0. Learn Telugu as Second Language: Preface

Learn Telugu as Second Language  
(తెలుగు నేర్చుకుందాం): 
Preface

            I prepared these notes between c 2005-2012 with a two-fold purpose:

First, to prepare myself to teach Introductory Telugu at the University of California, Davis. Each entering Freshman had been required to take one 2-credit Freshman Seminar to broaden his/her academic horizons. The Freshman Seminar has up to 20 Sections and each Section was taught by a different professor on a different topic. Faculty were asked to offer courses on any subject: Yoga, Disarmament, Vegetarianism, Global Warming, Winemaking, etc. I had offered to teach Telugu and its Culture. I did this for six years – every Fall Quarter. Each year my section averaged an enrollment of 20-30 students. Most of my students were non-Indian in their ethnic background. The challenge had been to “teach Telugu” in 20 contact hours to youngsters who had never heard of Telugu. How do you teach Telugu as a second language to people who had never heard the spoken language with an unfamiliar alphabet? That was my challenge.

I consulted other teachers of foreign languages; they told me to place emphasis on building a vocabulary and focus on conversational language rather than on grammar. I did not have the support of a language laboratory; the only time my students heard the language was when I talked in the classroom. As most of my students were taking the course as a cultural introduction, I cannot expect them to spend hours on stretch in mastering the alphabet and its nuances. So, I decided to introduce Simplified Telugu. More on this later.

Another decision I had to make early in my planning was about a scheme of transliterating Telugu using English (Roman) alphabet.  Standardized phonetic symbols do exist and they are widely used in dictionaries to indicate pronunciation.  Sanskrit is being written in Roman script using these symbols.  For various reasons these symbols did not gain popularity beyond scholarly circles. With the advent of computers and the Internet, a group of enthusiastic Indian students had developed the RTS (Rice University’s Transliteration Scheme) and it has become reasonably popular with the Web community.  There is one practical advantage with the RTS system. It allows one to type in Telugu using English characters on a standard keyboard. A context sensitive software translator, called RIT, translates the input file into equivalent Telugu and displays the Telugu characters rendered on the monitor screen and allows the characters to be printed.  One such tool, Lekhini (available free on the WWW), was used as an adjunct to write Telugu. 

Nowadays, if you search the WWW, you will find several sites and YouTube videos trying to teach Telugu. Most of these are aimed at children of Telugu-speaking parents. Telugu children, by the time they are five, already know how to speak Telugu with an enviable vocabulary. My audience, however, were teens and young adults who wished to learn Telugu. To reach them, it makes sense to rely on English as the medium of instruction.  This effort and these notes fill that gap.

                       

A second reason to write these notes is to provide a concise presentation of the essential grammar of modern Telugu, with exercises. The goal is to bring the beginner, as quickly as possible, to the point where he/she can read and understand modern prose and conduct conversations using simple constructions. Persons planning to visit India for business or travel will also find this useful, as colloquial vocabulary and style received detailed attention alongside with the more formal written style.

I tried to present this material in small modules, each about 10 pages in length.  The material is presented in Roman transliteration as well as in Telugu script – side by side - so that the beginner can work through the book unimpeded by script problems yet enjoying the advantage of contact with script from the outset. 

What then is Simplified Telugu? There are several levels of simplification. First, I tried to avoid or minimize some of the vowels and consonants that are seldom used. Second, I tried to stay away from literary Telugu and put more focus on the conversational language. Third, I retained sandhi only where it is essential. Finally, I gave more emphasis to building vocabulary and less to grammar. Any student who wishes to learn these omitted topics can easily pick them up in a more advanced course.

V.  Rao Vemuri

Useful References 

           

1. P. Chinnaya Suri, బాలవ్యాకరణము,(bAla vyAkaraNamu), Commentary by AmbadipuDi nAgabhushanaM, e-book by Kinige, kinige.com

2. Chilukuri Papayya Sastry, ఆంధ్ర లక్షణ సారము (AMdhra lakshana sAramu), Published by Chilukuri Brothers, Kakinada. (circa 1950).
3. Rayaprolu Rathangapani, వ్యాకరణ పారిజాతము, (vyAkaraNa pArijAtamu), Janahita Publications, Tenali.
4. Challa Radhakrishna Sarma, 'మద్రాసు తెలుగు,' (madrAsu telugu), 1969 

5. R. S. McGregor, Outline of Hindi Grammar., Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1972
6. P. Subrahmanyam, An Introduction to Modern Telugu, Annamali University, 1974.
7. J. Venkateswara Sastry, N. D. Krishna Murthy, and K. V. U. Bhaskara Lakshmi, Conversational Telugu: A Microwave Approach, M. Seshachalam and Co. Secunderabad, 1975.

8. J. E. Warriner and F. Griffith, English Grammar and Composition, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, New York, 1977
9. Bhadriraju Krishnamurti and J.P.L. Gwynn,  A Grammar Of Modern Telugu, Oxford University Press, USA, 1986

10. B. Radhakrishna, వ్యావహారిక భాషా వికాసం, (vyavahArika bhasA vikAsaM), Third Printing, Visalandhra Publishing House, Hyderabad, India, 1992.
11. P. S. Subrahmanyam, ద్రావిడ భాషలు, (drAviDa bhAshalu), Second Printing, Telugu Viswa Vidyalayam, Public Gardens, Hyderabad, India, 1994.

12. T. Ramachandra, నుడి, నానుడి, (nuDi, nAnuDi), Fourth Printing, Visalandhra Publishing House, Hyderabad, India, 1995.

13. B. Radhakrishna, భాషాశాస్త్ర వ్యాసాలు, (bhAshA SAstra vyAsAlu), Second Printing, Visalandhra Publishing House, Hyderabad, India, 1995.

14. Avasarala Ramakrishnarao, అంగ్రేజీ మేడీజీ, (aMgrEjI mEDIjI), Emesco,Vijayawada, January 2005. 

15. http://www.languagesgulper.com/eng/Telugu.html 

Table of Contents

Part 1

0. Learn Telugu as a Second Language: Preface 1a. An Introduction to Telugu 1b. Sounds of Telugu 1c. Appendix 1 - The RTS System for Transliterating Telugu 2. The Shapes of Telugu - Vowels and Consonants 3. The Shapes of Telugu - The Secondary Symbols 3a. Appendix 2 - RTS for C-V and C-C Combinations 4. Geminates 5. Counting 6. Reckoning the Passage of Time 7. Sandhi-1 (Borrowed from Sanskrit) 8. Sandhi-2 (Native to Telugu) 9. Building Vocabulary 10. Sentences 11. Post Positions (cases) 11a. విభక్తులు  12. Enclitics and Expressions 13. Vocatives and Interjections 14. On the Street 15. Common Errors

Part 2

16. Telugu Grammar - Nouns: Number

17. Telugu Grammar - Nouns: Number

18. Telugu Grammar - Pronouns: Part 1

19. Telugu Grammar - Pronouns: Part 2

20. Telugu Grammer -  Adjectives

21. Telugu Grammar -  Verbs: Structure and Concord

22. Telugu Grammar -  Verbs: Voice and Mood