Hausa is the official language of northern Nigeria and is used throughout much of western Africa as a trade language. There are over 22 million native speakers of Hausa and over 16 million using it as a second language. These groups are spread throughout Nigeria, Niger, Ghana, Cameroon, the Sudan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Algeria and Libya. The Hausa literary language is marked by heavy borrowing of religious and technological terms from Arabic. Indeed, Hausa was written using an alphabet based on Arabic until the early part of the twentieth century when it switched to a Latin based alphabet.

KU Hausa Courses

AAAS 370 Introduction to the Languages of Africa (3) WH,NW.

A survey of the indigenous languages of Africa from a linguistic perspective, covering the main language families and their geographic distribution, and focusing on the features and structure of the more widely spoken and representative languages in each family (e.g. Fula, Hausa, Maninka, Swahili, Yoruba). (Same as LING 370.)

AAAS 502 Directed Language Study: Hausa (5). U

Study of an African language at Elementary I and Elementary II levels under individual supervision and with the aid of self-instructional material. Open to juniors and seniors in good standing and graduate students only and with permission of the department. May be repeated for up to 10 credit hours. Cannot be used to fulfill B.A. foreign language requirement. IND

AAAS 503 Directed Language Study: Hausa (5). U

Study of an African language at Intermediate I and Intermediate II levels under individual supervision and with the aid of self-instructional material. Open to juniors and seniors in good standing and graduate students only and with permission of the department. May be repeated for up to 10 credit hours. Cannot be used to fulfill B.A. foreign language requirement. IND

AAAS 504 Directed Language Study: Hausa (5). U

Study of an African language at Advanced I and Advanced II levels under individual supervision and with the aid of self-instructional material. Open to juniors and seniors in good standing and graduate students only and with permission of the department. May be repeated for up to 10 credit hours. Cannot be used to fulfill B.A. foreign language requirement. IND

HAUS 110 Elementary Hausa I (5) U.

Five hours of class per week. Basic level of oral fluency and aural comprehension. Vocabulary acquisition, pronunciation, grammar, and writing. Reading of simple texts. Language laboratory practice an integral part of the course.

HAUS 120 Elementary Hausa II (5) U.

Five hours of class per week. A continuation of HAUS 110. Readings in cultural texts. Prerequisite: HAUS 110.

HAUS 210 Intermediate Hausa I (3) U.

Three hours of class conducted in Hausa. A high level of oral proficiency and aural comprehension. Systematic review of grammar. Writing skills beyond the basic level. Introduction to modern Hausa texts and discussion in Hausa. Prerequisite: HAUS 120.

HAUS 220 Intermediate Hausa II (3) U.

Three hours of class conducted in Hausa. Continuation of HAUS 210. Discussion in Hausa of texts studied. Prerequisite: HAUS 210.

HAUS 310 Advanced Hausa (3) U.

The course objective is a sophisticated command of speaking, listening, reading and writing in Hausa. Texts used include newspapers and other Hausa publications not expressly for language learners, and spoken material intended for native speakers is introduced. Conversation and oral presentations. Advanced grammar. Available for elective credit in the major. Prerequisite: Native, near-native or second language competence or satisfactory completion of intermediate level.

HAUS 320 Advanced Hausa II (3) H.

Aspects of Hausa literature are examined at an advanced level, including differences between oral and written narrative, oral and poetic modes, varieties of registers as determined by gender and socio-economic level, and the effect of medium on literary style. Prerequisite: Completion of HAUS 220 or consent of instructor.

HAUS 401 Readings in Hausa I (3). U

Designed for native and near-native speakers, this course involves reading newspapers and other publications in the language intended for native speakers, conversation, oral presentation, and advanced grammar. Prerequisite: Native or near-native speaker proficiency or consent of instructor. LEC

HAUS 402 Readings in Hausa II (3). U

Continuation of HAUS 401. LEC

LING 370 Introduction to the Languages of Africa (3) WH,NW.

A survey of the indigenous languages of Africa from a linguistic perspective, covering the main language families and their geographic distribution, and focusing on the features and structure of the more widely spoken and representative languages in each family (e.g. Fula, Hausa, Maninka, Swahili, Yoruba). (Same as AAAS 370.)