Classroom:The word KU in Runyankore-Rukiga

This page was created as an in-classroom exercise in LING 2208, NTNU

Author: Franciane Rocha

Author: Misah Natumanya

This page examines the grammatical function of the word "ku" in Runyankore-Rukiga. The data is the result of typecraft's phrase search done on March 18, 2011.

KU as a word in Runyankore-Rukiga can work as:

1. A conjunction

Ku naahikire ahari Butunduuzi, emotoka ereemerera obwe ku baabarareebaga emotoka ereemerera baija kureeba omufu!

“When i arrived at Butunduuzi, and then whenever the car stopped, they would come to see the dead-person.”

Ku

ku

when

CONJ

naahikire
n	aa	hik	ire
1SG	PASTrm	reach	PFV
V

ahari
a	hari
IV	atSPTL
ADJatt

Butunduuzi

butunduuzi

Np

emotoka
e	motoka
IV	car
N

ereemerera
e	ra	emerer	a
AGR	PTCP	stop	FV
V

obwe

obwe

then

CONJ

ku

ku

when

CONJ

baabarareebaga
ba	a	ba	ra	reeb	a	ga
3PL	PASTrm	3PL	PTCP	see	FV	EMPH
V

emotoka
e	motoka
IV	car
N

ereemerera
e	re	emerer	a
AGR	PTCP	stop	FV
V

baija
ba	ij	a
3PL	come	FV
V

kureeba
ku	reeba
INF	see
V

omufu!
o	mu	fu!
IV	1	the-dead

2. A complementizer

Angira ati ku turaareebe yaarugamu, na boyoofiisi agyenzire nawe, nk'oku ashangwa amutwara obundi tuzemu twihemu obusente bw'okurya.

“He told me that when we see him getting out with the officeboy, like how he normally does, perhaps we should go in and get some little money to eat.”

Angira
a	n	gir	a
3SG	1SG	tell	FV
V

ati

ati

that

CONJS

ku

ku

if

COMP

turaareebe
tu	raa	reeb	e
1PL	PRES	see	SBJV
V

yaarugamu
y	aa	rug	a	mu
	PRES	come	FV	LOC
V

na

na

with

PREP

boyoofiisi

boyoofiisi

officeboy

N

agyenzire
a	gyenz	ire
3SG	go	PFV
V

nawe
na	we
with	him
PN

nka

nka

like

PRT

oku

oku

how

ADVm

ashangwa
a	shang	w	a
3SG	find	PASS	FV
V

amutwara
a	mu	twar	a
3SGSBJ	3SGOBJ	take
V

obundi

obundi

perhaps

ADVm

tuzemu
tu	z	e	mu
1PL	go	SBJV	LOC

twihemu
tw	ih	e	mu
1PL	get	SBJV	LOC
V

obusente
o	bu	sente
IV	14	money
N

bwa

bwa

of

PREP

okurya
o	ku	ry	a
IV	INF	eat	IND

3. An adverb

Function	NUMBER OF TOKENS
CONJ	38
COMP	05
ADV	02

In Runyankore-Rukiga,the word KU appears in both initial and medial positions of a sentence.

KU- Initial position

KU- Medial position

Akangambira ku naija nyenkyakare

“He/she told me that he/she will come tomorrow”

Akangambira
a	ka	n	gamb	ir	a
3SG	IV	1SG	tell	APPL	IND
V

ku

ku

that

COMP

naija
na	ij	a
3SG	come	IND
V

nyenkyakare

nyenkyakare

tomorrow

ADVm

The word KU can have at least three meanings, they are:

WHEN

Omwana ku areeba abantu omu katare baatandika kwija, we nyina ayeyongyera kuba busy aramanya ngu baakasitoma baayeyongyera,

“When the child saw every one in market starting to come, meanwhile the mother was thinking that the customers were increasing”

Omwana
o	mu	ana
IV	1	child
N

ku

ku

when

CONJ

areeba
a	reeb	a
3SG	see	FV
V

abantu
a	ba	ntu
IV	2	people
N

omu

omu

in

PREP

katare

katare

market

N

baatandika
ba	a	tandik	a
2	PASTim	begin	FV
V

kwija
kw	ij	a
INF	come	FV
V

we

we

she

PN

nyina

nyina

mother

N

ayeyongyera
a	yeyongyer	a
3SG	continue	FV
V

kuba
ku	ba
INF	be
COP

busy

busy

busy

V

aramanya
a	ra	many	a
3SG		know	FV
V

ngu

ngu

that

CONJ

mu	ena
1	all
QUANT

baakasitoma
ba	akasitoma
2	customer
N

baayeyongyera
ba	a	yeyongyer	a
2	PASTim	increase	FV
V

THAT

Akangambira ku naija nyenkyakare

“He/she told me that he/she will come tomorrow”

Akangambira
a	ka	n	gamb	ir	a
3SG	IV	1SG	tell	APPL	IND
V

ku

ku

that

COMP

naija
na	ij	a
3SG	come	IND
V

nyenkyakare

nyenkyakare

tomorrow

ADVm

IF

Angira ati ku turaareebe yaarugamu, na boyoofiisi agyenzire nawe, nk'oku ashangwa amutwara obundi tuzemu twihemu obusente bw'okurya.

“He told me that when we see him getting out with the officeboy, like how he normally does, perhaps we should go in and get some little money to eat.”

Angira
a	n	gir	a
3SG	1SG	tell	FV
V

ati

ati

that

CONJS

ku

ku

if

COMP

turaareebe
tu	raa	reeb	e
1PL	PRES	see	SBJV
V

yaarugamu
y	aa	rug	a	mu
	PRES	come	FV	LOC
V

na

na

with

PREP

boyoofiisi

boyoofiisi

officeboy

N

agyenzire
a	gyenz	ire
3SG	go	PFV
V

nawe
na	we
with	him
PN

nka

nka

like

PRT

oku

oku

how

ADVm

ashangwa
a	shang	w	a
3SG	find	PASS	FV
V

amutwara
a	mu	twar	a
3SGSBJ	3SGOBJ	take
V

obundi

obundi

perhaps

ADVm

tuzemu
tu	z	e	mu
1PL	go	SBJV	LOC

twihemu
tw	ih	e	mu
1PL	get	SBJV	LOC
V

obusente
o	bu	sente
IV	14	money
N

bwa

bwa

of

PREP

okurya
o	ku	ry	a
IV	INF	eat	IND

MEANING	NUMBER OF TOKENS
When	36
That	06
If	01
Lack meaning	12

"KU meaning IF"

POS tag	NUMBER OF TOKENS
COMP	01

"Ku meaning WHEN"

POS tag	NUMBER OF TOKENS
CONJ	30
COMP	03
REL	01
Lack	02

"KU meaning THAT"

POS tag	NUMBER OF TOKENS
CONJ	04
COMP	01
ADV	01