Kinyarwanda

language
name=Kinyarwanda
familycolor=Niger-Congo
region=Rwanda, Uganda, DR Congo
speakers=Over 7 million
fam2=Atlantic-Congo
fam3=Volta-Congo
fam4=Benue-Congo
fam5=Bantoid
fam6=Southern
fam7=Narrow Bantu
fam8=Central
nation=Rwanda
iso1=rw|iso2=kin|iso3=kin

Kinyarwanda (also known simply as Rwanda) is a Bantu language spoken primarily in Rwanda, where it is one of the official languages of the country, as well as in southern Uganda and in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Kinyarwanda is mutually intelligible with Kirundi, an official language of Burundi.Ethnologue, 15th ed.]

Phonology

Tone

Kinyarwanda is a tonal language.

Orthography

When preceded by a demonstrative, the vowel prefix is dropped. (e.g. "umu-" → "mu-").Class I is used for words representing humans.

Verbs

All Kinyarwanda verb infinitives begin with "gu-" or "ku-" (morphed into "kw-" before vowels). To conjugate, the infinitive prefix is removed and replaced with a prefix agreeing with the subject. Then a tense infix can be inserted.

The prefixes for pronouns are as follows:
* 'I' = "n-"
* 'you' (sing.) = "u-"
* 'he/she' = "y-"/"a-" (i.e. the singular Class I prefix above)
* 'we' = "tu-"
* 'you' (pl.) = "mu-"
* 'they' (human) = "ba-" (i.e. the singular Class I prefix above)

Tense markers include the following.
* Present ('I do'): "-" (no infix)
* Present progressive ('I am doing'): "-ra-" (morphs to "-da-" when preceded by "n")
* Future ('I will do'): "-za- "
* Continuous progressive ('I'm still doing'): "-racya- "

The past tense can be formed by using the present and present progressive infixes and modifying the apect marker suffix.

Notes

References

*cite book |author=Gordon, Raymond G., Jr. (ed.) |year=2005 |title=Ethnologue: Languages of the World |edition=15th ed. |location=Dallas |publisher=SIL |url=http://www.ethnologue.com/
*cite book |author=Habumuremyi, Emmanuel et al. |year=2006 |title=IRIZA-STARTER 2006: The 1st Kinyarwanda-English and English-Kinyarwanda Dictionary |location=Kigali |publisher=Rural ICT-Net
*cite book |author=Jouannet, Francis (ed.) |year=1983 |title= _fr. Le Kinyarwanda, langue bantu du Rwanda |language=French |location=Paris |publisher=SELAF
*cite book |author=Kimenyi, Alexandre |year=1980 |title=A Relational Grammar of Kinyarwanda |publisher=University of California Press

External links

* [http://www.panafril10n.org/wikidoc/pmwiki.php/PanAfrLoc/RwandaRundi PanAfrican L10n page on Kinyarwanda–Kirundi] (has links to dictionaries)