Lugbara, or Lugbarati, is the language of the Lugbara people. It is spoken in the West Nile region in northwestern Uganda, as well as the Democratic Republic of the Congo's Orientale Province with a little extension to the South Sudan as the Zande or Azande people.
The Aringa language, also known as Low Lugbara, is closely related, and sometimes considered a dialect of Lugbara. In fact, among the Lugbara of Uganda, it is one of the five clans (Ayivu clan, Vurra clan, Terego clan, Maracha clan, and Aringa clan). Some scholars classify the Lugbara language itself as a dialect of the Maüdi language, though this is not generally accepted. An SIL survey report concluded that the Okollo, Ogoko, and Rigbo dialects, called "Southern Maüdi", should be classified as dialects of Lugbara.
Lugbara was first written by Christian missionaries in 1918, based on the Ayivu dialect. In 2000, a conference was held in the city of Arua in northwestern Uganda regarding the creation of a standardised international orthography for Lugbara.
The Simplified Lugbara alphabet has 28 letters. there is no q or x, and there are four letters for glottalized consonants, namely: üb as in übua, üd as in üdia, üw as in üwara, and üy as in üyeta.
In 1992, the Government of Uganda designated it as one of five "languages of wider communication" to be used as the medium of instruction in primary education; however, unlike the other four such languages, it was never actually used in schools. More recently it was included in the curriculum for some secondary schools in the West Nile region, including St. Joseph's College Ombaci and Muni Girls Secondary School, both in Arua District.
Grandfather (aübi, aübipi)
Grandmother (dede, edapi, e'di)
Grandson (mvia)
Granddaughter (zia)
Father (ati, ata)
Mother (andri, andre, ayia)
Husband (agupi)
Wife (oku)
Son (agupiamva, mvi)
Daughter (zamva, zi)
Brother (adri)
Sister (amvi)
Uncles (paternal: atapuru [singular], atapuruka [plural]; maternal: [singular], [plural])
Aunts (paternal: [singular], [plural and in some cases maternal]; maternal: [singular], [plural]
Cousin ()
Cousin brother(s) (); also
Cousin sister(s) (); also
NB: Strictly speaking, the word cousin is alien in Lugbara culture. Cousins are brothers and sisters.
Nephews (adro anzi) - maternal nephews
Nieces (adro ezoanzi, ezapi) - maternal nieces
Father-in-law (anya)
Mother-in-law (edra)
Brother-in-law (oti, otuo)
Sister-in-law (onyere)
1 week (Sabatu alu, sabiti alu, yinga alu, yumula alu)
A day is called Oüdu in Lugbara.
Sunday ()
Monday (Oüdu alu)
Tuesday (Oüdu iri)
Wednesday (Oüdu na)
Thursday (Oüdu su)
Friday (Oüdu towi)
Saturday (Oüdu azia, Sabato)
The simplest way to refer to months (Mba in Lugbara) is to use numbers, for example January is Mba Alu, February is Mba Iri, May is Mba Towi and so on. But below is the other Latinized (and seasonal) way of mentioning them.
Januari/ Oco üdupa sere (January)
Feburili/ Kuluni (February)
Marici/ Zengulu (March)
Aprili/ Ayi - Wet season (April)
Mayi/ Ayi Eti (May)
Juni/ Emveki (June)
Julayi/ Eri (July)
Agoslo/ Iripaku (August)
Sebitemba/ Lokopere (September)
Okitoba/ Abibi (October)
Novemba/ Waa (November)
Desemba/ Anyu fi kuma (December)
Eka, Ika by Terego (red)
Foro foro (gray)
Foroto (grayish)
(white)
(very pure white)
Imvesi-enisi (black and white)
Ini (black)
Inibiricici, inicici, inikukuru (very dark)
Lugbara AI refers to Artificial Intelligence technology or machines that use Lugbara. The Sunbird Translate system can automatically take text from Lugbara. It includes locally relevant topics such as healthcare, agriculture and society. With its partners including Makerere University AI Lab, Sunbird AI (a Ugandan startup) has built open Lugbara datasets, translation and speech systems. It is also used by banks.
Furthermore, other developers are also working on projects.