Somali Orthography

The course is offered as a free-standing course.

Admission to the course requires a passing grade in both SOL111/SOL101 (Somali Grammar 1 for Native Speakers) and SOL112/SOL102 (The Somali Language Situation for Native Speakers), or in both of the earlier courses SOL110 (The Somali Language in a Contrastive Perspective) and SOL120 (Somali in the World), or an equivalent qualification

The course examines and discusses the norms and traditions underlying Somali orthography and its current usage, as well as the relationship between usage and norms. Furthermore, it provides an in-depth discussion of how various resources—such as dictionaries, language manuals, and corpora—should be used and interpreted. Different writing rules and principles are addressed directly in connection with practical exercises and assignments, aimed at developing students’ ability to produce their own texts in Somali and to edit others’ texts with regard to linguistic accuracy and comprehensibility.

After completing the course, the student should be able to:

Knowledge and Understanding

• Provide an overview of linguistic perspectives on written language and orthography, as well as the functions of a standardized written language in society and professional life
• Describe key principles of Somali orthography and relevant strategies for assessing linguistic correctness

Skills and Abilities

• Assess linguistic correctness in different types of Somali texts
• Reflect consciously on their own writing and produce texts in accordance with current norms for written Standard Somali
• Work deliberately to edit and improve their own and others’ texts, both individually and in collaboration with other students

Judgement and Approach

• Reflect on the role that the design of Somali texts plays in various professional, societal, and social contexts

The course is delivered online via the university’s learning platform, through lectures, seminars, discussions, and assignments.

Language of instruction: Swedish and Somali when the course is offered in Swedish; English and Somali when the course is offered in English.

Assessment consists of continuous obligatory assignments throughout the course and a final exam.

If a student who has been failed twice for the same examination element wishes to change examiner before the next examination session, such a request is to be granted unless there are specific reasons to the contrary (Chapter 6 Section 22 HF).

If a student has received a certificate of disability study support from the University of Gothenburg with a recommendation of adapted examination and/or adapted forms of assessment, an examiner may decide, if this is consistent with the course’s intended learning outcomes and provided that no unreasonable resources would be needed, to grant the student adapted examination and/or adapted forms of assessment.

If a course has been discontinued or undergone major changes, the student must be offered at least two examination sessions in addition to ordinary examination sessions. These sessions are to be spread over a period of at least one year but no more than two years after the course has been discontinued/changed. The same applies to placement and internship (VFU) except that this is restricted to only one further examination session.

If a student has been notified that they fulfil the requirements for being a student at Riksidrottsuniversitetet (RIU student), to combine elite sports activities with studies, the examiner is entitled to decide on adaptation of examinations if this is done in accordance with the Local rules regarding RIU students at the University of Gothenburg.

The course is graded with one of the following: Pass with Distinction (VG), Pass (G), or Fail (U). To receive the grade Pass with Distinction (VG) for the entire course, the student must achieve VG on the final examination.

The results of and possible changes to the course will be shared with students who participated in the evaluation and students who are starting the course.

Equality aspects should be taken into consideration in content, literature, teaching and evaluation.

To follow a web-based course, students must have access to a computer, web camera and stable internet connection.