ARK 211 – Arikara Syntax I

  • This course offers an introduction to Arikara sentence structure or syntax.  In order to be effective instructors, language teachers need to have a good understanding of the various grammatical features of the target language. The ability to build a sentence following the syntactic rules of the target language is one of the fundamental skills needed for advanced language proficiency. Good usage of grammar and syntax in particular is the necessary step towards the ability to express oneself idiomatically, i.e., to express oneself through what native speakers refer to as “Arikara thinking”.  In order to give students enough knowledge of syntax, language teachers have to (a) be fully aware of its rules, and (b) know how to introduce them, by incorporating them into meaningful language activities and by providing students with problem solving tasks. This course is intended to provide you with the foundations needed to understand and introduce Arikara sentence structures to students.