Nyoro-Tooro language
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Nyoro-Tooro is a language spoken by the people living in the Bunyoro and Tooro sub-regions of western Uganda. It is often defined as two separate languages: Nyoro and Tooro, though it is defined and standardised as one language by the Ministry of Education in Uganda. It is closely related to Runyankore-Rukiga.
Orthography
| 1947 (modern) | 1901 | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| a | a | /a/ |
| aa | a | /aː/ |
| b | b | /β/ |
| bb | b | /b/ |
| c | c | /tʃ/ |
| d | d | /d/ |
| e | e | /e/ |
| ee | e | /eː/ |
| f | f | /f/ |
| g | g | /g/ |
| h | h | /h/ |
| i | i | /i/ |
| ii | ī | /iː/ |
| j | j | /dʒ/ |
| k | k | /k/ |
| l | l | /l/ |
| m | m | /m/ |
| n | n | /n/ |
| ny | ny | /ɲ/ |
| o | o | /o/ |
| oo | o | /oː/ |
| p | p | /p/ |
| r | r | /ɾ/ |
| rr | 'r | /r/ |
| s | s | /s/ |
| t | t | /t/ |
| u | u | /u/ |
| uu | u | /uː/ |
| v | —N/a | /v/ |
| w | u, w | /w/ |
| y | y | /j/ |
| z | z | /z/ |
Comparison of Nyoro and Tooro
Nyoro and Tooro are very similar in many aspects, but differ in several ways as well.
Tone
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.
| Nyoro-Tooro word | Nyoro pronunciation | Tooro pronunciation | Proto-Bantu word | 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 |
Word formation
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 |