AikoGraphics/LugbaraDictionary · Datasets at Hugging Face

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Some words are borrowed or modified from English plus other languages like Swahili, Luganda, Lingala, etc. Lugbara words are written the same way they are pronounced; repeated letters especially consonants look ambiguously redundant and can be reformed eg Vurra, Uleppi, Owaffa, Oluffe, Okollo, Ofudde, Mekki, etc unless very special and meaningful (What you see is what you hear [WYSIWYH]).

Marks for Simple Tones:
In English, some words have different spellings, but the same pronunciation eg chase/ chess; chat/ chart; hat/ heart/ hurt; lace/ less; load/ lord; mane/ men; son/ sun; etc. In Lugbara, the same spelling can have different pronunciations (hence meanings) based on three (to five including rising and falling) tones indicated by accents as below.

´ High tone eg aí [salt], drí [head], tí [cow];

- Mid tone eg aī [accept, pray], drī [hand], tī [strangle] (Mid tone is the most common tone in Lugbarati);

` Low tone eg aì [ask, beg], drì [(to) heat], tì [produce]...


Word Classes include:
1. Ecipiri (Conj[unction])

2. Obi (Adv[erb])

3. Ru (N[oun])

4. Ruparia (Pron[oun])

5. Usuta (Interj[ection])

6. Vutivutia (Post[position] instead of Preposition)

7. Wura (Adj[ective])

8. 'Yeta (V[erb])



VOCABULARY (VOLUME):
Aa
a (n) stomach, belly; (prep, suffix) at, (is) in, on, to; (pron) I; we (also Ama) eg A ga si = I have refused

a a (adj) not true, not at all, no (also yo); (prep) across

aa (v) stay, reside (also oa) eg Toro Suru ma Omukama ni aa Foti Poto-a. = Toro Kingdom's King stays in Fort Portal.

aba (adj) many, abundant, a lot; (v) stray

ababa (n) madness, craziness

Abairo (n) waterfalls on River Asa in Oyufi Village (Wandi Parish within Oluko Subcounty, Ayivu Division of Arua City) meaning "abundant (water)", transformed by John Acile as a tourist attraction since 2006, found at the end of Waterfalls Road and eastwards below Arise Center

Abaku (n) name meaning "I do not create"

abala (n) competition, betting (also betingi) eg 'Ba ode le abala betingi ni. = Youth love betting competitions.

Abataki Geri (n) Abataki Road (also Musitafa Abataki Geri), road in Anyafio that starts from the junction between Mt. Wati Road and Mvara SS Crescent - perpendicular to Osu River and joins Oda Road eg Horizoni Nasari ni Abataki Geri-a. = Horizon Nursery is on Abataki Road.

abaza (n) confusion, doubt (also abata)

abe (n) handle as of hoe and knife, club

abebe (n) dumb person

Abedju-Azaki (n) Lugbara dialect in DR Congo

abefe (n) bridge (also alofe, olufe)

abeleso (n) worm eg hookworm

abi (n) wall eg Sakaya, Bosiko, Azita azini Hamoni abi si. = Sakaya, Bosco, Azita and Harmony are building a wall.

Abi Amvu (n) Abi Farm, Abi Agricultural Research Development Centre on Rhino Camp Road after Ombaci Satellite Station

abiba (n) charm-possessing witches who can fly on brooms with fire on their bums, "ancestral" ghost spirits eg Luka esu abiba Goli-a. = Luke found spirits in Goli.

Abidrabo (n) male-given name meaning "Grandfather (Ancestor) is dead"

abiri (n) hunger, famine, sorrow (also candi), suffering (also abiriga)

Abiria (n) female-given name meaning "(Conceived or Born) in famine" (male version is Abiriga), village in Arivu (Oluko Subcounty)

abirisi (adj) hungry

abirisi tu (adv) very hungry, hungrily

Abiricaku (n) place south of Mvara Trading Centre before Ushindi Primary School eg "St. Mark" Kanisa ni Abiricaku-a. = St. Mark's Church is in Abiricaku.

abo (v) bark eg Ocogo ni abo. = A dog barks.

aboku (n) type of fish, abok

aboloto (n) obese, fat person, fat bombola

abudira (n) catapult, Y-shaped slingshot for hitting birds with stones or small rocks (also abidira) eg Dramu ni aria ogbi abudira si. = Dramu shoots birds with a catapult.

Abutize (n) Abutze, mountain in Metu Subcounty of Moyo District (also Abotzi) at 1574 metres above sea level, highest point in West Nile, near other Moyo mountains like Otze (1,563 m), Ilo (1,410 m), Nyeri, Isi, Dingbulungbulu, Urudri, Legu, Bongi, Limara, etc

a'balao (n) dove (also a'buo)

a'be (n) wrestling, axe

a'bi (n) grandfather (pronounced abhi, also a'bipi, jaja), ancestors, omugurusi, kwaro, Papa Kus; destiny (also pari asizuri) eg Ma a'bi yi (Dobo azini Banito) la iritro 'bo. = My grandfathers (Dobo and Banito) have both rested already.

a'bianzi (n) descendants, generation(s)

a'bici (n) heartburn

Some words are borrowed or modified from English plus other languages like Swahili, Luganda, Lingala, etc. Lugbara words are written the same way they are pronounced; repeated letters especially consonants look ambiguously redundant and can be reformed eg Vurra, Uleppi, Owaffa, Oluffe, Okollo, Ofudde, Mekki, etc unless very special and meaningful (What you see is what you hear [WYSIWYH]).

Marks for Simple Tones:

In English, some words have different spellings, but the same pronunciation eg chase/ chess; chat/ chart; hat/ heart/ hurt; lace/ less; load/ lord; mane/ men; son/ sun; etc. In Lugbara, the same spelling can have different pronunciations (hence meanings) based on three (to five including rising and falling) tones indicated by accents as below.

´ High tone eg aí [salt], drí [head], tí [cow];

- Mid tone eg aī [accept, pray], drī [hand], tī [strangle] (Mid tone is the most common tone in Lugbarati);

` Low tone eg aì [ask, beg], drì [(to) heat], tì [produce]...

Word Classes include:

1. Ecipiri (Conj[unction])

2. Obi (Adv[erb])

3. Ru (N[oun])

4. Ruparia (Pron[oun])

5. Usuta (Interj[ection])

6. Vutivutia (Post[position] instead of Preposition)

7. Wura (Adj[ective])

8. 'Yeta (V[erb])

VOCABULARY (VOLUME):

Aa

a (n) stomach, belly; (prep, suffix) at, (is) in, on, to; (pron) I; we (also Ama) eg A ga si = I have refused

a a (adj) not true, not at all, no (also yo); (prep) across

aa (v) stay, reside (also oa) eg Toro Suru ma Omukama ni aa Foti Poto-a. = Toro Kingdom's King stays in Fort Portal.

aba (adj) many, abundant, a lot; (v) stray

ababa (n) madness, craziness

Abairo (n) waterfalls on River Asa in Oyufi Village (Wandi Parish within Oluko Subcounty, Ayivu Division of Arua City) meaning "abundant (water)", transformed by John Acile as a tourist attraction since 2006, found at the end of Waterfalls Road and eastwards below Arise Center

Abaku (n) name meaning "I do not create"

abala (n) competition, betting (also betingi) eg 'Ba ode le abala betingi ni. = Youth love betting competitions.

Abataki Geri (n) Abataki Road (also Musitafa Abataki Geri), road in Anyafio that starts from the junction between Mt. Wati Road and Mvara SS Crescent - perpendicular to Osu River and joins Oda Road eg Horizoni Nasari ni Abataki Geri-a. = Horizon Nursery is on Abataki Road.

abaza (n) confusion, doubt (also abata)

abe (n) handle as of hoe and knife, club

abebe (n) dumb person

Abedju-Azaki (n) Lugbara dialect in DR Congo

abefe (n) bridge (also alofe, olufe)

abeleso (n) worm eg hookworm

abi (n) wall eg Sakaya, Bosiko, Azita azini Hamoni abi si. = Sakaya, Bosco, Azita and Harmony are building a wall.

Abi Amvu (n) Abi Farm, Abi Agricultural Research Development Centre on Rhino Camp Road after Ombaci Satellite Station

abiba (n) charm-possessing witches who can fly on brooms with fire on their bums, "ancestral" ghost spirits eg Luka esu abiba Goli-a. = Luke found spirits in Goli.

Abidrabo (n) male-given name meaning "Grandfather (Ancestor) is dead"

abiri (n) hunger, famine, sorrow (also candi), suffering (also abiriga)

Abiria (n) female-given name meaning "(Conceived or Born) in famine" (male version is Abiriga), village in Arivu (Oluko Subcounty)

abirisi (adj) hungry

abirisi tu (adv) very hungry, hungrily

Abiricaku (n) place south of Mvara Trading Centre before Ushindi Primary School eg "St. Mark" Kanisa ni Abiricaku-a. = St. Mark's Church is in Abiricaku.

abo (v) bark eg Ocogo ni abo. = A dog barks.

aboku (n) type of fish, abok

aboloto (n) obese, fat person, fat bombola

abudira (n) catapult, Y-shaped slingshot for hitting birds with stones or small rocks (also abidira) eg Dramu ni aria ogbi abudira si. = Dramu shoots birds with a catapult.

Abutize (n) Abutze, mountain in Metu Subcounty of Moyo District (also Abotzi) at 1574 metres above sea level, highest point in West Nile, near other Moyo mountains like Otze (1,563 m), Ilo (1,410 m), Nyeri, Isi, Dingbulungbulu, Urudri, Legu, Bongi, Limara, etc

a'balao (n) dove (also a'buo)

a'be (n) wrestling, axe

a'bi (n) grandfather (pronounced abhi, also a'bipi, jaja), ancestors, omugurusi, kwaro, Papa Kus; destiny (also pari asizuri) eg Ma a'bi yi (Dobo azini Banito) la iritro 'bo. = My grandfathers (Dobo and Banito) have both rested already.

a'bianzi (n) descendants, generation(s)

a'bici (n) heartburn