What are the stages of learning Kannada?
Kannada less commonly known as Kanarese is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in the southwestern region of India. The language is also spoken by linguistic minorities in the states of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Kerala and Goa and also by Kannadigas abroad. The language had roughly 43 million native speakers by 2011. Kannada is also spoken as a second and third language by over 12.9 million non-native speakers in Karnataka, which adds up to 56.9 million speakers. It is one of the scheduled languages of India and the official and administrative language of the state of Karnataka. Kannada was the court language of some of the most powerful empires of South and Central India, such as the Chalukya dynasty, the Rashtrakuta dynasty, the Vijayanagara Empire and the Hoysala Empire.
Kannada language testing or certification uses the popular CEFR standard (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) for evaluation. The six reference Kannada levels are widely accepted as the global standard for grading an individual’s language proficiency.
Kannada stages or levels as defined by CEFR
CEFR Kannada levels are being extensively used by all modern Kannada testing agencies and institutions nowadays. Using CEFR levels in job resumes (curriculum vitae, CV, Europass CV) adds a lot of credibility and value. We list here the CEFR descriptors for language proficiency level.
Kannada language levels description:
Kannada Basic User (A1, A2)
A1 (Beginner)
A2 (Elementary Kannada)
Kannada Independent User (B1, B2)
B1 (Intermediate Kannada)
B2 (Upper-Intermediate Kannada)
Proficient Kannada User (C1, C2)
C1 (Advanced Kannada)
C2 (Proficiency Kannada)
A levels- Kannada Basic User
Kannada A1 (Beginner)
Kannada level test A1 Can understand and use familiar everyday expressions and very basic phrases aimed at the satisfaction of needs of a concrete type. Can introduce him/herself and others and can ask and answer questions about personal details such as where he/she lives, people he/she knows and things he/she has. Can interact in a simple way provided the other person talks slowly and clearly and is prepared to help.
Kannada A2 (Elementary Kannada)
Kannada level A2 learner can understand sentences and frequently used expressions related to areas of most immediate relevance (e.g. very basic personal and family information, shopping, local geography, employment). Can communicate in simple and routine tasks requiring a simple and direct exchange of information on familiar and routine matters. Can describe in simple terms aspects of his/her background, immediate environment and matters in areas of immediate need.
B levels- Kannada Independent User
Kannada B1 (Intermediate Kannada)
B1 Level Kannada learner can understand the main points of clear standard input on familiar matters regularly encountered in work, school, leisure, etc. Can deal with most situations likely to arise whilst travelling in an area where the language is spoken. Can produce simple connected text on topics which are familiar or of personal interest. Can describe experiences and events, dreams, hopes & ambitions and briefly give reasons and explanations for opinions and plans.
Kannada B2 (Upper-Intermediate)
B2 Level Kannada learner can understand the main ideas of complex text on both concrete and abstract topics, including technical discussions in his/her field of specialisation. Can interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native speakers quite possible without strain for either party. Can produce clear, detailed text on a wide range of subjects and explain a viewpoint on a topical issue giving the advantages and disadvantages of various options.
C levels- Proficient Kannada User
Kannada C1 (Advanced Kannada)
C1 Level Kannada learner can understand a wide range of demanding, longer texts, and recognise implicit meaning. Can express him/herself fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for expressions. Can use language flexibly and effectively for social, academic and professional purposes. Can produce clear, well-structured, detailed text on complex subjects, showing controlled use of organisational patterns, connectors and cohesive devices.
Kannada test C2 (Proficiency)
C2 Level Kannada learner can understand with ease virtually everything heard or read. Can summarise information from different spoken and written sources, reconstructing arguments and accounts in a coherent presentation. Can express him/herself spontaneously, very fluently and precisely, differentiating finer shades of meaning even in more complex situations.
CEFR levels require a learner to achieve a minimum of B2 or Interagency Language Roundtable level of a minimum of 3!
The Interagency Language Roundtable scale is a set of descriptions of abilities to communicate in a language. It is the standard grading scale for language proficiency in the United States’s Federal-level service. It was originally developed by the Interagency Language Roundtable (ILR), which included representation by United States Foreign Service Institute, the predecessor of the National Foreign Affairs Training Center (NFATC).
The scale grades people’s language proficiency on a scale of 0–5. The designation 0+, 1+, 2+, 3+, or 4+ is assigned when proficiency substantially exceeds one skill level but does not fully meet the criteria for the next level. Thus the scale totals 11 possible grades.
Grades may be assigned separately for different skills such as reading, speaking, listening, writing, translation, audio translation, interpretation, and intercultural communication. For some of these skills, the level may be referred to with an abbreviation, for example, S-1 for Speaking Level 1.
A comparison between the ILR self-assessment grids (reading, speaking, listening) and the CEFR assessment grid suggests:
CEFR ILR
A1 0/1
A2 1+
B1 2/2+
B2 3/3+
C1 4
C2 4+
The Foreign Service Institute (FSI) mentions the approximate time needed to learn the Kannada language as an English speaker. To reach Speaking 3: General Professional Proficiency in Speaking (S3) and Reading 3: General Professional Proficiency in Reading (R3), an English speaker would take 1100 hours or 44 weeks, that’s about 11-12 months at a minimum.
Finally,
The earliest examples of a full-length Kannada language stone inscription (shilaashaasana) containing Brahmi characters with characteristics attributed to those of proto-Kannada in Hale Kannada (lit Old Kannada) script can be found in the Halmidi inscription, usually dated c. AD 450, indicating that Kannada had become an administrative language at that time. The Halmidi inscription provides invaluable information about the history and culture of Karnataka. The Kannada Lion balustrade inscription excavated at the Pranaveshwara temple complex at Talagunda near Shiralakoppa of Shivamogga district, dated to 370–380 CE is now considered the earliest Kannada inscriptions replacing the Halmidi inscription of 450 CE.
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