Since Luganda is a tone language, and intonation plays a very important part in the meaning of words.
The following words are pronounced with a level tone pattern i.e. ray me, in tonic solfa: kusa ♫(to grind),
mata ♫(milk),
nte ♫(cow),
bbwa ♫(sore)
Longer words: okusa♫(to grind) -Initial Vowel form of verb -. kutakulatakula♫,
okutakulatakula♫ (to scratch a lot)
The same rule holds in long syllables: Thus the following words are pronounced with the tone pattern, i.e. ray me. kaalo♫ (small village)kyalo♫ (village)muntu♫ (person)ente♫ (cow).
A vowel plus a syllabic consonant may also form a long level tone, the second half of which is a pause:
muggazi or (more correctly)
muggazi ♫ (doorkeeper)omuggazi ♫
When a low tone syllable occurs after a high tone syllable: it drops lower still —about a major fourth. Thus: kulaba ♫(to see) ray me te
okulaba ♫ ray ray me te mwami♫(chief) me- te
omwami♫ ray me- te. mutto♫(pillow)omutto♫
With every subsequent high tone: it is now one major tone higher than the new low tone, and therefore considerably lower than the first high tone. Thus:
kusirika♫(to be quiet) ray me te doh,
okusirika♫ ray ray me te doh,
okusirikasirika♫ ray ray me te doh doh doh doh.
With long vowels and consonants: mwawule♫(clergyman)baawule♫(clergymen) okwanjula♫( to introduce) me- te doh,
kwanjula♫ ray me- te doh omwawule♫abaawule♫ okubbika♫(to cover) kubbika♫ okusikondoka♫ ray ray me te- doh doh,
kusikondoka♫(to hiccough) ray me te- doh doh olukukuuzi♫(to dust)ray ray me te' doh,
lukukuuzi♫ ray me te- doh okulalagga♫(to wander about)kulalagga♫ okulalaggalalagga♫ ray ray me te- doh doh doh- doh.