Unit 2: Interviewing
Warming up to interviewing
Proficiency Objectives
- understand descriptions and stories of events that have happened or will happen.
- find and use information for practical purposes.
- meet basic school and academic writing needs.
Content Objectives
- discuss the difference between ordinary conversation and interviewing.
- discuss one Swahili-speaker’s perspective on what it means to be Muslim.
Jump to Tips for instructors
Pre-reading Exercises:
More information Pre-reading Exercise 1This exercise, and the next one, require you to fill in your answers. At the end, you will be able to export your answers to print, save, and/or submit to your teacher or conversation partner.
Jina lako
Think about what you already know about interviews in your own language and culture.
1. How would you distinguish between a conversation (mazungumzo) and an interview (mahojiano)? Make a list, in Swahili, the features you can think of for each type of communication.
2. Do you expect to find the same features in a Swahili interview? Why or why not?
3. If you are a classroom learner, compare your list with your classmates. Which features do you agree on?
More information Pre-reading Exercise 21. Discourse analysts use the term supportive minimal vocalizations to refer to utterances where a speaker utters minimal responses like mmm or yeah or laughs, where the purpose is not to express a literal meaning but rather to show that they are listening or help the conversation continue. Think about how people in your culture usually signal that they are listening during a conversation or interview. Make a list of at least 5 words or sounds people use to simply help the conversation in English.
2. Do you expect to find the same supportive minimal vocalizations in a Swahili interview? Make a list of those you already know in Swahili and/or what you would expect the equivalents to be.
More information Document ExportWell done! On this page you can choose to export your answers to print, save, and/or submit to your teacher or conversation partner.
Reading:
Read the interview with “Maliki” (Primary Source 1). Don’t worry about understanding everything the first time you read it; just read for the gist.
Post-reading Exercises:
Post-reading exercise 1
In the following excerpt from Katrina's interview with Maliki, use your mouse to select the supportive minimal vocalizations that both speakers use to keep the conversation going.
MALIKI; Sawa?
KATRINA; Eh, sasa inarekodi.
MALIKI; Mimi naitwa Maliki Adili Suleiman.
KATRINA; A! Ni Maliki, si Malik?
MALIKI; A-a. Malik ni kifupi tu.
KATRINA; Sawa.
MALIKI; Eeh, lakini ni Maliki. Mimi natokea visiwani Zanzibar.
KATRINA; Kisiwa kipi?
MALIKI; Unguja.
KATRINA; Sehemu gani?
MALIKI; Kaskazini Unguja. Inaitwa Mwanda. Nimezaliwa mwaka elfu moja mia tisa sabini na tisa.
KATRINA; O! Ni mdogo wangu! @
MALIKI; @Ndiyo. @@@
KATRINA; @@@
MALIKI; Eh, nina miaka thelathini thelathini. Ya,exactly thelathini thelathini.
KATRINA; Umeoa?
MALIKI; Mimi nilioa, lakini sasa niko mwenyewe. Tumetengana na mwanamke. Na nina mtoto, na nimesoma kuleprimary hadi sekondari, lakini bahati mbaya nilitoka katika familia maskini, hawakuweza kuniendeleza kimasomo. Nikatoka hapo nikaomba tena kusoma, wazazi wangu wakaniambia, “kwa kweli uwezo sisi hatuna kama unavyotuona ni maskini.” Basi nikajitahidi mwenyewe, nikaanza kufanya kazi hapa na pale. Nikapata pesa kidogo, nikaingia chuo, ingawa vile vile kumaliza ilikuwa ni taabu, kwa sababu sikuwa na pesa ya kutosha. Lakini—
KATRINA; Ilikuwa chuo cha aina gani?
MALIKI; Nitourism . Chuo cha utalii.
KATRINA;: Mmhh…
MALIKI; Baadaye nikaacha tena chuo. Nikakaa tena mitaani.And then nikarudi tena chuo. Nikamaliza masomo. Nikaanza kazi kwenye hoteli moja inaitwa Breezes Beach Club. Nifive star .
KATRINA; Mmhh.
MALIKI; Iko Unguja. Nilifanya kazi hapo kwa muda wa miaka mitatu. Kutoka hapo nikaenda kwenye hoteli nyingine. Inaitwa Pwani Ocean Station. Nikafanya kwa mwaka mmoja. Kipindi hiko tayari nishakuwa na mwanamke. Wakati naacha kazi Pwani Ocean nikaja hukumainland ,I mean Dar es Salaam. Nikafanya kazi kwenye hoteli mmoja inaitwa Kilimanjaro Kruger Hotel.
KATRINA; Mm.
[...]
KATRINA; Una maswali yo yote juu ya maisha yangu au?
MALIKI; Ya.
KATRINA; Kabla ya kuanza na hadithi?
MALIKI; Ya, nitapenda mimi nijue kidogo.
KATRINA; Haya.
MALIKI; Maisha yako yako vipi?
KATRINA; Haya. Mimi nilizaliwa Marekani, jimbo la New York.
MALIKI; Ndiyo.
KATRINA; Katika mji mkubwa wa New York.
MALIKI; Sawa.
KATRINA; Lakini nilipokuwa na miaka mitano hivi tulihamia jimbo la Massachusetts, ambapo babangu alizaliwa. Kwa sababu mamake alifariki, na tulienda kumtunza babake ambaye alikuwa mzee sana.
MALIKI; Ndiyo.
KATRINA; Na nilikuwa mtoto pekee wa wazazi wangu.
MALIKI; Ndiyo.
KATRINA; Kwa hiyo tuliondoka mji mkubwa tukaenda kijijini. Kijiji hicho kilikuwa na watu elfu nne tu. Nafikiri. Na baada ya miaka michache wazazi wangu wangu walitengana. Kwa hivyo mimi na mama yangu tulihama. Tukaenda jimbo lingine, lakini baada ya mwaka mmoja au miwili hivi tulirudi jimbo la Massachusetts ili nikae karibu na babangu.
MALIKI; Ndiyo.
KATRINA; Na baada ya kumaliza shule ya sekondari nilihamia pekee yangu jimbo la Iowa, kwenda chuo kikuu
MALIKI; Ndiyo.
KATRINA; Na wakati wa chuo kikuu niliamua kwenda Afrika, kusoma kwa nusu ya mwaka. Nikaenda Zimbabwe. Nilianza kujifunza lugha ya Kishona.
MALIKI; Ndiyo.
KATRINA; Na niliamua kuendelea na fasihi za Kiafrika ama lugha za Kiafrika, hasa Kishona. Lakini nilipofika chuo kikuu kingine ili kupata digrii za pili na tatu, profesa wa Kishona alikuwa amestaafu mwaka huo. Kwa hivyo walimu wengine walisema “A, itabidi usome Kiswahili badala ya Kishona.”
MALIKI; @
KATRINA; Nikaanza Kiswahili, lakini sikuvutiwa sana nacho kwa sababu nilikuwa sijafika Tanzania au Kenya.
MALIKI; A, ndiyo.
KATRINA; Lakini baada ya miaka miwili ya kusoma Kiswahili nilipata nafasi ya kuja Tanzania. Nilikaa Unguja kwa wiki nane, pamoja na familia ya Waislamu. Na nilisoma Kiswahili pale Taasisi.
MALIKI; Ndiyo.
KATRINA; Halafu baada ya hapo nimerudi mara nyingi. Sasa kila mwaka au miaka miwili narudi.
MALIKI; Ndiyo.
KATRINA; Naenda kuwatembelea familia
MALIKI; Mmm.
KATRINA; ya Unguja. Au nakuja Dar es Salaam. Kwa hiyo nina marafiki hapa.
Vizuri!Sio.Ulisahau!
Post-reading exercise 2This exercise requires you to fill in your answers. At the end, you will be able to export your answers to print, save, and/or submit to your teacher or conversation partner.
Jina lako
How are the supportive minimal vocalizations that Maliki and Katrina used similar to or different from what you predicted in the pre-reading activity?
Did you notice any differences between those Katrina used and those Maliki used? Do you have any guesses as to why they might have differed?
Which do you think you will use when you conduct an interview in Swahili? Why?
More information Document ExportWell done! On this page you can choose to export your answers to print, save, and/or submit to your teacher or conversation partner.
Post-reading Exercise 3
Re-read the interview with “Maliki” (Primary Source 1). You may want to keep it open in another tab so you can refer back to it while you answer the following questions.
MajibuKati ya Katrina na Maliki, yupi ana umri mkubwa?
Katrina ni mzee kuliko Maliki.
Je, Maliki ana mke sasa?
Alioa lakini yeye na mke wake walitengana.
Maliki anakaa wapi sasa?
Msasani
Maliki anafuata dini gani?
Hafuati dini.
Katrina anatoka wapi?
New York
Katrina alijifunza lugha gani ya Kiafrika kwanza?
Kishona
Ukitaka kufanya mahojiano na Maliki, utamtafuta wapi?
TYC, Msasani
Post-reading Exercise 4This exercise requires you to fill in your answers. At the end, you will be able to export your answers to print, save, and/or submit to your teacher or conversation partner.
Jina lako
Although the purpose of the interview was to discuss Popobawa, it goes on for 87 lines without either Katrina or Maliki mentioning Popobawa. What do you think was the purpose of this portion of the interview?
What did you learn about Maliki's religious beliefs?
Why do you think Katrina asked Maliki, "Wewe ni Mwislamu?" What are some other ways she might have asked about his religious beliefs, and how might the form of the question influence his possible answers?
More information Document ExportWell done! On this page you can choose to export your answers to print, save, and/or submit to your teacher or conversation partner.
Moving on from here
Now that you’ve read an example of a Swahili interview that touches on religion, and thought about what an interview might be like, in the next set of exercises you’ll practice conducting one or more yourself. Bahati njema!
