Nkore (also called Nkole, Nyankore, Nyankole, Orunyankore, Orunyankole, Runyankore and Runyankole) is a

Bantu Bantu may refer to: *Bantu languages, constitute the largest sub-branch of the Niger–Congo languages *Bantu peoples, over 400 peoples of Africa speaking a Bantu language * Bantu knots, a type of African hairstyle * Black Association for Nationa ...

language spoken by the

Nkore Ankole ( Runyankore: ''Nkore''), was a traditional Bantu kingdom in Uganda and lasted from the 15th century until 1967. The kingdom was located in south-western Uganda, east of Lake Edward. History Ankole Kingdom is located in the South-Weste ...

("Banyankore") of south-western

Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa. The country is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the south by Tanzania. The ...

in the former province of

Ankole Ankole ( Runyankore: ''Nkore''), was a traditional Bantu kingdom in Uganda and lasted from the 15th century until 1967. The kingdom was located in south-western Uganda, east of Lake Edward. History Ankole Kingdom is located in the South-West ...

, as well as in

Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands ...

, the

DR Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

Rwanda Rwanda (; rw, u Rwanda ), officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of Central Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator ...

and

Burundi Burundi (, ), officially the Republic of Burundi ( rn, Repuburika y’Uburundi ; Swahili: ''Jamuhuri ya Burundi''; French: ''République du Burundi'' ), is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley at the junction between the African Gr ...

. Runyankole is mainly spoken in the

Mbarara Mbarara City is a city in the Western Region of Uganda and the second largest city in Uganda after Kampala. The city is divided into 6 boroughs of Kakoba Division, Kamukuzi Division, Nyamitanga Division, Biharwe Division, Kakiika Division, Nyaka ...

Bushenyi Bushenyi is a town in Western Uganda. It is the 'chief town' of Bushenyi District and the district headquarters are located there. The district is named after the town, in keeping with the practice in most of the districts in the country. Loca ...

Ntungamo Ntungamo is a town in the Western Region, Uganda, Western Region of Uganda. It is the largest town in Ntungamo District and the site of the district headquarters. Location Ntungamo is about , by road, southwest of the city of Mbarara, the larges ...

, Kiruhura,

Ibanda Ibanda is a town in the Western Region of Uganda. It is the main political, administrative, and commercial centre of Ibanda District and the site of the district headquarters. It started wayback in 1990s and was elevated from a trading centr ...

Isingiro Isingiro is a town in the Western Region of Uganda. It is the main municipal, administrative, and commercial center of Isingiro District and the site of the district's headquarters. Location Isingiro is approximately , by road, southeast of ...

Rukungiri Rukungiri is a town in Rukungiri District of the Western Region of Uganda. It is the site of the district headquarters. Location Rukungiri is approximately , by road, north of Kabale, the largest city in the Kigezi sub-region. This is about ...

and parts of Kitagwenda districts. There is a brief description and teaching guide for this language, written by Charles V. Taylor in the 1950s, and an adequate dictionary in print. Whilst this language is spoken by almost all the Ugandans in the region, most also speak English, especially in the towns. (English is one of Uganda's two official languages, and the language taught in schools.) Nkore is so similar to Kiga (84–94 percent lexical similarity) that some argue they are

dialects The term dialect (from Latin , , from the Ancient Greek word , 'discourse', from , 'through' and , 'I speak') can refer to either of two distinctly different types of linguistic phenomena: One usage refers to a variety of a language that is a ...

of the same language, a language called

Nkore-Kiga Nkore-Kiga is a language spoken by around 5,800,000 people living in the extreme southwest of Uganda. It is often defined as two separate languages: Nkore and Kiga. It is closely related to Runyoro-Rutooro. History Archibald Norman Tucker w ...

by Taylor.

Phonology

Runyankore has a five-vowel system: * Sounds /i, u/ can be heard as �, ʊwhen short or lax.

Orthography

* a - * b - * c - ͡ʃ* d - * e - * f - * g - /d͡ʒ* h - * i - * k - /t͡ʃ* m - * n - * o - * p - * r - * s - * t - * u - * v - * w - * y - * z - * ai - i̯* ei - �i̯* gy - ʲ* ky - ʲ* mp - ��p* mw - ��w* nd - ��d* ng - �* ny - �* oi - �i̯* sh - �* ts - ͡s* zh - � D and P are only used in the digraphs ''ND'' and ''MP'' and in loanwords. G and K are ͡ʒand ͡ʃbefore I, and elsewhere.

Basic greetings

The greeting ''Agandi'', implying, "How are you?" but literally meaning "other news!", can be replied with ''Ni marungi'', which literally means "good news!". The proper greetings are ''Oraire ota?'' or ''Osiibire ota?'', literally translated "How was your night?" and "How was your day?". "Good night" is ''Oraare gye'' and "Good day" is ''Osiibe gye''. Here are a few names one might use in a greeting: *Madam – ''Nyabo'' *Sir – ''Sebo'' *Child – ''omwana'' *Boy – ''omwojo'' *Girl – ''omwishiki''

Food

*Matooke or Bananas - ''Ebitookye'' *Maize Meal or corn bread – ''Obuhunga'' *Beans – ''Ebihimba'' *Meat – ''Enyama'' *Millet Bread – ''Oburo''

Other words and phrases

*No: Ngaaha (ing-gah-ha) or Apaana (ah-pah-nah) *Yes: Yego (yegg-oh) *Thank you: Yebare (Ye-ba-re) *Thank you very much: Yebare munonga (Ye-ba-re mu-non-ga) *You're welcome (literally: Thank you for appreciating): Yebare kusiima (ye-ba-re koo-see-mah) *I like/love you: Ninkukunda (nin-koo-coon-dah) or ninkukunda munonga (nin-koo-coon-dah moo-non-gah) *My name is ____: Eizina ryangye niinye ______ (ey-zeen-ah riya-gye ni-inye___) or ndi _____ (in-dee ______) *I am from _____: Ninduga_____ (nin-doog-ah_____) *It's how much shillings/money? Ni shiringi zingahi? (Knee shi-rin-gee zin-gah-hee) or ni sente zingahi? *Good morning. How are you? Oraire ota (orei-rota) Replies: I'm fine Ndaire gye (ndei-re-jeh) or Ndyaho (indi-aho) *Good morning. Did you sleep well? Oraire gye? (orei-reh-jeh) Reply: Yes, yourself? Yego, shan’iwe *Good afternoon. How are you spending your day? Osiibire ota (o-see-bee-rota) Replies: Nsiibire gye (insi-bi-reje) *You are spending your day well? Osiibire gye (Osi birejge) Replies: Yes- Yego (yegg-oh) or nsiibire gye *Good afternoon. How has your day been? Waasiiba ota (wasib-wota) Reply: Fine, good, I've spent it well – Naasiiba gye (nasi-baje) *Good night: oraregye Standard English–Runyankore/Rukiga Dictionary – Mwene Mushanga, Ph.D. Banyankore Cultural Foundation, Mbarara, Uganda, 2004 English to Runyankole Easy Reading Handbook, Vincent Busulwa, 2000 Staff of Bishop Stuart Core Primary Teachers' College, Mbarara, Uganda

References