Instructor(s):
Short Description of the Course:
The course must be seen as a direct continuation of Beginners’ Hungarian Course I. The students go on studying the elements of the particularly rich Hungarian morphology, and their functions in the use of the language. The teaching material includes some more complex syntactic structures, certain parts of the inflectional system, and provides the students with the knowledge of the basic means of composing texts in Hungarian. The material also covers topics of everyday life and a vocabulary/stock phrases belonging to them, which will help students to communicate in various conversational situations.
Culture is an organically integrated part of the course. There are several things we do throughout the semester to introduce the culture of the country to the students.
- Cooking a Hungarian dish together
We prepare the food together. In the process the students learn about traditioanl Hungarian cuisine, the different ways of preparing food and the most traditional ingredients Hungarians use.
- A visit to a typical Hungarian ’cakes and coffee’ shop
This is a unique experience because the students can’t really find this kind of places back home. The students have to order cakes and drinks in Hungarian.
- Preparing a performance in Hungarian for the closing ceremony
The students learn and act out a short play (approx.15 min.), which is based on a Hungarian tale or folk tale. The language of the play is adapted so that it can be a summary of the grammar structures and functions the students have learnt throughout the semester.
Apart from the above mentioned we always celebrate the holidays: Easter in the spring semester and Santa Claus and Christmas in the fall. In this way the students can have some insight into how Hungarians celebrate these international or typically Hungarian holidays. We learn songs and the vocabulary of the holidays.
The topic list of the course book covers the following:
- Greetings, introduce yourself
- Place of living (country, city, home)
- At the doctor’s
- Shopping for food
- Shopping for clothes
- Seasons and activities
- Free time
- Getting around town
- Sightseeing
These topics inevitably present the opportunity to discuss different aspects of Hungarian culture. Among other things we try to bring the topics close to our students by putting special emphasis on aspects that might be really interesting for young people. For example in connecrion with free time activities we include music and food festivals and so called ’ruin pubs’, which are very popular with young Hungarians.
Aim of the course:
The course is designed to develop the students’ language skills and knowledge of Hungarian they acquired on the previous level. This second phase of the Beginners’ Hungarian Course is also intended to meet the language needs of students in making themselves understood with native Hungarians.
Prerequisites:
Completing Beginners’ Hungarian Course I. or meeting the requirements of a similar language course
Detailed Program and Class Schedule:
- Reviewing types of adverbs of place; the inflection of ‘ik’-verbs
- Verbal prefixes indicating directions; form and function of the dative
- Adverbs of time; word-order positions of verbal prefixes; the possessive construction
- Possessive suffixes, singular; the infinitive and its constructions
- The Hungarian substantive verb expressing possession; verbs formed with the suffix -hat, -het (= can, may)
- Causal clauses; possessive suffixes, plural
- Grammar summary – reviewing the material
End-term test
Method of instruction:
Means and ways of communicative language teaching
Coursebook:
Erdős József – Prileszky Csilla: Halló, itt Magyarország! I. Budapest, Akadémiai Kiadó 2000.
Supplementary material: Kaleidovox. Computer-aided exercises by Erdős József
Grading:
Grading is based on student performance in three areas: a) homework done regularly; b) performances at the classes; c) written test closing the course.
Instructors' bio:
Katalin Bakonyi Berényi is a Hungarian and English language teacher with a background of teaching a wide variety of subjects (including Hungarian as a foreign language, ESP, Erasmus/Study Abroad exchange programs) at the Technical University of Budapest (BME). She has also done literature and film courses for Erasmus/Study Abroad students. She is the author/co-author of publications on teaching Hungarian as a foreign language, the methodology of teaching languages and cultural topics and a coursebook for advanced learners of Hungarian. At AIT, together with her colleague she has developed language teaching material specially tailored for the needs of students of AIT.
Márta Magasi is a Hungarian and English language teacher relying on experience gained at BME in the Centre of Modern Languages teaching Hungarian and English to foreign and Hungarian students studying engineering. She is the author/co-author of different publications (e.g. Readings in Technical English; Language Tests for Foreign Students, etc.). One of her priorities is linguistics related to teaching Hungarian as a foreign language. She also has experience in working as a teacher and coordinator of language trainings for leading multinational companies. At AIT, in cooperation with her colleague she has developed language teaching material specially tailored for the needs of students of AIT.