Kinnaman Sydney G. Lwen Wolena Kosrae! Workbook and Lab Manual

The Pacific Islands Languages Series, University of Oregon, 1994. — x + 73 p.Lwen Wolena Kosrae! is a self-directed introduction to Kosraean language and culture. It has been specifically developed for technical assistants and anthropology students from the University of Oregon who will be working on a variety of projects on Kosrae and who want to gain some language and cultural background before they go to Micronesia. The course materials, which include this workbook, an audio cassette and a video tape, are designed for the student to view the video first and then work through the workbook with the accompanying audio tape.
The video first presents elicitations of language samples from a native speaker. Learners then have a chance both to hear the language demonstrated and to repeat it. We then see the language played out in a continuing story that incorporates the language sample into a natural setting. It is not expected that every word on the video be immediately understood. Rather, the function of the video is to acquaint the learner
with the sound and rhythm of the language and to provide opportunities to see and hear it spoken authentically. It is the audio tape and workbook exercises that provide the bulk of the comprehension and production practice with the language introduced in the video.
The language presented in Lwen Wolena Kosrae! emphasizes communication. Each lesson covers functions, such as greeting, accepting, and asking about things, that are necessary in daily life. The structures and pronunciation points presented in the workbook are based on the functional language discussed in the elicitations and in the episode.
There are two fundamental purposes for this course. First, Lwen Wolena Kosrae! offers an introduction to the syntactic, phonological and orthographic system of the language to help the self-directed learner gain a foothold on the language. Second, the course is designed to model a self-directed language learning methodology which the learner can expand on when living on Kosrae to not only broaden this introduction,
but also to help him or her have a richer interaction with the people of Kosrae and a deeper understanding of the ethnology of their language.
Thus, the methodology encourages communication by showing learners how to continue their language learning in the actual setting by obtaining additional elicitations from native speakers and the general language bath that will surround them. In fact, the kinds of exercises used in this text can also be created by learners for practice and consolidation of newly encountered patterns. In sum, Lwen Wolena Kosrae! not only provides learners with basic conversational Kosraean, but it also equips them with the tools for obtaining an even greater competency.
(Workbook only - no audio)