Runyoro
Nyoro
Atlantic-Congo (Bantu, JE Runyakitara)
Nyoro (Runyoro) is a Bantu language of the JE (Great Lakes) zone, spoken in western Uganda — principally in Hoima, Masindi, Kibaale, and Kakumiro districts — by the Banyoro people, the principal population of the historical Bunyoro-Kitara Kingdom. With Tooro it forms the Runyoro-Rutooro pair (mutually intelligible), and is closely related to Nyankole and Kiga in the Runyakitara cluster. Bunyoro-Kitara was the dominant interlacustrine empire from the 13th-17th centuries before being eclipsed by Buganda. Latin script with five-vowel + length system.
Where it is spoken
31 core words in Nyoro
Water
amaizi
/amaizi/
Fire
omuriro
/omuriro/
Sun
eizooba
/eizoːba/
Moon
omwezi
/omwezi/
Star
enyunyuunzi
/eɲuɲuːnzi/
Mother
nyinya
/ɲiɲa/
Father
isho
/iʃo/
I
nyowe
/ɲowe/
You
iwe
/iwe/
Name
ibara
/iβara/
Eye
eriiso
/eriːso/
Hand
omukono
/omukono/
Heart
omutima
/omutima/
Love
kugonza
/kuɡonza/
Tree
omuti
/omuti/
House
enju
/endʒu/
Dog
embwa
/embwa/
Cat
paaka
/paːka/
Eat
kulya
/kulja/
Drink
kunywa
/kuɲwa/
One
emoi
/emoi/
Two
ibiri
/iβiri/
Hello
oraire ota
/oraire ota/
Thank you
webale
/webale/
Good
kurungi
/kuruŋɡi/
Sources
- Ruzindana (1996) — Runyoro-Rutooro–English Dictionary
- Ethnologue 27: Nyoro
Words compared
Compared with related Atlantic-Congo (Bantu, JE Runyakitara) languages
| Meaning | Nyoro | Tooro | Chiga | Runyankole | Luganda | Soga | Nyaturu |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | amaizi /amaizi/ | amaizi /amaizi/ | amaizi /amaizi/ | amaizi /amaizi/ | amazzi /amaːzːi/ | amaaji /amaːdʒi/ | maazi /maːzi/ |
| Fire | omuriro /omuriro/ | omuriro /omuriro/ | omuriro /omuriro/ | omuriro /omuriro/ | omuliro /omuliɾo/ | omuliro /omuliɾo/ | moto /moto/ |
| Sun | eizooba /eizoːba/ | eizooba /eizoːba/ | eizooba /eizoːba/ | izooba /izoːba/ | enjuba /eɲɟuba/ | enjuba /eɲɟuba/ | nzua /nzua/ |
| Moon | omwezi /omwezi/ | omwezi /omwezi/ | omwezi /omwezi/ | omwezi /omwezi/ | omwezi /omwezi/ | omwezi /omwezi/ | umweri /umweɾi/ |
| Star | enyunyuunzi /eɲuɲuːnzi/ | enyunyunzi /eɲuɲuːnzi/ | enyonyoozi /eɲoɲoːzi/ | enyonyoozi /eɲoɲoːzi/ | emmunyeenye /emːuɲeːɲe/ | emunyeenye /emuɲeːɲe/ | nyeenyeeri /ɲeːɲeːri/ |
| Mother | nyinya /ɲiɲa/ | nyinya /ɲiɲa/ | nyina /ɲina/ | maawe /maːwe/ | maama /maːma/ | maama /maːma/ | mama /mama/ |
| Father | isho /iʃo/ | isho /iʃo/ | ishe /iʃe/ | tata /tata/ | taata /taːta/ | taata /taːta/ | tata /tata/ |
| I | nyowe /ɲowe/ | nyowe /ɲowe/ | nyowe /ɲowe/ | nyowe /ɲowe/ | nze /nze/ | nze /nze/ | une /une/ |
| You | iwe /iwe/ | iwe /iwe/ | iwe /iwe/ | iwe /iwe/ | ggwe /ɡːwe/ | gwe /ɡwe/ | uwe /uwe/ |
| Name | ibara /iβara/ | ibara /iβara/ | eiziina /eiziːna/ | eiziina /eiziːna/ | erinnya /eriɲːa/ | erinnya /erinɲa/ | izina /izina/ |
| Eye | eriiso /eriːso/ | eriiso /eriːso/ | eriisho /eriːʃo/ | eriiso /eriːso/ | eriiso /eɾiːso/ | eriiso /eɾiːso/ | iriiso /iɾiːso/ |
| Hand | omukono /omukono/ | omukono /omukono/ | omukono /omukono/ | omukono /omukono/ | omukono /omukono/ | omukono /omukono/ | ukuboko /ukuboko/ |
| Heart | omutima /omutima/ | omutima /omutima/ | omutima /omutima/ | omutima /omutima/ | omutima /omutima/ | omutima /omutima/ | umutima /umutima/ |
| Love | kugonza /kuɡonza/ | kugonza /kuɡonza/ | kukunda /kukunda/ | rukundo /rukundo/ | okwagala /okwaːɡala/ | kwagala /kwaɡala/ | butogwa /butoɡwa/ |
| Tree | omuti /omuti/ | omuti /omuti/ | omuti /omuti/ | omuti /omuti/ | omuti /omuti/ | omuti /omuti/ | umuti /umuti/ |
| House | enju /endʒu/ | enju /endʒu/ | enju /endʒu/ | enju /endʒu/ | ennyumba /eɲɲumba/ | enju /eɲɟu/ | nyumba /ɲumba/ |
| Dog | embwa /embwa/ | embwa /embwa/ | embwa /embwa/ | embwa /embwa/ | embwa /embwa/ | embwa /embwa/ | imbwa /imbwa/ |
| Cat | paaka /paːka/ | paaka /paːka/ | kapa /kapa/ | kapa /kapa/ | kkapa /kːapa/ | enkaaku /eŋkaːku/ | paka /paka/ |
| Eat | kulya /kulja/ | kulya /kulja/ | kurya /kurja/ | kurya /kurja/ | kulya /kulja/ | kulya /kulja/ | kuria /kuɾia/ |
| Drink | kunywa /kuɲwa/ | kunywa /kuɲwa/ | kunywa /kuɲwa/ | kunywa /kuɲwa/ | kunywa /kuɲʷa/ | kunywa /kuɲʷa/ | kunywa /kuɲwa/ |
| One | emoi /emoi/ | emoi /emoi/ | rumwe /rumwe/ | emwe /emwe/ | emu /emu/ | ndala /ndala/ | umwe /umwe/ |
| Two | ibiri /iβiri/ | ibiri /iβiri/ | ibiri /iβiri/ | ibiri /iβiri/ | bbiri /bːiri/ | bbiri /biri/ | aviri /aβiri/ |
| Hello | oraire ota /oraire ota/ | oraire ota /oraire ota/ | oraire /oraire/ | agandi /aɡandi/ | oli otya /oli otja/ | mwaakire /mwaːkiɾe/ | mbukire /mbukiɾe/ |
| Thank you | webale /webale/ | webale /webale/ | webare /webare/ | webare /webare/ | webale /weːbale/ | weebale /weːbale/ | asante /aˈsante/ |
| Good | kurungi /kuruŋɡi/ | kurungi /kuruŋɡi/ | kurungi /kuruŋɡi/ | kirungi /kiruŋɡi/ | kirungi /kiɾuŋɡi/ | bulungi /buluŋɡi/ | kihi /kihi/ |
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