The Aringa language, also known as Low Lugbara, is closely related, and sometimes considered a dialect of Lugbara. If fact, among the Lugbara of Uganda, it is one of the five clans. Some scholars classify the Lugbara language itself as a dialect of the Ma'di language, though this is not generally accepted. An SIL survey report concluded that the Okollo, Ogoko, and Rigbo dialects, called "Southern Ma'di", should be classified as dialects of Lugbara.
Orthography
by adima Lugbara was first written by Christian missionaries in 1918, based on the Ayivu dialect. In 2000, a conference was held in the city ofArua in northwestern Uganda regarding the creation of a standardised international orthography for Lugbara.
Lugbara phrases are spoken in several dialects but the Muni version, from which many of the explanations below are based, is the one approved for teaching in schools. The language has diphthong clusters and other noteworthy phonetics including the following: aa as in bat, for example embataa c as in church, for example Candiru dj as in jilt, for example odji, the ‘d’ is silent ee as in emblem, for example Andree gb as in bend, for example gbe, the ‘g’ is silent. Gb in Lugbara does not have an equivalent in English.What stands out in these Sudanic languages is the special manner in which 'kp, gb, 'd, 'b, 'y, 'w are pronounced. i as in inn, for example di-i oa as in oar, for example Adroa oo as in old, for example ocoo, less often oo as in food, for example ‘doo uu as in chew, for example cuu z as in jean after n, for example onzi. Otherwise, most times remains z as in zebra, for example Ozu and when the first letter of a word.
Vocabulary
The Lugbara alphabet has 28 letters minus ‘q’ and ‘x’, which means 24 like in English and four unique ones namely: ‘b like in ‘bua, ‘d like in ‘dia, ‘w like in ‘wara and ‘y like in ‘yetaa. Letters are pronounced as follows: Ah, Ba, Cha, Da, Eh, Fa, Ga, Ha, Ie, Ja, Ka, La, Ma, Na, Oh, Pa, Ra, Sa, Ta, Uuw, Va, Wa, Ya, and Za. Some words are borrowed from other languages, for example Safari from Swahili, Buku from English, Kandi from Lingala, etc. Also in the vocabulary, there are several words that have varied meanings when pronounced differently, for instance Oli can mean air, wind, whistle, cut or roll.
Numbers
Greetings and other phrases
Relationships
Grandfather Grandmother Grandson Granddaughter Father Mother Husband Wife Son Daughter Brother Sister Uncles atapuruka, Aunts,, awupi -, awupika - Cousin Cousin brother ; also adrii, adripika Cousin sister ; also amvii, amvupika NB: Strictly speaking, the word cousin is alien in Lugbara culture. Cousins are brothers and sisters. Nephews - maternal nephews Nieces - maternal nieces Father-in-law Mother-in-law Brother-in-law Sister-in-law
Days of the week
1 week A day is called O’du in Lugbara. Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
Calendar
The simplest way to refer to months 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 way of mentioning them. Januari Feburili Marici Aprili Mayi Juni Julayi Agoslo Sebitemba Okitoba Novemba Desemba
To study Lugbara, you might need a language teacher or guide but knowing the pronunciation basics and vocabulary preferably from a dictionary can give you a very good start. Practice by talking to natives physically or online and listening to Lugbara music.
