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 National ...

language spoken by the

Nkore Ankole 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. Geography The kingdom of Ankole is located in the South-Western region of Ugand ...

("Banyankore") of south-western

Uganda Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It 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 ...

in the former province of

Ankole Ankole was a traditional Bantu peoples, Bantu kingdom in Uganda and lasted from the 15th century until 1967. The kingdom was located in south-western Uganda, east of Lake Edward. Geography The kingdom of Ankole is located in the South-Western ...

, as well as in

Tanzania Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to t ...

, the

DR Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Republic of the Congo), is a country in Central Africa. By land area, it is t ...

Rwanda Rwanda, officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of East Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator, Rwanda is bordered by ...

and

Burundi Burundi, officially the Republic of Burundi, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is located in the Great Rift Valley at the junction between the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa, with a population of over 14 million peop ...

. Runyankole is mainly spoken in the

Mbarara Mbarara City is a city in the Western Region, Uganda, 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, ...

Bushenyi Bushenyi is a town in Western Uganda. It is the 'chief town' of Bushenyi District and the site of the district headquarters. The district is named after the town, in keeping with the practice in most of the districts in the country. Location Bus ...

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Kiruhura Kiruhura is a town in the Western Region, Uganda, Western Region of Uganda. It is the largest town in Kiruhura District and the site of the district headquarters. Location Kiruhura is approximately , by road, northeast of Mbarara, the largest c ...

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Rukungiri Rukungiri is a town in Rukungiri District of the Western Region of Uganda. It is the site of the district headquarters. Geography Rukungiri is approximately north of Kabale, the largest city in the Kigezi sub-region. It is about , southwest o ...

Buhweju Buhweju is a kingdom in what is modern-day Uganda. It was incorporated into the British Ankole protectorate in 1901. It was ruled by an Omugabe Ankole was a traditional Bantu kingdom in Uganda and lasted from the 15th century until 1967. The ...

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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 A dialect is a variety of language spoken by a particular group of people. This may include dominant and standardized varieties as well as vernacular, unwritten, or non-standardized varieties, such as those used in developing countries or iso ...

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 Tucker was th ...

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 The voiced palatal approximant is a type of consonant used in many spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is ; the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is j, and in the Americanist phonetic notation i ...

* 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''’Ensano’ *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: Webare (We-ba-re) *Thank you very much: Webare munonga (We-ba-re mu-non-ga) *You're welcome (literally: Thank you for appreciating): Webare kusiima (We-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