks
Own background Own interests Current events Work Experiences Future plans and expectations Memories Concrete topics Travel Recreational activities Past events	Description Narration Directions Concrete comparisons Concrete explanation Instructions Report facts Supported opinion about their background and experiences Hypotheses about their background or experiences

As their performance ceiling, they will be able to satisfy most work requirements with language usage that is often, but not always, acceptable and effective. They will show considerable ability to communicate effectively on topics relating to particular interests and special fields of competence. They will often show a high degree of fluency and ease of speech, although when under pressure their ability to use the language effectively may deteriorate. Their comprehension of normal native speech will typically be nearly complete. They may, however, miss cultural and local references and may require a native speaker to adjust to their limitations in some ways. The will be able to perform at Level 3, but without consistency. For example, they will be able to participate in most social, formal, and informal interactions; but limitations either in range of contexts, types of tasks, or level of accuracy hinder effectiveness. They may be ill at ease with the use of the language either in social interaction or in speaking at length in professional contexts. They may be strong either in structural precision or vocabulary, but not in both.

For more information about African Languages at Penn please email the Director of African Language Program,
Dr. Audrey N Mbeje, or call: (215) 898-4299