From nobody@digitalkingdom.org Fri Dec 18 12:04:38 2009 Received: with ECARTIS (v1.0.0; list lojban-list); Fri, 18 Dec 2009 12:04:40 -0800 (PST) Received: from nobody by chain.digitalkingdom.org with local (Exim 4.69) (envelope-from ) id 1NLj41-0003DA-40 for lojban-list-real@lojban.org; Fri, 18 Dec 2009 12:04:37 -0800 Received: from mail-gx0-f224.google.com ([209.85.217.224]) by chain.digitalkingdom.org with esmtp (Exim 4.69) (envelope-from ) id 1NLj2W-0002aI-2C for lojban-list@lojban.org; Fri, 18 Dec 2009 12:03:10 -0800 Received: by gxk24 with SMTP id 24so1813604gxk.6 for ; Fri, 18 Dec 2009 12:02:57 -0800 (PST) DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=gmail.com; s=gamma; h=domainkey-signature:mime-version:received:in-reply-to:references :date:message-id:subject:from:to:content-type; bh=Tr0UHXn6dxrS/1k6Lwvniaba99OIyPcMtuxmofBfaMs=; b=e9IA/c7szNurBirgqrUp1hs7xWs3tegS5YnTrvLDWyF1Kn/8DFX1Ho0fkesjgdhZ9O +oRPl4Ebyriox6NAVee0PCAIPIOHM2Mp7Zw8aIaggfFVwUKyLLUNNEj6BDxKscWadIJc f6LK6H6aEKjYuddGL/FbdeFoP5V5HKCnQFXik= DomainKey-Signature: a=rsa-sha1; c=nofws; d=gmail.com; s=gamma; h=mime-version:in-reply-to:references:date:message-id:subject:from:to :content-type; b=JsGYNeona8LmSle1chKIySd/VbYMWN/3GUZxlWWIvg6f/Yk8J+IONm3O/ibb2ObiCH aDgNp9OJ2Q2pgXdcehtDrF+j220OnCwlWfBwpFMlfBIkuYrnbp3bDRcOBTQESImBKMBY G/szBWp+C50Ao+/FL9u9tkDNe8B6gY+0Q45AE= MIME-Version: 1.0 Received: by 10.150.41.24 with SMTP id o24mr6846544ybo.346.1261166577132; Fri, 18 Dec 2009 12:02:57 -0800 (PST) In-Reply-To: <8a20e9f70912181024t29e56190u762c85c8373e0c6a@mail.gmail.com> References: <8a20e9f70912181024t29e56190u762c85c8373e0c6a@mail.gmail.com> Date: Fri, 18 Dec 2009 15:02:57 -0500 Message-ID: Subject: [lojban] Re: The New Method From: Matt Arnold To: lojban-list@lojban.org Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 X-archive-position: 16699 X-ecartis-version: Ecartis v1.0.0 Sender: lojban-list-bounce@lojban.org Errors-to: lojban-list-bounce@lojban.org X-original-sender: matt.mattarn@gmail.com Precedence: bulk Reply-to: lojban-list@lojban.org X-list: lojban-list Wow. I am very encouraged to see this. Well done. -Eppcott On Fri, Dec 18, 2009 at 1:24 PM, Jameson Orndorff wrote: > coi lo tadni .e lo ctuca mi'e .kribacr. > > Greetings! As some of you may already know, myself as well as others have > been teaching lessons on IRC for the last couple months with some pretty > encouraging results, and I wanted to share some thoughts with the community > about the method and "path" I/we use in our lessons. There is a Google Wave > that is being compiled of our work, which I hope can be used as the > foundation not only for a new learning hard copy text (incorporating xorlo > and dotside) but as the basis for an online interactive lesson, the details > of which I'd like to outline here and open for questions and comments. > > The biggest change in teaching methods and the one thing that I've noticed > having the best impact is the up-front teaching of terminators; their use, > and why they are important and necessary. Only after establishing this basis > do we teach {cu} and elision, and this method has produced stronger > understanding in when they are needed and why they are useful. I am also > putting a stronger emphasis on teaching only the necessary terminology when > absolutely needed. We basically go through as much as we can using only the > terms {selbri}, {bridi}, and {sumti}. This has allowed more ground to be > covered earlier, which then provides more of a basis and contrast for the > student to then better grasp the more complex forms and terminology that > comes later. > > Without further ado, this is a rough outline to our new methods, in the > order in which they are taught: > > General introduction - a bit on "thinking lojbanically", the terms sumti, > selbri, and bridi, a few sample bridi using only simple KOhA like {mi} {do} > and {ti}, and trying to convey the differences between English and lojban > and why selbri, sumti, and bridi don't really exist in English. > A more detailed look at place structure, and how to play with it - the rules > for sliding sumti around, and also introduce FA. > Simple tanru, using as diverse of a vocabulary as we can muster. We teach > with great emphasis that ANY time two selbri are adjacent in text, they form > a tanru. This emphasis and the fact that no terminators have been introduced > as of yet turns out to be a great aid in getting tanru formation and proper > sumti termination / {cu} usage correct. > {lo ... ku} and possibly {la} (brivla version only) - No specific mention > that {ku} may be left out is made. Stress the openness of xorlo {lo} and its > specific use, and give examples that are contrary to English thought - {lo > cnino ku}, {lo xunre ku}, etc. > At this point, a brief on {ko}, {ma}, {mo}, and maybe a brief mention of > attitudinals and vocatives. (It's hard to put these off since they are so > frequently used, but I'd make the case that they can wait a bit.) > {be ... bei ... be'o} - Again, making the case that the terminator is > necessary. Strong examples help here. Usually the idea of nesting these > within a tanru is easily taught and understood. Make a connection with the > earlier lesson about place structure in that the "first" sumti after a > selbri is going to be the x2. > SE. State that you are essentially creating a new selbri with a new place > structure - this is a good time to potentially introduce the terms {gismu} > and {brivla}. > {NU ... kei}. I only really mention {du'u} and {nu} since they are the > simplest and by far the most common. {su'u} is potentially worth a mention. > As always, strong detailed examples help. > {cu} and terminator elision. By this time, the user is going to start seeing > very bulky phrases with 3, 4, 5 or more terminators at the end of their > jufra. What a mess! {cu} becomes a lot easier to teach in terms of the > "levels" it can cut through by teaching it right after NU. > {fi'o ... fe'u} and BAI. Since this lesson comes after terminator elision, > {fe'u} should be mentioned but shown that it can be elided.Teaching {fi'o} > first opens up a lot of options and gets the students more comfortable with > tags in general. > > Clearly there is still a lot to teach at this point: tenses, aspects, > connectives, fu'ivla, lujvo, etc. But I think the outline above covers a > strong majority of the structural aspects of lojban and have had great > success and reasonable retention when teaching students using this method. > > As for the web-based lessons, I had the idea of writing out lessons in this > form (teaching more or less the full grammar in its basics) with one pass > and branding it "Level 1". "Level 2" will then be available to the user as a > direct overlay on the existing material. That is to say, that by checking a > box on the website or something, they can cause new text to mix in with the > existing lessons (probably of a different color). So the introduction > chapter will have the same Level 1 text, but will also expand upon those > ideas and possibly introduce more terminology for level 2. The {lo} / {la} > chapter can expand to detail {le} and the other use of {la} as well as inner > / outer quantifiers in level 2. The NU chapter can explain some of the finer > points of NU and some of the other ones, {ni}, {ka}, {se du'u} vs. {du'u}, > etc. Level 3 will just be another overlay with the absolute full detail of > the language. > > I await your comments and suggestions. > To unsubscribe from this list, send mail to lojban-list-request@lojban.org with the subject unsubscribe, or go to http://www.lojban.org/lsg2/, or if you're really stuck, send mail to secretary@lojban.org for help.