ekiwonvu.
okusiibula.
omuweereza, omulenzi.
for which see the grammars. The following usages are important for lexical purposes because the derivatives formed cannot all be included in the dictionary. 1) bu + la ~ negative infinitive, often equivalent to an English noun which is not an infinitive in form. okumanya, to know; obutamanya, not to know; ingnorance. 2) bu + stem of a noun from another class often produc es an adverb which must be rendered by a phrase in English, enkofu, guinea fowl; bukofu, like a guinea fowl, kukaabya bukofu, to make cry like a guinea fowl, i.e., to cause to suffer. 3) bu + reduplicated stem of a noun of another class indicates plurality with the added notions of indefiniteness, scattered state or even contemp t. essomero, school; obusomerosomero, small, scattered schools which are inferior in quality. 4) normal verb form + bu + verb stem + i. Abalala bagamba nti... others say that; Abalala bagamba bugambi nti... others just/ simply/only say that.
okukakamuka, okukalakala, okukuba amatu.
you (referring to one person), ggwe wamma and wamma ggwe are interjectional phrases of high- frequency which have no close English eauivalent. They are used when there is good rapport between speaker and hearer. Perhaps ‘I say!' is the nearest equivalent.
have room; correspond to; be equivalent; be fitting/suitable/appropriate, omuwendo ogugya mu nsawo ya buli muntu, a suitable price, a price which ‘fits' everyone' s pocketbook. Omukazi gwe yawasa tamugyamu. The woman he married is not suitable for him. Oba nno ezo emboga zigyamu nsimbi ki? I wonder what that cabbage is worth.
be, it is the equivalent of the English prepositions to or from, gye ndi, where I am; to me. Yali afuukidde ddala wa luganda gye ndi. He had become as much as a relative to me. With a change in tone gye becomes an emphatic adv. of place, there, gy'ali (= gye a I i) he is there; he is well (in answering salutations). Idioms: Ekyo kiri gy'ali. That is up to him. Katonda gy'ali! God will avenge me. gye bujja, in the future. God is there = God knows what is best or Nze gye nnali nga jinamba nti ajja. As for me, I kept thinking he would come.
e- (ki/bi) kindness; mercy; generosity. Frequently used with the -a of rel. as the equivalent of the Eng. adjectives: kind, nice; merciful, etc. Yandeeta ekisa. He made me feel sorry for him. Ekisa kya- mbuukako. I am through with being kind, lit. kindness has flown from me. Yali wa kisa nnyo gye nai. lie very kind to me. Ekisa kitta, n'enge etta. (prov.) Kindness kills, hostility kills. Extremes are bad.
e- (ki/bi) lit. that which is feared, honor, glory; prestige, dignity; respect; reverence; pomp. None of the preceding equivalents expresses the full meaning of kitiibwa which is perhaps the greatest ideal and the most sought after attribute of the Baganda. It has an importune e comparable to that of ‘face' in the Orient, kufa kitiibwa, to feel shame/be ashamed (because of the actions or speech of another). cf. tya.
okukubaakuba ama- tu, to be convalescent, recover from an illness. Yabakubaakubako okujja mu mbaga ye. He urged them to come to his wedding feast.
o- plur. amatu (ku/ma) ear. okumalira amatu wansi, to be sound asleep, be dead to the world, okukuba amatu or okukubaakuba amatu, to become convalescent, kugwa mabeere mu matu, to have a disease of the ear (believed to be caused by the spilling of mother's milk into the ear); to be obsti- nate/stubborn/pigheaded (esp. of children). okutega amatu, to listen attentively. Amatu agataddemu ebisubi. He is deliberately inattentive/refuses to listen, lit. has placed grass in his ears.
-radde) v.i. be or become calm/fc>eaceful/settled. Eradde? lit. Is it calm/f>eaceful? The meaning is lost and the word is used as the first of a series of greetings, equivalent to How are you? The reply may be Maamu! Maamu, mirembe! etc. cf. mulaala.
etc.; get for, provide; give greetings for another. Omundabira. Give him my regards. kulabira mu maddu, to be overjoyed to see (something, somebody). okulabira ku..., judging from, compared with. Kino kitono nnyo okulabira ku nkuba etonnya wano mu K. This is very little compared with the rain that falls here in K. kulabira awo (a high-frequency phrase which is difficult to reduce to any simple English equivalent): to get or see something by surprise or unintentionally; to do something without having made plans. Simanyi oba nga nnaagenda, leero nnaalabira awo. I do not know if I am going, I shall have to see/I really have no definite plans. Nnaalabira awo nga bandeetedde ku kamere. I was surprised when they brought me a little food. Baalabiraawo nga bazannya. They happened to be playing. Ndabira awo ekitabo kyange. You see that book of mine over there, give it to me. awo nga nkulabira or awo we nnalabira (stylized ending for a fable or tale). So the tale endeth.
ele- phant-snout fish, Mormyrus kannume. cf. lbega, -tono.
use as a point of departure. Note: This is a word for which a precise English equivalent is lacking. The following phrases illustrate the manner in which it may be used: okusinziira ku lipoota eyafuniddwa olunaku lw'eggulo, according to a report received yesterday. Okufa kwe kwasinziira ku butwa. His death was due to poisoning. Tulina ensonga ejinumu ddala kwe tusinziira ukukkiriza nga waiiwo... We have very firm reasons (from which we start) for believing that_ cf. -sinziivu, ekisinziiro
come out of the egg; arch, become convalescent; recover (from a sickness). Akaana kaffe omula- ngira yali yaakaalukako. Our small child has just recovered from the measles, lit. the prince. okwaluka inf.
tinyimye) v.i. stand; be situated; in translation often equivalent to the preposition from. Yayima Busujju n'atu- wandiikira. He wrote to us from Busujju. Ayima atya e Bulemeezi n'amanya ebifa e Busujju? How can he be in Bulemeezi and know what is going on at Busujju? Yayima ku katebe n'awanula engoye zaffe. He stood on a chair and took down our clothes.
adv. formative of place frequently equivalent to the English prepositions to or at. Agenze e Kampala. He has gone to Kampala. It is not joined to proper nouns but is prefixed directlv to a number nf pronouns and common nouns, many of which acquire thereby an adverbial function, mabega, back; emabega, backwards, back, amaka, home; eka, at home, (in the direction of) home, waffe, our(s); ewaffe, at our house. cf. ewa.
v.i. become partially dry; scab over (of pustules); become convalescent.
reach; (followed by an abstract noun, often the equivalent to the English comparison of equality). Ennyumba ye yenkana n'eyaffe obunene. His house is as large as ours. Benkana obukulu/amaanyi. They are of the same age/equal in strength. Eki- banja kyo kyenkana wa? How big is your piece of land, lit. extends where? buli Muganda w'afa yenkana, every Muganda, no matter who he may be. okwenkana awo, to that degree, to that extent. Wamukubira ki okwenkana awo? Why did you strike him so much/to that extent? kyenkana, lit. it is equal, often used as an adv., equally, in the same manner. Kyenkana okugamba nti..., It is the same as saying/it is equivalent to saying... Amala gavuga kyenkana nga bwe yandibadde omu ku nsi. He drives just as if he were the only person on earth. okwenkana inf.
(low tone) particle used: 1) as the introductory element in the second of two closely related clauses. The corresponding English may be a verbal participle; in other cases nga may be rendered how, how much. Mbalaba nga batambula mu kkubo. I see them walking in the road. Bwe yalaba ng'akooye n'asaba okuwummula. When he saw how tired he was, he asked to rest. 2) as the equivalent of the English conjunction if. Nga tebatuuse ku ssaawa bbiri, tobalindirira. If they have not arrived by eight o'clock, do not wait for them. 3) as the equivalent of the English conjunction when. Ng'otuuse obandabiranga. When you arrive give them my regards. 4) in conjunction with bwe, meaning while, as. Tunyumye nga bwe tuwaata. Let us converse as/while we are peeling. 5) as the introductory element in a ‘not yet' clause (= neg. + -nna-). Toweereza bbaluwa ezo nga sinnakugamba. Do not send off the letters before I tell you. 6) as an untranslatable element in some compound tenses. Babadde nga bayimba we nnagendeddeyo. They were singing when I went there. (E.O.A.)
o- (mu/ba) formerly one responsible for the clothing of the Kabaka, valet. cf. sumika.
has the following auxiliary functions: 1) kye + va (with the appropriate personal and tense prefixes) + a primary verb express an action or state resulting from a cause (rendered in English by therefore, that is why, that is the reason). Kitange mu- lwadde, kye nva sigenda kulima. My father is ill; that is why I do not go to cultivate. 2) Before the infinitive of another verb va may express recently completed action. Tuva kulima. We have just come from digging. Nva kulya. I have just eaten. 3) The infinitive okuva is equivalent to the English prep, from (referring to either time or space), okuva leero okutuuka mu mwezi ogujja, from today until next month, okuva e Mombasa okutunka e Nairobi, from Mombasa to Nairobi. va is frequently used with enclitics (-wo,
to show kindness, okugira ekisa, to show kindness, okugira ekyejo, to act insolently, gira is used primarily as an auxiliary verb with no constant English equivalent. It indicates action at intervals or continuous action for a period suggested by the English phrases every now and then, once in awhile, keep on. Nnagira nga ne mbakubamu essasi. Every now and then I would fire a shot at them. Tosuula ngabo ogira owazaako. Don't give up (lit. throw the shield), but keep on trying/just give it a try. Omu ku bakuumi kwe kugira nti... One of the guards went on to say.
nouns and adjectives to which it is suffixed. Often it is the equivalent of a partitive. Olugendo lunene? Is the journey long? Ee luneneko. Yes,it is rather long. Twalako! Take some!