Cornish 2 lower: module 1
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- Start Date: 23 Sep 2025End Date: 02 Dec 2025Tue (Evening): 18:30 - 19:30OnlineFull fee £149.00 Senior fee £149.00 Concession £97.00
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What is the course about?
This is an intermediate level course, in which you will have the opportunity to speak and listen to Cornish, and to read and write Cornish. As well as refining your ability to speak about events in the present and future, you will learn new ways to talk about the past. We will look at how Cornish place names continue to embody elements of the language, and how a distinctive culture informs and enlivens a burgeoning modern Cornish literature.
The course will help you to prepare for the Grade 3 Examination of the Cornish Language Board, but the examination is optional and the primary focus of the classes is on using and enjoying the language.
This is a live online course. You will need:
- Internet connection. The classes work best with Chrome.
- A computer with microphone and camera is best (e.g. a PC/laptop/iMac/MacBook), or a tablet/iPad/smart phone/iPhone if you don't have a computer.
- Earphones/headphones/speakers.
We will contact you with joining instructions before your course starts.
What will we cover?
You will continue to develop your ability to:
- use the present tense
- use various past tenses
- talk about family and memories
- describe yourself and others
- talk about holidays, travel, health, and the weather
- describe the place where you live
- write simple letters
You will also move towards being able to discuss more complicated topics.
For those learners wishing to go on to take a Cornish Language Board examination, this course will cover all the grammar required for the Grade 3 Examination.
What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...
- talk about yourself and others - in the present and past
- talk about family and memories - in the present and past
- describe yourself and others in some detail and talk about simple health issues
- describe the place where you live and the weather.
What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?
Intermediate level - students should have actively studied the language for at least 1 year. It is ideal for students who have taken the Cornish Language Board Grade 1 Examination and/or have studied BORA BRAV to the end of Section 4. For further details of the specific foreign language skills required for this level, please see the languages self assessment chart at the start of the languages section of our course guide or at http://www.citylit.ac.uk/self-assess-your-level
You will also need to be able to respond to simple instructions and explanations, as well as read course documents, in English. You will need to be at ease with the use of numbers for daily activities (e.g. using money, telling the time, using the 24 hour clock, reading timetables). It would also be helpful if you had some knowledge of basic grammar terminology such as: a verb, a noun and conjugation.
How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?
Our courses are characterised by spoken interaction and communication. Typical activities include pair work, group work, and role plays. A range of resources are used to support your learning, including presentations, hand-outs, and audio-visual material.. We will be moving beyond the text book BORA BRAV (1), with exclusive access to currently unpublished material from BORA BRAV (2), courtesy of the author. Nonetheless, you will find it useful to have a copy of BORA BRAV (1) as the course builds upon your knowledge of the material covered in this book.
Homework is highly recommended to consolidate learning.
Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?
BORA BRAV by Polin Prys, published by KESVA AN TAVES KERNEWEK,
ISBN: 978-1-908965-39-4.
When I've finished, what course can I do next?
Cornish intermediate: module 2.
Dr. Gary Retallick Mathematics and Science Gary obtained his Phd in Philosophy of Physics from Kings College London in 2006. His thesis explored the physics of time, touching upon relativity, field equations, quantum mechanics, thermodynamics and metaphysics. Gary began his teaching career in computing, going on to teach philosophy for the WEA and Mary Ward Centre, and physics and mathematics at both Birkbeck College London and the Open University. He currently teaches various science related courses, spanning topics in physics, chemistry and mathematics, at City Lit. Languages - Cornish Aside from his career in Science, Gary has an ongoing interest in languages, in particular Cornish, the language of his ancestors. He began studying Cornish at City Lit in 1998, and after passing the grade three Cornish exam with distinction he started to assist his tutor, Jo P'rhys. After a number of years as language assistant to the class, Gary was formally appointed as teacher of the Cornish beginners class, allowing Jo to concentrate on the higher level classes. Gary now teaches both the beginners and lower intermediate classes.
Please note: We reserve the right to change our tutors from those advertised. This happens rarely, but if it does, we are unable to refund fees due to this. Our tutors may have different teaching styles; however we guarantee a consistent quality of teaching in all our courses.