# Rwanda-Rundi

Rwanda-Rundi or West Highlands Kivu is a group of Bantu languages, specifically a dialect continuum, spoken in Central Africa. Two dialects, Kirundi and Kinyarwanda, have been standardized as the national languages of Burundi and Rwanda respectively. These neighbouring dialects are mutually intelligible, but other dialects which are more distant ones may not be. The other dialects are spoken in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Kinyabwisha in North Kivu, Kinyamulenge in South Kivu), Uganda (Rufumbira, spoken by the Bafumbira in Kisoro District), and Tanzania; Ha, with one million speakers, is the most widely spoken.

## Comparison of Kinyarwanda and Kirundi

Kinyarwanda and Kirundi are very similar in many aspects, but differ in several ways as well.

### Tonal marking

Both languages are tonal languages. High and low tones (or H and L) are the essential tones and, having a phonemic distinction on vowel length, when a long vowel changes from a low tone to a high tone it is marked as a rising tone and when a long vowel changes from a high tone to a low tone, it is marked as a falling tone. This is often illustrated in Kirundi in Meeussen's rule. Propositions have also been made that tones can shift by a metrical or rhythmic structure.
| Symbol$^1$ | Explanation | Kinyarwanda | Kirundi | Part of speech | English (definition) |
| Plain vowel (a, e, i, o, u) | Short vowel Low tone | (gu)saba | (gu)saba | Verb | ask, request |
| Plain vowel (a, e, i, o, u) | Short vowel Low tone | umugezi | umugezi | Noun | stream, river |
| Plain vowel (a, e, i, o, u) | Short vowel Low tone | (gu)shyika | (gu)shika | Verb | arrive |
| Plain vowel (a, e, i, o, u) | Short vowel Low tone | ikiraro | ikiraro | Noun | bridge |
| Plain vowel (a, e, i, o, u) | Short vowel Low tone | gusa | gusa | Incomparable adjective | only, just |
| Acute vowel (á, é, í, ó, ú) | Short vowel High tone | inká | inká | Noun | cow |
| Acute vowel (á, é, í, ó, ú) | Short vowel High tone | intébe | intébe | Noun | chair |
| Acute vowel (á, é, í, ó, ú) | Short vowel High tone | igití | igití | Noun | tree, stick, wood |
| Acute vowel (á, é, í, ó, ú) | Short vowel High tone | urugó | urugó | Noun | yard, corral |
| Acute vowel (á, é, í, ó, ú) | Short vowel High tone | urutúgu | urutúgu | Noun | shoulder |
| Circumflex vowel (Kinyarwanda) (â, ê, î, ô, û) | Short vowel High tone | inkâ | inká | Noun | cow |
| Circumflex vowel (Kinyarwanda) (â, ê, î, ô, û) | Short vowel High tone | intêbe | intébe | Noun | chair |
| Circumflex vowel (Kinyarwanda) (â, ê, î, ô, û) | Short vowel High tone | igitî | igití | Noun | tree, stick, wood |
| Circumflex vowel (Kinyarwanda) (â, ê, î, ô, û) | Short vowel High tone | urugô | urugó | Noun | yard, corral |
| Circumflex vowel (Kinyarwanda) (â, ê, î, ô, û) | Short vowel High tone | urutûgu | urutúgu | Noun | shoulder |
| Circumflex vowel (Kirundi) (â, ê, î, ô, û) | Short vowel High tone (on the accent vowel in Kinyarwanda) | amáazi | amâzi | Noun | water |
| Circumflex vowel (Kirundi) (â, ê, î, ô, û) | Short vowel High tone (on the accent vowel in Kinyarwanda) | (gu)téeka | (gu)têka | Verb | cook |
| Circumflex vowel (Kirundi) (â, ê, î, ô, û) | Short vowel High tone (on the accent vowel in Kinyarwanda) | izíiko | izîko | Noun | hearth |
| Circumflex vowel (Kirundi) (â, ê, î, ô, û) | Short vowel High tone (on the accent vowel in Kinyarwanda) | (ku)ryóoha | (ku)ryôha | Verb | taste good |
| Circumflex vowel (Kirundi) (â, ê, î, ô, û) | Short vowel High tone (on the accent vowel in Kinyarwanda) | (gu)kúunda | (gu)kûnda | Verb | love, like |
| macron vowel (Kirundi only) (ā, ē, ī, ō, ū) | Long vowel Low tone (both letters in low tone in Kinyarwanda) | igisaabo | igisābo | Noun | gourd |
| macron vowel (Kirundi only) (ā, ē, ī, ō, ū) | Long vowel Low tone (both letters in low tone in Kinyarwanda) | icyeegeera | icēgēra | Noun | plant |
| macron vowel (Kirundi only) (ā, ē, ī, ō, ū) | Long vowel Low tone (both letters in low tone in Kinyarwanda) | (ku)giisha | (ku)gīsha | Verb | make go |
| macron vowel (Kirundi only) (ā, ē, ī, ō, ū) | Long vowel Low tone (both letters in low tone in Kinyarwanda) | ingoona | ingōna | Noun | crocodile |
| macron vowel (Kirundi only) (ā, ē, ī, ō, ū) | Long vowel Low tone (both letters in low tone in Kinyarwanda) | uruuho | urūho | Noun | gourd (utensil) |
| Caron vowel (Kirundi only) (ǎ, ě, ǐ, ǒ, ǔ) | Long vowel High tone (on the accent vowel in Kinyarwanda) | ububaásha | ububǎsha | Noun | ability |
| Caron vowel (Kirundi only) (ǎ, ě, ǐ, ǒ, ǔ) | Long vowel High tone (on the accent vowel in Kinyarwanda) | Abeéga | Aběga | Plural noun | Tutsis, Tutsi clan |
| Caron vowel (Kirundi only) (ǎ, ě, ǐ, ǒ, ǔ) | Long vowel High tone (on the accent vowel in Kinyarwanda) | umuhiígi | umuhǐgi | Noun | hunter |
| Caron vowel (Kirundi only) (ǎ, ě, ǐ, ǒ, ǔ) | Long vowel High tone (on the accent vowel in Kinyarwanda) | umukoóbwa | umukǒbwa | Noun | girl |
| Caron vowel (Kirundi only) (ǎ, ě, ǐ, ǒ, ǔ) | Long vowel High tone (on the accent vowel in Kinyarwanda) | umuúnsi | umǔsi | Noun | day, date |
| Diaeresis vowel (Kirundi only) (ä, ë, ï, ö, ü) | Long vowel High tone | No equivalent tonal pattern | bäkoze | Verb | they did |
| Diaeresis vowel (Kirundi only) (ä, ë, ï, ö, ü) | Long vowel High tone | No equivalent tonal pattern | mwëse | Noun | all of you |
| Diaeresis vowel (Kirundi only) (ä, ë, ï, ö, ü) | Long vowel High tone | No equivalent tonal pattern | narï nzi | Verb | I thought, I knew |
| Diaeresis vowel (Kirundi only) (ä, ë, ï, ö, ü) | Long vowel High tone | No equivalent tonal pattern | böse | Noun | all of them |
| Diaeresis vowel (Kirundi only) (ä, ë, ï, ö, ü) | Long vowel High tone | No equivalent tonal pattern | warüzi | Verb | you thought, you knew |
| $^1$ These symbols are only used in transcription, for example in a dictionary, but in other forms of writing, plain vowels are used and letters are not doubled (unless if the word itself is spelt in that way). ||||||

### Spelling

| Formation | Kinyarwanda | Kirundi | Part of speech | English (definition) |
| c+y | cyane | cane | Adverb | very |
| c+y | cyanjye | canje | Possessive pronoun, possessive adjective | mine, my |
| c+y | icyubahiro | icubahiro | Noun | respect |
| c+y | ntacyo | ntaco | Indefinite pronoun | nothing |
| j+y | -jya | -ja | Prefix, verb | go |
| j+y | njyewe | njewe | Object pronoun | me |
| j+y | yanjye | yanje | Possessive pronoun, possessive adjective | mine, my |
| sh+y | -shyira | -shira | Prefix, verb | put, place |
| sh+y | indeshyo | indesho | Noun | height |
| sh+y | nshya | nsha | Adjective | new |
| b+y v+y | umubyeyi | umuvyeyi | Noun | parent |
| b+y v+y | -gorobye | -gorovye | Prefix, verb | became evening |
| b+y v+y | -ibye | -ivye | Prefix, possessive pronoun, verb | his (multiple objects), stole |

### Word formation

There are many instances in which the two speech varieties of both languages have words that are slightly different. However, these differences do not continually recur. One has to memorize such differences as "-anga" in Kinyarwanda in contrast to "-anka" in Kirundi (meaning to dislike or hate), because the shift from "g" to "k" is extremely rare, with proof being words like "inka" (cow), "inkono" (pot) and many other words where "nk" is common in both dialects. Such minor variations involve different consonants, vowels or vowel lengths, tones or affixes.
| Summary | Rwanda | Rundi | Part of speech | English (definition) |
| Consonants | impyisi | imfyisi | Plural noun | hyena, jackal |
| Consonants | (kw)anga | (kw)anka | Verb | dislike, hate |
| Consonants | amagambo | amajambo | Plural noun | words |
| Consonants | umunsi | umusi | Noun | day, date |
| Consonants | ijosi | izosi | Noun | neck |
| Vowels | ibiyobe | ibiyoba | Plural noun | peanuts |
| Vowels | (ku)yogoza | (ku)yogeza | Verb | annihilate |
| Vowels | (ku)reba | (ku)raba | Verb | see, look |
| Vowel length | /-riinganira/ | /-ringanira/ | Prefix, verb | be of equal length |
| Vowel length | /-pima/ | /-piima/ | Prefix, verb | measure, weigh |
| Vowel length | /-sáagura/ | /-sáaguura/ | Prefix, verb | be in excess |
| Tone | /umukonó/ | /umukóno/ | Noun | signature |
| Tone | /mugufí/ | /mugúfi/ | Adjective | short |
| Tone | /ikiguzí/ | /ikigúzi/ | Noun | price, value |
| Formation | nyirabukwe | inabukwe | Noun | mother-in-law |
| Formation | nyirakuru | inakuru | Noun | grandmother$^1$ |
| Mixed | umugati | umukate | Noun | bread |
| $^1$ In both Kinyarwanda and Kirundi, nyogokuru is more commonly used to mean "grandmother". |||||