Nkore language

Nkore
Nkore
Orunyankore
Native to	Uganda
Region	Ankole
Ethnicity	Banyankore
Native speakers	3.4 million (2014 census)
Language family	Niger–Congo? Atlantic–Congo Volta-Congo Benue–Congo Bantoid Southern Bantoid Bantu Northeast Bantu Great Lakes Bantu Nyoro–Ganda (E10) West Nyanza Rutara North Rutara Nkore-Kiga Nkore; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;
Standard forms	Runyakitara;
Dialects	Hima; Hororo; Orutagwenda;
Writing system	Latin
Language codes
ISO 639-2	nyn
ISO 639-3	nyn
Glottolog	nyan1307
Guthrie code	JE.13
Glottopedia	Runyankore

Nkore (also called Nkole, Nyankore, Nyankole, Orunyankore, Orunyankole, Runyankore and Runyankole) is a Bantu language spoken by the Nkore ("Banyankore") of south-western Uganda in the former province of Ankole, as well as in Tanzania, the DR Congo, Rwanda and Burundi.^[4]

Runyankole is mainly spoken in the Mbarara, Bushenyi, Ntungamo, Kiruhura, Ibanda, Isingiro, Rukungiri, Buhweju, Mitooma, Sheema, Rubirizi 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^[5]) that some argue they are dialects of the same language, a language called Nkore-Kiga by Taylor.^[4]

Phonology

Runyankore has a five-vowel system:^[4]

	Front	Central	Back
Close	i		u
Mid	e		o
Open		a

Sounds /i, u/ can be heard as [ɪ, ʊ] when short or lax.

Consonants
		Labial	Alveolar	Post- alveolar	Palatal	Velar	Glottal
Nasal		m	n		ɲ	ŋ
Plosive/ Affricate	voiceless	p	t	t͡ʃ		k
Plosive/ Affricate	voiced	b	d	d͡ʒ		g
Fricative	voiceless	f	s	ʃ			h
Fricative	voiced	v	z	ʒ
Trill			r
Approximant					j	w

Orthography

a - [a]
b - [b]
c - [t͡ʃ]
d - [d]
e - [e]
f - [f]
g - [g/d͡ʒ]
h - [h]
i - [i]
k - [k/t͡ʃ]
m - [m]
n - [n]
o - [o]
p - [p]
r - [r]
s - [s]
t - [t]
u - [u]
v - [v]
w - [w]
y - [j]
z - [z]
ai - [ai̯]
ei - [ɛi̯]
gy - [gʲ]
ky - [kʲ]
mp - [ᵐp]
mw - [ᵐw]
nd - [ⁿd]
ng - [ŋ]
ny - [ɲ]
oi - [ɔi̯]
sh - [ʃ]
ts - [t͡s]
zh - [ʒ]^[6]

D and P are only used in the digraphs ND and MP and in loanwords.

G and K are [d͡ʒ] and [t͡ʃ] before I, [k] and [g] 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: 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

^[7]^[8]

References

^ Nkore at Ethnologue (22nd ed., 2019)
^ Jouni Filip Maho, 2009. New Updated Guthrie List Online
^ Glottopedia article on Nkore language.
^ ^a ^b ^c Poletto, Robert E. (1998). Topics in Runyankore Phonology (PhD dissertation). Columbus, Ohio: Ohio State University. ISBN 978-0-599-09503-8. ProQuest 304452450. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
^ Lewis, Paul M., ed. (2009). "Ethnologue Report for Language Code: nyn". Ethnologue: Languages of the World, Sixteenth edition. Dallas, Texas, U.S.: SIL International. Retrieved 9 December 2009.
^ "Nkore language". Omniglot. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
^ "Kashoboorozi Y' Orunyankore Rukiga Dictionary".
^ 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

a banyankore are bantu speaking group of people from South western Uganda and they speak Runyankore with (ntu) (aba) like akantu, ekintu, omuntu, abantu. Akantu means thing in prural, ekintu means something big, omuntu means a person, abantu means people same as in Zulu language of South Africa