Class 1- Introduction

Date: 09/12/2009

inndu navu kannaDaveMba hOsa BAShe kaliyONa - ಇಂದು ನಾವು ಕನ್ನಡವೆಂಬ ಹೊಸ ಭಾಷೆ ಕಲಿಯೋಣ - Today we will learn a new language called Kannada.

Spoken Kannada:

Why do you want (or your parents want you) to learn Kannada? Where Kannada is spoken mostly (states in India), etc?

How do you greet some one, when you meet them in the language you know? Now let us learn to greet in Kannada. In Kannada we say NamskAra (like saying hi or hello in English) when we meet some one.

Sample conversation in Kannada:

Example 1: When two people who know each other meet.

Person 1: namaskaara. Chennagidiya - ನಮಸ್ಕಾರ, ಚೆನ್ನಗಿದ್ದಿಯಾ ?(to a friend or a youngster) chinnagidira - ಚೆನ್ನಗಿದ್ದಿರಾ? (to elders & not so close people). – Hello, how are you doing or are you doing well?

Person 2: namaskaara. Chinnagidene, nInu chinnagidiya ? /nIvu chinnagidira? – ನಮಸ್ಕಾರ, ಚೆನ್ನಾಗಿದ್ದೇನೆ. ನೀನು ಚೆನ್ನಗಿದ್ದಿಯಾ/ ನೀವು ಚೆನ್ನಗಿದ್ದಿರಾ? - I am fine or I am doing well. How about you?

Example 2: when two people who don’t know each other meet

Person 1: Namaskaara. Ninna((to a friend or a youngster) /nimma(to elders & not so close people) hesaru enu? -ನಮಸ್ಕಾರ, ನಿನ್ನ/ನಿಮ್ಮ ಹೆಸರು ಏನು? - Hello, What is your name?

Person 2: namaskaara. Nanna hesaru ..........ninna/nimma hesaru enu? ನಮಸ್ಕಾರ ನನ್ನ ಹೆಸರು ----- . ನಿನ್ನ/ನಿಮ್ಮ ಹೆಸರು ಏನು? - My name is ---- what is your name?

Kannada is one of the Indian languages. It is spoken in the state called Karnataka.

Here is the Karnataka map (show Karnataka map to the children & ask them to locate the place they have visited or they have relatives.)

In Kannada there are 49 letters, 13 vowels, 34 consonants & 2 special/compound letters. We will watch this introduction to Kannada video - Kannada aksharamaale now.

Kannada alphabet examples: Show the alphabet poster.

Kannada Numbers: Show the number poster.

Some family relationship words in Kannada are

amma-ಅಮ್ಮ-mom, appa–ಅಪ್ಪ-dad, aNNa–ಅಣ್ಣ-brother(older),

thamma-ತಮ್ಮ-brother(younger), akka-ಅಕ್ಕ-sister(older),

thangi–ತಂಗಿ - sister (younger), ajji- ಅಜ್ಜಿ- grandmother,

ajja/thatha- ಅಜ್ಜ(ತಾತ)- grandfather etc.

Some action verbs in Kannada are

Hogu- ಹೋಗು-go, baa- ಬಾ come, eru- ಇರು-stay, walk – naDe-ನಡೆ-walk, oDu- ಓಡು-run, ADu- ಆಡು-play, kulituko-ಕುಳಿತುಕೋ-sit, nullu-ನಿಲ್ಲು-stand, bare-ಬರೇ-write etc.

Next week let us learn more conversations & some songs about greeting –namskaara songs

Home work: Try to use some of the Kannada words we learned today during the week. When you come to the class next week you should do the conversation in kannada with another student(1 or 2 sentence we learnt this week).