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Example Set 1 - Tonal Aspects


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).

Longer words:
akaalo (small village) kugenda (to go), okugenda
kusaana (to suit), okusaana ndowooza (I think)

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.