Nyoro-Tooro language
| Nyoro-Tooro | |
|---|---|
| Runyoro-Rutooro | |
| Orunyoro-Orutooro | |
| Native to | Uganda |
| Region | Bunyoro, Tooro Kingdom |
| Ethnicity | Banyoro people, Batooro people |
Native speakers | 1,155,000 (2002/1991 census)[1] |
Standard forms | |
| Dialects | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | Either:nyo – Nyorottj – Tooro |
| Glottolog | nyor1247 |
JE.11–12[2] | |
Nyoro-Tooro is a language spoken by around 1,200,000 people living in western Uganda. It is often defined as two separate languages: Nyoro and Tooro, though it is defined as one language by the Ministry of Education in Uganda.[3]: 143–144 It is closely related to Runyankore-Rukiga.
Orthography[edit]
| 1947 (modern)[6] | 1901[7] | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| a | a[a] | /a/[a] |
| aa | a[a] | /aː/ |
| b | b | /β/ |
| bb | b | /b/ |
| c | c | /tʃ/ |
| d | d | /d/ |
| e | e[a] | /e/ |
| ee | e[a] | /eː/ |
| f | f | /f/ |
| g | g | /g/ |
| h | h | /h/ |
| i | i[a] | /i/ |
| ii | ī[a] | /iː/ |
| j | j | /dʒ/ |
| k | k | /k/ |
| l | l | /l/ |
| m | m | /m/ |
| n | n | /n/ |
| ny[b][c] | ny[b][c] | /ɲ/ |
| o | o[a] | /o/ |
| oo | o[a] | /oː/ |
| p | p | /p/ |
| r | r | /ɾ/ |
| rr | 'r | /r/ |
| s | s | /s/ |
| t | t | /t/ |
| u | u[a] | /u/ |
| uu | u[a] | /uː/ |
| v | — | /v/ |
| w | u, w[d] | /w/ |
| y | y | /j/ |
| z | z | /z/ |
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k In the 1901 orthography, short and long vowels were not usually distinguished except for /iː/ ⟨ī⟩. If a lack of distinction causes severe ambiguity, short vowels would be marked with a breve and long vowels with a macron.
- ^ a b In the modern orthography, /nj/ is written as ⟨ni⟩ in all contexts (e.g. okunia "to defecate"). The 1901 orthography did not distinguish between /nj/ and /ɲ/.
- ^ a b In the modern orthography, /ɲː/ (normally pronounced [ɲ], but still lengthens the vowel before it) is written as ⟨nny⟩ (e.g. okunnyaga "to kidnap me"). The 1901 orthograhy did not distinguish between /ɲː/ and /ɲ/.
- ^ Maddox states that "before vowels either u or w may be written, for no definite rule has yet been formed".
Comparison of Nyoro and Tooro[edit]
Nyoro and Tooro are very similar in many aspects, but differ in several ways as well.
Tone[edit]
Both languages are tonal languages where high and low tones (or H and L) are the essential tones. However, Nyoro has both lexical and grammatical tone, whereas Tooro only has grammatical tone. This means that some homophones in Tooro are differentiated in Nyoro.[8]
| Nyoro-Tooro word | Nyoro pronunciation | Tooro pronunciation | Proto-Bantu word[9] | Part of speech | English (definition) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| enda | /êːnda/ | /éːnda/ | *ndà | Noun | abdomen |
| /éːndâ/ | *ndá | louse | |||
| ekyenda | /ekjênda/ | /ekjénda/ | *kɪ́á ndà (> *ekya enda) | intestine | |
| /ekjéndâ/ | *kɪ̀jèndá | (group of) ninety | |||
| engo | /êːŋgo/ | /éːŋgo/ | *ngò | leopard(s) | |
| /éːŋgô/ | *ngó | fences[a] |
Word formation[edit]
There are many instances where the two languages have slightly different words. These minor variations include different consonants, vowels or vowel lengths.
| Summary | Nyoro | Tooro | Part of speech | English (definition) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Consonants | enkwahwa | enkwaha | Noun | armpit(s) |
| Vowels | enkokora | enkokera | Noun | elbow |
| Formation | ngenzere | ngenzire | Verb | I have gone |
| nkozere | nkozire | I have done | ||
| Mixed | sso | iso | Noun | (his/her) father |
Notes[edit]
- ^ The singular for engo (meaning 'fences') is orugo.
References[edit]
- ^ Nyoro at Ethnologue (16th ed., 2009)
Tooro at Ethnologue (16th ed., 2009)
- ^ Jouni Filip Maho, 2009. New Updated Guthrie List Online
- ^ Ladefoged, Peter; Glick, Ruth; Clive, Criper (1972). Language in Uganda. London: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-436101-9.
- ^ Bickmore, Lee (2021-08-22). "Phonological and Morphological Influences on Vowel Hiatus Resolution in Rutooro". Stellenbosch Papers in Linguistics Plus. 62: 2. doi:10.5842/62-0-900. ISSN 2224-3380.
- ^ Rubongoya, L.T. (2013). Katondogorozi y'Orunyoro-Rutooro n'Orungereza [Runyoro-Rutooro-English and English-Runyoro-Rutooro dictionary] (PDF). Kampala, Uganda: Modrug Publishers. ISBN 978-9970-9160-0-9.
- ^ Kaji, Shigeki (2007). A Rutooro Vocabulary. PanLex Project The Long Now Foundation. Research Institute for Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa (ILCAA). ISBN 978-4-87297-890-2.
- ^ Maddox, Henry Edward (1902). An Elementary Lunyoro Grammar. Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge.
- ^ Kaji, Shigeki (5 March 2018). "From Nyoro to Tooro: Historical and Phonetic Accounts of Tone Merger". In Kubozono, Haruo; Giriko, Mikio (eds.). Tonal Change and Neutralization. De Gruyter Mouton.
- ^ "Bantu Lexical Reconstructions 3 | Royal Museum for Central Africa - Tervuren - Belgium". www.africamuseum.be. Retrieved 2024-04-03.
