Rundi language
From Textus Receptus
Rundi (commonly seen in its native form, Kirundi) is a dialect of the Rwanda-Rundi language spoken by some 8.7 million people in Burundi and adjacent parts of Tanzania and Congo-Kinshasa, as well as in Uganda. It is the official language of Burundi. (The Kinyarwanda dialect is the official language of neighboring Rwanda.)
The inhabitants of Rwanda and Burundi belong to several different ethnic groups: Hutu (84%), Tutsi, including Hima (15%), and Twa (1%) (a pygmy people). The fact that these ethnic groups share the same language is assumed to be the result of the Hutu outnumbering the latter two groups (see Hutu for a more complete historical perspective).
Neighboring dialects of Rundi are mutually intelligible with Ha, a language spoken in western Tanzania.
Rundi is frequently cited as a language where Meeussen's rule, a rule describing a certain pattern of tonal change in Bantu languages, is active.
| Example translations | |
|---|---|
| Ego | Yes |
| Oya | No |
| Uravuga icongereza? | Do you speak English? |
| Bite? | What's Up? |
| Mwaramutse | Hi/Good Morning |
| Ikirundi n'ikinyarwanda bisa nk'igi czek n'igi slovak | Rundi and Rwanda are closely related like Czech and Slovak |
| Amata | Milk |
| Ejo | Yesterday |
| Eejo° | Tomorrow |
| Nzoza ejo/Nzoz'ejo | I will come tomorrow |
| Ubu | Now |
| Faransa/Ubufaransa | France |
| Ngereza/Ubwongereza | England |
| Leta zunz'ubumwe z'amerika | United States of America |
| Ubudagi | Germany |
| Ububirigi | Belgium |
| °N.B. eejo is pronounced the same as ejo: the other e is written for differentiation. | |
References
- Meeussen, A.E. (1959) Essai de grammaire Rundi Annales du Musée Royal du Congo Belge, Série Sciences Humaines - Linguistique, vol. 24. Tervuren
