URDU LANGUAGE 1

This course intends to provide students with the opportunity to learn another modern Indian language apart from hindi but closely related to the latter, that uses the letters of the arabo-persian script system with the addition of a few additional diacritics employed for those sounds peculiar to Indian languages which are absent in the Arabic and Persian languages. Through the study of its grammar and sentence structure, students will be made aware of the common elements of urdu and hindi while at the same time major emphasis will be given to the study of those elements present in urdu, which distinguish it from its sister-language hindi, in both writing and speaking.

The course wants to prepare students to know, recognize and actively employ the basic notions of Urdu grammar and sentence structure, so as to enable them to access autonomously simple texts in that language. At the same time, the course should enable students to get a clearer and more complete picture of the linguistic variety of the South Asian environment and the closely related cultural (and political) implications involved in issues concerning language in that part of the world.

A preliminary knowledge of basic notions concerning the Hindi language is helpful, but not essential.

Notions of grammar and sentence structure (syntax), based on the chapters in the textbook Grammatica Urdu, Hoepli, see bibliography):
-the writing system: main features and characteristics: vowels and consonants, their phonetic value and their graphical aspect, use and purpose of special signs;
-nouns and adjectives: use and main characteristics; use of Persian affixes;
the personal pronoun: basic morphology and the use of the verb 'hona' (to be);
-the verb: verb stem and infinite mode, present and imperfect indicative and the use of the progressive tense;
-simple and composed postpositions and their relation to Persian and Arabic prepositions;
-the oblique case of personal nouns: general characteristics and particular features;
-how to contract the verb 'to have';
-verbal tenses derived from the past participle and the ergative construction;
-some verbs derived from the past participle and the ergative construction;
-indefinite pronouns and adjectives;

1) Reference Grammar and textbook used during the course:
-Schmidt, Ruth Laila (1999): Urdu: an essential grammar, Routledge: London and New York.
2) Text book:
-Dahnhardt T., Graziani, I. (2014): Grammatica della Lingua Urdu, Milano, Ulrico Hoepli editore. ISBN 978-88-203-5970-6
3) Dictionaries:
-Haqqee, Shanul Haq (1995): Oxford English-Urdu Dictionary, Oxford University Press.
-Platts, John T. : A dictionary of Urdu, Classical Hindi and English, various editions.

The written exam will consist of two parts: a series of exercises based on sentences containing specific grammatical elements touched upon during the course and a second part consisting of the translation of a short text passage from Urdu into Italian (or English).
Duration of the written exam: approx. 3 hours.
The second part of the exam consists of an oral examination which will be conducted by the teaching assistant. It consists of a series of translations and grammatical analysis of selected sentences the aim of ascertaining the knowledge acquired during the weekly language exercise sessions.

Frontal classes complemented by regular reading and translation sessions involving students' active participation.

Italian

Students are strongly advised to attend classes regularly and punctually.

written and oral

This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "International cooperation" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development