FSI Language Courses
Peace Corps 91 pages 5 of 10

Acholi Exercises Workbook

Unit 5: Telling Time

Peace Corps Acholi Language Course

7:00 a.m cawa acel me odiko. 7:30 a.m cawa acel ki nucu me odiko. 8:00 a.m cawa aryo me odiko. 8:15 a.m cawa aryo ki dakika apar wiye abic me odiko. 12:00 Noon cawa abicel me dye ceng. 4:00 p.m cawa apar me otyeno. 7:00 p.m cawa acel me otyeno. 9:00 p.m cawa adek me dye wor.

Exercise V.A-2: Write in Acholi

  1. 7:10 a.m.
  2. 7:25 p.m.
  3. 1:30 p.m.
  4. 10:13 a.m.
  5. 10:00 p.m.
  6. 12:00 Midnight
  7. 6:06 p.m.

Exercise V.A-3: Answer the questions

1 Cam me dyeceng wucamo cawa adi? (2) Cam me otyeno wucamo cawa adi? (3) Nino ducu icito ka nino cawa adi? (4) kombedi cawa adi? (5) Cawa ni tye ka waci cawa adi?

Exercise V.A-4: What time is it?

  1. ______________________ 2.__________________________

  2. ______________________ 4.__________________________

  3. ______________________ 6.__________________________

Exercise V.A-5: Make a survey of what time people do certain activities

1 2 3 4 5 6 NYING Coo Lwoko wang Cammo cam me odiko Cito i gang kwan Dok gang Cammo cam me dye ceng

Lwok Tuku Jwayo lak Nino

Exercise V.B-1: Respond to the questions

  1. Nino adi ma tye ii cabit acel?
  2. Nino acel tye iye cawa adi?
  3. dano timo ngo iceng abic?
  4. Nino mene ma cako cabit?
  5. Ngo ma dano timo i ceng abicel?
  6. Nine abiro obedo ngo?

Exercise V.B-2: Read and answer the questions

I ceng baraja , ceng aryo, ceng adek, ki ceng angwen, dano timo ngo. I ceng abic, jo icilam cito ka lega i ot lega gi, ka i ceng abicel ki ceng cabit purutanti ki katoli cito ka lega i gang lega gi.Iceng cabit bene dano ywee.

  1. Gin ango ma dano timo i ceng cabit?
  2. Icilam lego i ceng adi?
  3. Jo mene ma lego i ceng abicel ki ceng cabit?
  4. Dano ywee i.........................?
  5. Icilam lego kwene i ceng abic?
  6. Lokristo lego kwene i ceng abicel ki ceng cabit?

Exercise V.B-3: Answer the questions using the table.

Ceng baraja Ceng aryo Ceng adek Ceng angwen Ceng abic Ceng abicel Ceng cabit 1st Pur 2nd Kwat 3rd Pur 4th Tweyo yen 5th Omo pii 6th Myel 7th Lega 8th Wer 9th Pwony 10th Wer 11th Nino 12th Lwok 13th Tuku 14th Limo dano 15th Rego 16th Tedo 17th Coc 18th Kwoc 19th Gedo 20th Kwang 21st Yomo ic.

  1. Alum otimo ngo i ceng cabit me Baraja 1st, 8th ki 15th?
  2. Ka doki otimo ngo iceng aryo me 9th?
  3. Nino 3 obedo nino mene me cabit?
  4. Alum omyelo i nino mene?
  5. Iceng abicel me 20th, Alum otimo ngo?
  6. Alum otedo i nino mene?
  7. Kipwonyo i nino mene?
  8. Alum maro timo ngo matek?

Exercise V.B-4: Develop a weekly schedule for yourself or your family, What days are for washing?

Praying? Market day, etc? What happens if there is a holiday or an unexpected event?

cawa Ceng baraja Ceng aryo Ceng adek Ceng angwen Ceng abic Ceng abicel Ceng cabit 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Exercise V.C-1: Answer the following questions

  1. Mwaka acel tye iye dwe adi?
  2. Dwe me aryo tye ki nino adi?
  3. Dwe me adi ma tye iye nino pyere adek wiye acel?
  4. ka dong dwe me adi ma tye iye nino pyere adek?
  5. Dwe mene ma giko mwaka?

Exercise V.C-2: Read and answer the questions

Dwe me aryo ki dwe me angwen obedo kare ma kot pe cwe iye tutwal. Ka dwe me abiro ki dwe me aboro obedo dwe me kec. Kot cwe i dwe me abongwen ki apar. Dwe me angwen ki abicel obedo dwe ma ngwen cwe iye. Dwe me apar aryo ki me acel obedo dwe ma ceng ryeny iye tutwal.

  1. Dwe mene ma kot cwe iye matek?
  2. Dwe mene ma kec tye iye?
  3. Dwe mene ma ceng ryeny iye?
  4. Ngwen aa/cwer idwe mene?
  5. “Ceng” obedo ngo?

Exercise V.C-3: Write holidays for the following months and days

Dwe ki nino (months & dates) yweyo (holidays)

  1. Dwe me acel nino dwe 1.

  2. Dwe me adek nino dwe 8.

  3. Dwe me abic nino dwe 1.

  4. Dwe me abicel nino dwe 3.

  5. Dwe me abicel nino dwe 9.

  6. Dwe me apar nino dwe 9.

  7. Dwe me apar aryo nino dwe 25.

Exercise V.C-4: Respond to the questions

  1. kinywali i dwe mene?
  2. lawoti kinywalo awene?
  3. Yecu otimo ngo i kare me Packa?
  4. Ngo ma time i karee me nywal pa yecu?
  5. Dwe mene ma nino nok iye i mwaka?

Exercise V.C-5: Make sentences from what is given in the brackets using the Adverbs of Time.

  1. otyeno (we eat bananas).
  2. idye wor (they see Kabayo).
  3. odiko (she go dancing).
  4. idye ceng (I swim in lake).
  5. nino ducu (We learn Acholi)

Exercise V.C-6: Write a descriptive sentence using one word from each column. Mix and match

Amaro bongo kiteitei jinja (pama) manyen totwal. I want (very much) a new dress of cotton.

Ot --ber --col/cilo black/dirty) Kiteitei odokodok --megi Tuku goga -abic --mukene (other) Dyang --bor --tidi war Jinja/pama --na Lela --ma mada Mukeeka ...otii aboro mucele --nyen --gi Dye wor keru --okwero laput --tidi --cek(short)

pull gweng Oyot oyot Gang kwang bao --ni cere --cek --e Odero Maraya/gilaci --pol Buk --rac mot leb --cal (resemble) --tar/leng (white/clean) Gudi/yoo --ber --wa malaga --dyak/toco(wet/raw) --bor (tall) dano lyet (hotness) --pol Latin kwan --tidi -acel (1)

What did I know? I wasn’t sure. And then it came to me: I knew how to get along with people. I knew how to bring people together. No, I didn’t know a great deal about gardening or almost anything technical, but I was sure I could bring together those who wanted to learn. --PCV, Chile

Exercise V.D-1: Write what each person is doing in the pictures below and indicate the time of doing

it. (You may need to use the dictionary at the back of the book)

Exercise V.D-2: Look at the activities below, indicate which ones are free time and which ones are

work time activities.

kwan ....................................... pwony ....................................... dwoyo motoka ................................. ngwec .......................................... tuko ....................................... tedo.......................................... gweyo odilo.................................... kwat ......................................................... pur ....................................................... wer.............................................................. Matto kongo ........................................ myel ....................................................... limo dano............................................... cam............................ doyo poto ..................................... nino ........................................ lego i kanica ..................................... coyo waraga............................................ yweyo ot .................................................... gedo........................................................

Exercise V.D-3: Fill in the blanks

Obot....................kongo. (camo, mato, lwoko) Arwatte ki dano ma .......................i duka. (nino, cato, bedo, lwok) Akec mito................wake wake. (myel, nino, kok) Amito .....................dek acama. (matto, lwokko, cammo).

Exercise V.D-4: Translate the story and answer the questions

The people of Acholi speak a language called Acholi. Acholi used to call themselves Lugang until The Nubians and Arab slave traders began referring to them as those who look like Shiluk who belong to the same language family of the Lwo.Hence the name Acholi came into being.The acholi expanded their Kingdoms and were very influential in the formation of kingdoms such as Bunyoro, Buganda and Toro.

  1. Acholi nongo gilwonge ningo?

  2. Pingo kilwongo gi ni Acholi?

  3. Acholi gingene pi cako tee ker mene?

  4. Acholi gi loko dul leb mene?

Exercise V.D-5: Translate the following

  1. I live with those ladies (standing over there).
  2. Do you see this dog? It is very big.
  3. This is not my pen.
  4. That is my house.
  5. This is my friend Henry. That is Marion.

Exercise V.D-6

Cultural Note: The following excerpt is taken from The Survival Kit for Living Overseas, page 26. It is available in the Peace Corps resource library. “...every group of people is, and always has been, ethnocentric; that is, it thinks its own solutions are superior and would be recognized as superior by and right-thinking, intelligent, logical human being. It I significant that to eah group, its own view of the word appeas to b the “common sense” or “natural” view. Let’s take a brief look at Americans and the cultural characteristic of cleanliness by way of example. We generally consider ourselves among the cleanliest people in the world. We’re quick to criticize many other countries and cultures as being dirty. Yet, consider the following: *When Americans bathe, they soak, wash, and rinse their bodies in th same water – though they would never wash their clothes and dishes that way. The Japanese, who use different water for each of these steps, find the American way of bathing hard to understand, even dirty...”

Exercise V.D-7: Translate the following passage. Note: This exercise is VERY difficult; you may

need the help of a native speaker. In the month of September many years ago, several tortoises died due to lack of water. The kingdom of acholi had never experienced such a drought before. One day, a crested crane was passing by when a thirsty tortoise called it for help. After a lengthy talk, the crane agreed to carry it to a wetland full of food. Off they went amid jubilation from fellow tortoises. The tortoises on the ground waved at them. The tortoise in mid-air, who too was overjoyed, waved back and in the process lost his grip on the crane and down he fell like a heavy stone! Hence the saying “Great joy killed the tortoise”.

  1. Gin ango ma obineko opuk mapol tutwal? ............................................................................................................... ........................
  2. Opuk olwongo ngo i kare ma en onwongo orwo pii tye ka neke? ............................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................... ................................................
  3. Ngo ma opoto matek calo gweng mapek? ............................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................... ................................................
  4. Ngo ma yam otime i acholi Kingdom? ............................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................... ................................................
  5. Iwaco ni ngo ki leb Acholi lok man“Great joy killed the tortoise”? ............................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................... ................................................
  6. Ododo man pwonyo wa ni ngo? ............................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................... ................................................

Exercise V.E-1: Answer the questions using the dialogue in the book.

  1. From the dialogue, what do you think the weather is like?__________.
  2. Why do you think Julius is insisting on taking a coat?____________.
  3. Why does Julius think it will rain?______________________
  4. Julius obiwoto ki ngo?______________________________.

Exercise V.E-2: Cultural Activity

Ask your host family how the seasons impact their life. Are there different chores/activities in the rainy season vs. the dry? What crops are planted in their area and when are they planted? When is the first till, planting and weeding done? Are different crops planted at different times of year? At your site, find out if the rainy or dry season impacts anything else, including travel, school attendance, malaria, etc.

How do you say “rainy season” and “dry season” in Acholi? Are there different names for different rainy seasons?

Exercise V.E-3: Match the sentences below

  1. Ceng lyet a. I am feeling cold.
  2. Atye ka winyo ngico b. I am so hot
  3. Yamo tye ka kodo c. It's raining.
  4. Atye ka winyo lyeto d. The wind is blowing.
  5. Kot tye ka cwer e. The sun is very strong/hot.

Exercise V.E-4: Use these words to fill in the blanks

Lut kot, dwe, ceng ryeny, pe ka cwer, kot, cwer.

  1. Ceng ryeny, ento kot __________________________.
  2. Idye ceng ceng ryeny, ento i dye wor tye ________________. 3 Kong ineno ___________ ka i winyo mor pa kot.
  3. _____________ ka ocwe cawa mukone yamo nongo pol.

Exercise V.E-5: Match the pictures to the weather

  1. Dye ceng A

  2. Yamo B

  3. otyeno C

  4. Dye wor D

  5. Lacer / Lakal atwe E

  6. Kot F

  7. Ceng G

  8. Pol H

  9. Lut kot I

  10. Dwer J

Exercise V.E-6: Describe the weather today and yesterday (remember to use the past tenses).

_____________________________________________________________.

Exercise V.F-1: Using the passage in the text and what you know from training, answer the following

questions about HIV/AIDS in Uganda.

  1. I mwaka mene ma cilim onyutte iye i Uganda?
  2. Lanyut me cilim bedo nining?
  3. Gin ango ma Philly Lutaaya owaco ki wi lobo, owaco ii awene?
  4. TASO timo tic ango?
  5. Jang tic pa gamente mene ma lwenyo i kom two “cilim” ki i Uganda?

Exercise V.F-2: Read the dialogue in the text and describe the characters of Ann & Tom.

_____________________________________________________________________________.

Exercise V.F-3: Use the verb in brackets to complete the sentence.

  1. Odiko ................ cai ki mugati. (mato)
  2. Akello ........................... buk odiko. (kwano)
  3. Wan ki Akumu .................... lacor moni i odiko. (neno)
  4. Ajok ................. tin. (myel)

Exercise V.G-1: Fill in the blanks using the dialogue between Peace and Betty from the text

  1. Peace mito .................................. Kitgum.
  2. Betty onongo tamo ni Peace omyero ocit ..............................
  3. Peace mitto timo jami adek. Jami mene? 1.. 2.. 3.______________________________________.
  4. Peace oyero me cito kwene?

Exercise V.G-2: Mark the correct sentence based on the same dialogue.

  1. (a) Peace owoto Kitgum.  (b) Peace obicito Kitgum.  (c) Peace biwot Kitgum. 
  2. (a) Peace oyero wot Gulu.  (b) Peace oyero wot i nyom.  (c) Peace oyero wot i kwan. 

Exercise V.G-3: What can peace accomplish in 3 months? Refer to the book for necessary

vocabulary Gin ma Peace tamo

Peace tye ka tammo me:

  • Pitto cware.
  • Limmo wone ki mine.
  • Nyom.
  • Nywallo lotino abicel.
  • Yubu ot.
  • Kwanno digiri me aryo.
  1. ______________________________________________.
  2. ______________________________________________.
  3. ______________________________________________.
  4. ______________________________________________.

Exercise V.G-4: Put the following sentences into the near Future Tense

  1. Acamo tongweno.

  2. Ineno odilo.

  3. Oceti i gang kwan.

  4. Wan wacamo cam me dyeceng.

  5. Imaro lapwony wu.

  6. Arwate ki Opiyo.

    Peace

Goals for Independent Study

By the end of week 4, you should have a good idea of what is important to you to learn in the language. Do this exercise to help set challenging yet achievable goals for independent language study.

Who do you want to be able to talk to, where and why?

What do you want to be able to do in the new language that you can not do now?

What is your long term goal?

What kind of a learner are you? Are you Visual, Auditory, Kinesthetic? What smaller topics are included in that goal? For example, do you need to be proficient in noun classes or just a few? Do you want to know a lot about a specific topic or just enough to be polite?

Are you Abstract, Random and Intuitive or Concrete, Sequential and Organized in your learning? Do you like to Focus on the Details or the Big Picture? How can you encorporate your learning style into your goals?