Rukiga-Runyankore

“Only” & “Alone” in Rukiga

Learners of Rukiga in their early days should learn how to describe the state of being alone or of being the only one of something. This is accomplished through the noun stem “-nka” and constructed according to the noun class prefix. The table below notes the various constructions based on noun classes. It is important to note that in the mu-ba class is irregular in the sense that there are actually six possibilities based on the subject of the adjective.

First, the Mu-Ba class:

Noun Class Only/Alone Singular Only/Alone Plural
Mu-Ba Nyenka (I am alone) Twenka (we are alone)
Wenka (you are alone) Mwenka (you all are alone)
Wenka (s/he is alone) Bonka (they are alone)

Next the other noun classes:

Noun Class Only/Alone Singular Only/Alone Plural
Bu-Ma Bwonka Gonka
Ki-Bi Kyonka Byonka
Ri-Ma Ryonka Gonka
Ru-N Rwonka Zonka
Ka-Bu Konka Bwonka
N-N Yonka Zonka
Mu-Mi Gwonka Yonka
Ku-Ma Kwonka Gonka

Regarding grammatical construction, it is important to remember that the “-nka” words come after the noun they are modifying. For example, “omuti gwonka“, or the “only tree”, is the correct way to say and write phrases using only or alone.

 

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