Foreword

Ndagiiro

Kiragiro Ki̱handu̱ Kya Uganda Kya 1995 kyatongoori̱ Bagungu nkeihanga lyahu̱kanu̱. Ihanga limbura lukobo!! Ee, ihanga litali na lukobo, hab̯wakubba, ku̱doosya kasumi kakwo, bya Bagungu baakookobengi̱ byalingi byegebeerwe nka Runyoro lu̱kookobeerwe lu̱sob̯u̱. Kandi mu b̯wi̱re b̯wakeeri̱, hatali hadei na deeru, kulukookoba hanzei wa B̯ugungu, kyabbengi̱ nka kya muswaru. Kubba muntu alu̱kookobi̱ri̱, bantu baamu̱gayengi̱, nibamunyooma, kandi ni̱bamu̱cooma-coomya.

 

Kya mu̱gi̱sa gurungi hoi̱ hali bensei̱ banyu̱mi̱rwa kandi nibeegondeza mu lukobo lwab̯u, Kitongole kitali kya Gavu̱menti̱ (NGO), kikora mu nsi gyensei̱, kyetwa SIL International, kyalingi nkwata kujongoora kyetaagu kya Bagungu nkeihanga kubba na lukobo kwo. Kubba, myaka mi̱dooli̱ mi̱rabi̱ri̱ho ha b̯wi̱re b̯wob̯wo, makani̱sa ga Baku̱ri̱si̱to ga Bunyoro gaalingi gamaari̱ kweta kitongole ki̱kyo kya SIL, kisobore ku̱tandi̱ki̱sya ntegeka gya kuhindula Bbai̱bbu̱li̱ mu Lugungu. Ba SIL, baagi̱i̱rye nihaloho mulimo gukwetaagisib̯wa kutahoona mu̱li̱ngo gwa kuluhandiika kurungi aleke lusobore kuhandiikwa b̯wangu ku̱si̱gi̱ki̱ra kwidaara lya nsi gyensei̱.

 

Kuhuluka kwa Ntontogoli̱ ki̱kwolokya nti, kuhanda kwa Lugungu nka lukobo ku̱doori̱ ha b̯udulu. SIL nkugikuutira tamaamu gya ku̱gi̱si̱i̱ma hab̯wa mulimo gu̱nolu̱ gu̱gi̱tu̱koleeri̱. Twi̱zu̱ke nti, Kitabbu Kihab̯ura Bantu Kuhandiika Lugungu, kyetwa Lugungu Orthography Guide, kyamaari̱ kadei kuhuluka kandi nakwongera ku̱ni̱hi̱ri̱i̱rwa.

 

Bagungu na batali Bagungu, kyonkei banyu̱mi̱rwa kusoma, kuhandiika na kukookoba nkobo zensei̱, hati tu̱koonyeerwe kusoma na kuhandiika lukobo Lugungu lu̱syoku̱ kandi lu̱nu̱gu̱ru̱ku̱.

 

Hati, nkuliriira beegesa na beebemberi̱ ba masomero ga mu̱si̱nge na gahandu̱ho kukira, hamwei̱ na batebezi̱ ba kigambu kya Ruhanga, pei̱ mu̱koresye bibi bitabbu bya kwegesya bantu beenyu̱ Lugungu lu̱nu̱gu̱ru̱ku̱. Nanywe baheereza na baku̱rati̱ ba bantu kwamwetu̱, mwegwe nimutongwa kuhanuura na mu kudwereera bantu beenyu̱ mu Lugungu.

 

Mu̱hi̱hi̱ gu̱hi̱ndu̱ki̱ri̱ bba! Lugungu tilucakali lukobo lwaku̱si̱nsi̱ni̱a nka ku̱kyolokeerwe kareiho. Kukanya kwa ma FM redyo haha kwamwetu̱ na mwihanga lyensei̱ kutwara hamwei̱, kyongeeri̱ bantu kwendya nakwegomba kukookoba Lugungu. Kikusemezanga hoi̱ kwegwa batali Bagungu nibeekaadira kulukookoba kandi b̯undi, na kurungi ku̱lu̱tu̱ki̱ri̱syaho twe babyalwa baalwo.

 

Kikusoboka nti, bigambu byensei̱ bya Lugungu ti̱bi̱zookeeri̱ mu Ntontogoli̱ gigi ha murundi gugu, rundi de bindi bi̱mwei̱ makuru gaabyo ti̱gasoboroi̱rweho kigali kukunongera. Nkukusaba kiki kikukuute kasya kabbali̱ nawe ofooke musorooza wa bigambu bilingira mu Ntontogoli̱ b̯ugilibba nigyongerwa ku̱ni̱hi̱ri̱i̱rwa kasumi kaagyo bu̱kalibba kadoori̱ kwo.

 

Kambagondeze nywensei̱ kunolerwa kusoma gigi Ntontogoli̱ gya Lugungu gya kubanza.

 

Yosaamu Hannington Mugenyi Kaseegu

 

Lugungu Bible Translation and
Literacy Association (LUBITLA)
PO Box 239, Hoima, UGANDA

Foreword

The Uganda Constitution of 1995 recognised the Bagungu as a distinct tribe. A tribe without a language? Yes, a tribe without a language, because up to that time what the Bagungu spoke was regarded as a mere dialect of Lunyoro, that is, Lunyoro incorrectly spoken. In fact in the not too distant past speaking it in public outside the Bugungu territory was a social abomination attracting ridicule and contempt.

 

Fortunately, for those who cherish their language, an NGO known as SIL International was just around the corner to help out on this shortcoming, having been commissioned by the Bunyoro Christian Churches some few years back to establish a project to translate the Bible into Lugungu. The Bagungu were fortunate because SIL discovered that more work was necessary to develop a good writing system so that the language could be easily written according to international standards.

 

With the publication of this dictionary, the Lugungu language has come of age. I commend SIL for a job well-done. It will be noted that the Lugungu Orthography Guide is already in circulation, having been published and updated some years back. With this and the dictionary we are now facilitated to read, and write the language correctly. It is not only the Bagungu who have been facilitated but also all the Lugungu language enthusiasts.

 

My appeal now is to the teachers, preachers and administrators of primary schools and other institutions of learning to make use of these publications and teach the language correctly. Public officers in the region too, can safely conduct their business using Lugungu as lingua franca.

 

The tides have turned! Lugungu is no longer the outcast language as has been pointed out. The mushrooming of FM radio stations in the region and the country at large has also helped in popularising the speaking of the language. It is very pleasing to hear non-traditional Lugungu speaking people making serious efforts to speak it, sometimes more correctly than the indigenous.

 

It is possible that not all words have been included in this edition of the dictionary or indeed some of them may not have been correctly and exhaustively defined. This misfeasance should be taken up as one of the challenges so that all of us become participants in contributing to the next edition when time for it to come out is due.

 

I wish you all pleasant reading of this first Lugungu Dictionary.

 

Yosaamu Hannington Mugenyi Kaseegu

 

Lugungu Bible Translation and
Literacy Association (LUBITLA)
PO Box 239, Hoima, UGANDA