Elementary Estonian ESTO 103

Spring 2002

MTWThF 8:30-9:20 THO 334

 

Instructor: Ulla Vanhatalo

E-mail: ulla@u.washington.edu

Telephone: 616-5737

Office: 226 Raitt Hall                                                                                              

Office hours: T and Th 9:30-10:30

                              and by appointment,

                              be free to e-mail and ask for help!

 

 

Required Textbook:

                     

                      E nagu Eesti by Mall Pesti & Helve Ahi

                      + tape cassette!

                      (Available at the UW Bookstore)

 

 

Read about the Estonian Culture (not required, but interesting!):

 

                      Tõnu Õnnepalu: Border State

                      Alo Raun: Estonia and Estonians

 

 

Course Objectives:

                                                                                      

This introductory course in Estonian will provide you with the tools to acquire and practice Estonian as a listener, speaker, reader, and writer in everyday contexts. This course will also introduce you to culture providing information on customs and daily life in Estonia.

 

 

Grading:

                                           

10 %   Participation: Communication is our ultimate goal. Take part in class activities on an intensive and systematic basis!

 

20 %   Homework: Daily homework will be assigned and graded with a 3, 2, 1 or 0. I do accept late homework with reasonable number, but I would be really happy to get your assignments in time. You will have an average of 25 graded tasks, 2 of which can be dropped. Homework will include exercises from textbooks, worksheets, readings, essays etc. Please copy your textbook exercises onto a separate sheet! Please don’t forget the coordinates (your name, the date when the assignment is given, page, and exercise number).

 

10 %   Journal: You will be asked to keep a journal in Estonian every two weeks. Specific topics will be assigned. Please turn your journal in every second Thursday!

 

10 %   Oral exam: To be arranged during the 9th week.

 

15 %   Quizzes: There will be a weekly quiz every Friday (except April 19th, May 10th, and May 31st). These quizzes will test you on the skills and topics we have covered and practiced in class and on homework assignments. One quiz can be dropped. No make-up quizzes will be given without a really good reason.

 

15 %   Tests: There will be three unit tests (April 19th, May 10th, and May 31st).

 

20 %   Exam: Will be given in the last class of the quarter on Friday, May 7th.

                     

                                                                                                            

 

- If you do your homework and participate in class, the quizzes, the tests, and the exam will present no surprises.

 

- If you must miss class, please inform me before class, ulla@u.washington.edu.

 

 

Tentative Plan

 

 

Week 1        Topics:         Making a doctor’s appointment; at the doctor’s

                                            About health and illnesses

                                            Present perfect; adverbs (-sti, -lt)

 

Week 2        Topics:         At the pharmacy; how to avoid illness

                                            Medicines; vitamins; food

                                            Partitive of numerals; word derivations

 

Week 3        Topics:         Describing your home; neighbors; renting a house or an            

                                            apartment

                      Home chores; house or apartment building

                      Word derivation; nouns (-line, -nik); adjektives (-lik; -line)

 

Week 4        Topics:         Describing your home

                                            Parts of house; furniture; domestic appliances

                                            Compound verbs (ette); postpositions

 

Week 5        Topics:         Problems in the house; calling electrician of plumber

                                            About problems with home appliances

                                            Compound verbs (läbi); word derivations

 

Week 6        Topics:         Talking about weather; weather forecast

                                            Directions

                                            Nouns (-ke); adjectives (-ne)

 

Week 7        Topics:         Talking about spring

                                            Flowers, birds, animals; spring activities

                                            Basic forms of the verb; impersonal forms of verbs

 

Week 8        Topics:         Talking about summer; making plans for summer

                                            Nature; summer activities; spending vacation

                                            Translative case

 

Week 9        Topics:         Talking about autumn; folk calendar; customs and

                                            celebrations

                                            Nature; autumn activities

                                            Adverbs of location; -i superlative

                     

Week 10      Topics:         Winter: preparing for Chistmas; buying presents

                                            Nature; end of the year festivities; winter activities

                                            Review of impersonal forms of verbs