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Luganda course in Waiting state

Printed From: FSI Language Courses
Category: Language Courses
Forum Name: Member Contributions
Forum Discription: If you have course materials and are planning to contribute them to the website, this is the place to let everyone know.
URL: http://fsi-language-courses.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=352
Printed Date: 16 January 2009 at 2:28am


Topic: Luganda course in Waiting state
Posted By: Poetry
Subject: Luganda course in Waiting state
Date Posted: 22 March 2007 at 6:56pm
I have access to the FSI Luganda basic course text. I can scan the text to pdf and hand it off to gdfellows.

Is that wanted? I notice that it's in a Waiting state on the Status page --gdfellows has the tapes but not the text.

If so, I can start in on it in a week or so once I get home.

--Poetry



Replies:
Posted By: raincrowlee
Date Posted: 23 March 2007 at 11:31am
Any and all additions are appreciated.


Posted By: Poetry
Date Posted: 29 March 2007 at 11:19am
OK, I've got the text for both the Luganda basic course and the Luganda pretraining course in hand.

I'll start the scanning of the basic course this weekend. Maybe the pretraining course after.

According to the Status page, tapes for the Luganda basic course are in someone's possession. There were once tapes with the pretraining course, but I can't find any reference to them anywhere. Looks like maybe the pretraining course tapes are lost forever unless someone has them.

Our library here has many of the African language course texts. They do not have any of the sound recordings here. I am searching other areas.

--Poetry


Posted By: gallowayd
Date Posted: 13 May 2007 at 10:53am
Hi!

It appears someone has already done some hard work posting the audio:

http://languagelab.bh.indiana.edu/luganda_a400.html

The text does not appear to be there though.

Have a good day!


Posted By: onebir
Date Posted: 13 May 2007 at 9:57pm
Originally posted by gallowayd

It appears someone has already done some hard work posting the audio:

http://languagelab.bh.indiana.edu/luganda_a400.html


Where do you think we got the audio from? ;-)  However it was passworded before we pointed out that the material was in the public domain, and I'm a bit suprised they haven't password protected it again.  (Some uni sites are worried about bandwidth costs - Indiana doesn't seem to be).

If anyone finds other FSI stuff online, from a reputable source, please do point it out though!


Posted By: Poetry
Date Posted: 13 June 2007 at 5:23pm
Just to let everyone know that I haven't let the digitization effort for Luganda drop. I'm still working on it, but it's slow going on the scanning and the cleanup after.

(Went to Disney for a vacation, and I think I just bought a house. Maybe. We're waiting to get the ratified contract. It's been a busy month and a half.)

--Poetry

(Yep. Just got the word. We've bought a house.)


Posted By: tobymoorhouse
Date Posted: 27 December 2007 at 5:00am

I am very keen on getting the text.. I too have downloaded the WMA files from Indiana Uni but naturally the text would be extremely useful!

I'm off to work in Uganda as of August. Both my wife and I are doctors and very keen to get a basic vocab.
 
Webale! ;-)
 
Toby


Posted By: gerako
Date Posted: 27 October 2008 at 12:27pm
Does anyone know if there is an update on this? I would like to find the text for the Luganda Pretraining Program


Posted By: Poetry
Date Posted: 27 October 2008 at 4:48pm
Hi Gerako,
Wow, I feel guilty. I've had the books in my possession for over a year now and haven't finished the digitization. I have both the Luganda Pre-Training and the Luganda basic course.

The biggest issue that I found with digitizing them is that they are bound into a hardbound book format from the University library. The binding edge creates an issue when I try to lay them on the flatbed scanner. The scanner ends up missing a portion of the text on the edge of the page. One of the other contributors mentioned a method of using GIMP to edit in the missing text by basically cutting and pasting letters out of the rest of the text and editing it in by hand.

Our family bought a house last summer. We haven't sold the old one because of the market conditions, and we've been working around the move-in/unpack/settle in here in the new house; work; and fixing up the old one so that it is clean and bright and neutral. It really threw my schedule more than I thought it would.   I haven't had time at all in the last year to work on it. Though I've carefully made sure that the books weren't lost in the move. (My box with all of my computer's cables was lost, unfortunately. It's in one of the unnamed cartons in the garage, I fear.)

The Pre-Training book did not have any audio tapes associated with it. The language is tonal, and the way that it creates changes in verb state reminds me of the Arabic 3-letter root system.

--Poetry



Posted By: Poetry
Date Posted: 27 October 2008 at 4:54pm
Actually, in checking the forum, it looks like the text is loaded up there. The only thing missing is the Luganda Pre-Training course. That Pre-Training course does not have audio associated with it.

Ah good.   


Posted By: gerako
Date Posted: 27 October 2008 at 4:57pm
Thanks for the update and I have been hit with the same problems trying to sell my house this year. People just can't get financed. I can suggest 2 options as well with 1 being more appealing especially more so than the editing each page. They make hand scanners but that would require buying one and you would have to drag it across each page to let it scan. Alternately and probably the best way is to hold the book as it scans and crop any dark edges if necessary. If you hold it near the binding so that the page being scanned is flat then you would not need to do any editing. I wish I could scan them for you. I have 3 books actually from my first trip to Uganda. 2 are quite small and are more or less quick reference books. The other is The Essentials of Luganda which is quite in depth. I have not finished going through it. My sister-in-law bought them for me on my first visit to meet the family. I want a more structured way to learn the language which is why I think a book with the audio I downloaded would help me with the tones and pronunciations.


Posted By: gerako
Date Posted: 27 October 2008 at 5:53pm

I saw one for sale (quite expensively I might add) that says it includes an MP3 audio CD. I suspect (but not sure) it is the same files I downloaded from the Indiana University site. The link is here

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B0006D25FO/ref=dp_olp_2 - http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B0006D25FO/ref=dp_olp_2  
 
I do see now that the link from FSI points to the page that allowed me to download the book. For those searching like I was that link is here
http://ifile.it/2tajsqu - http://ifile.it/2tajsqu
So with that link I have the PDF of the book. I have the audio and the other course book. I am prepared now to study. I hope these links and the ones below help.
 
Additionally I found
a primer on Luganda
http://www.buganda.com/luganda.htm - http://www.buganda.com/luganda.htm
basic grammar
http://www.buganda.com/ggulama.htm - http://www.buganda.com/ggulama.htm  and a
phrase book
http://www.buganda.com/phrasebk.htm - http://www.buganda.com/phrasebk.htm


Posted By: gerako
Date Posted: 27 October 2008 at 6:11pm
There is supposed to be audio. This is a quote from page V (or 5 for those who do not recognize the Roman numeral)
 
"An essential part of the program is the series of tape recordings that accompany this book."
 
Unfortunately the ones I downloaded from the University of Indiana site is for the Uganda Basic Course book, not the pretraining book. It looks like I will need to continue searching. Any leads would be appreciated.


Posted By: Poetry
Date Posted: 27 October 2008 at 6:44pm
Hi Gerako,
Let me check out the text that is here on this site. It's interesting that you got the audio for the pre-training course but not the text, as I searched everywhere for the audio and couldn't find it.

--Poetry




Posted By: gerako
Date Posted: 27 October 2008 at 6:56pm
I do have the text for the pretraining as I posted the link for that earlier. I also have the text for the basic course that follows it as well as the audio for the basic course. I am in need of and searching for the audio for the pretraining course. I am finding (like you have apparently) that finding it is not an easy task.


Posted By: Poetry
Date Posted: 27 October 2008 at 7:22pm
I think the answer to this is in the first pages of the Pre-Training book. It was designed not as a course, but as a set of instructor-led exercises. I don't think there were ever language tapes with it. I know that I've searched everywhere and couldn't find anything.

--Poetry


Posted By: gerako
Date Posted: 27 October 2008 at 8:08pm
Originally posted by Poetry

I think the answer to this is in the first pages of the Pre-Training book. It was designed not as a course, but as a set of instructor-led exercises. I don't think there were ever language tapes with it. I know that I've searched everywhere and couldn't find anything.

--Poetry
 
Are we talking about the same book because the book I have says otherwise. You can get the pdf I found from this location
http://ifile.it/2tajsqu - http://ifile.it/2tajsqu  
Please take a look and see if it is the same one you have and are talking about.


Posted By: Poetry
Date Posted: 28 October 2008 at 1:20am
Hi Gerako,
Yes, it is the same book/course. And you're right, the mention is that there are tapes that accompany it. I think they may be lost. However, I also think that they can be reconstructed from the book.

--Poetry



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