Upload Aiko's Lugbara Dictionary (Volume 9).txt

Aiko's Lugbara Dictionary (Volume 9).txt

@@ -1,8 +1,44 @@
-GOD is great! Created painstakingly with gritty nerves on the 3rd Agofe's 90th birthday (Saturday 26th November 2016) and reinforced every year, Aiko's Lugbara Dictionary is where the Old and New meet. I'm only human and apologise in advance for any mistakes. So, corrections and suggestions are most welcome via WhatsApp: +256-781-345712 or Email: aikoug@gmail.com! I ask the Holy Spirit to guide me in the name of JESUS! Every Lugbara word ends with one of the five vowels eg nyanya = tomato; mucele = rice; karoti = carrot; ovakedo = avocado; osu = bean. Letters Q [Kya] and X [Eksa, Alamakanda in Aringa dialect] are not used but four unique ones with an apostrophe are added: 'B, 'D, 'W and 'Y (which all sound like putting H after them though personal names omit the apostrophe). The 28 letters in the Simplified Lugbara Alphabet sound like this: Ah, Ba, Bha, Cha, Da, Dha, Eh, Fa, Ga, Ha, Ii (as in Inn), Ja, Ka, La, Ma, Na, Oh, Pa, Ra, Sa, Ta, Uw (as in yoU), Va, Wa, Wha, Ya, Yha, Za. The original Vocabulary was small because some words have multiple meanings based on three major tones (to five including rising and falling), pronunciation or context eg ai can mean salt (high tone); accept, pray (mid tone); ask (low tone)// ti can mean cow; to drip; mouth, language; to produce// etc. However, new words keep being added to the existing language eg komputa = computer; simu = phone; etc. Most nouns can denote both singular and plural (though adding yi after them also does); exceptions include mva [child] which becomes anzi [children]; etc. Adding suffixes -jo, -ko, -ru, -si and -yo to nouns creates new words; verbs also have -ku, -ma, -nga, -ta, -za and -zu. Adjectives follow the Subject eg buku eka = red book. In the entries ahead, semi-colon (;) shows different meaning while goal brackets [] show tone or translation. Lugbara sentences in past tense are structured using the Subject-Verb-Object arrangement like in English, but present continuous and future tenses follow S-O-V though nga [will, shall] is added after the Subject to mark the difference eg YESU ni (nga) 'ba onzi pa [JESUS (will) save sinners]...
+GOD is great; first and foremost!
 
 
 
-Pronunciation Guide [Lugbara Phonology]
+TABLE OF CONTENTS (MENU):
+
+Pronunciation Guide
+
+Word Classes
+
+Vocabulary (A to Z)
+
+Numbers
+
+The LORD's Prayer
+
+Books in the Holy Bible
+
+The 10 Commandments
+
+Lugbara Anthem
+
+Colours
+
+The Verb "Be"
+
+Relationships
+
+Days of the Week
+
+Calendar
+
+Lugbara Proverbs
+
+Lost in Translation
+
+
+
+Pronunciation Guide [Lugbara Phonology]:
+
+Created painstakingly with gritty nerves on the 3rd Agofe's 90th birthday (Saturday 26th November 2016) and reinforced every year, Aiko's Lugbara Dictionary is where the Old and New meet. I'm only human and apologise in advance for any mistakes. So, corrections and suggestions are most welcome via WhatsApp: +256-781-345712 or Email: aikoug@gmail.com! I ask the Holy Spirit to guide me in the name of JESUS! Every Lugbara word ends with one of the five vowels eg nyanya = tomato; mucele = rice; karoti = carrot; ovakedo = avocado; osu = bean. Letters Q [Kya] and X [Eksa, Alamakanda in Aringa dialect] are not used but four unique ones with an apostrophe are added: 'B, 'D, 'W and 'Y (which all sound like putting H after them though personal names omit the apostrophe). The 28 letters in the Simplified Lugbara Alphabet sound like this: Ah, Ba, Bha, Cha, Da, Dha, Eh, Fa, Ga, Ha, Ii (as in Inn), Ja, Ka, La, Ma, Na, Oh, Pa, Ra, Sa, Ta, Uw (as in yoU), Va, Wa, Wha, Ya, Yha, Za. The original Vocabulary was small because some words have multiple meanings based on three major tones (to five including rising and falling), pronunciation or context eg ai can mean salt (high tone); accept, pray (mid tone); ask (low tone) while ti can mean cow; to drip; mouth, language; to produce and so on. However, new words keep being added to the existing language eg komputa = computer; simu = phone; etc. Most nouns can denote both singular and plural (though adding yi after them also does); exceptions include mva [child] which becomes anzi [children]; etc. Adding suffixes -jo, -ko, -ru, -si and -yo to nouns creates new words; verbs also have -ku, -ma, -nga, -ta, -za and -zu. Adjectives follow the Subject eg buku eka = red book. In the entries ahead, semi-colon (;) shows different meaning while goal brackets [] show tone or translation. Lugbara sentences in past tense are structured using the Subject-Verb-Object arrangement like in English, but present continuous and future tenses follow S-O-V though nga [will, shall] is added after the Subject to mark the difference eg YESU ni (nga) 'ba onzi pa [JESUS (will) save sinners]...
 
 Some words are borrowed or modified from English and other languages like Swahili, Luganda and Lingala. Lugbara words are written the same way they are pronounced; repeated letters look redundant unless special and meaningful (What you see is what you get). Diphthong clusters and other noteworthy phonetics include the following:
 
@@ -64,7 +100,7 @@ Word Classes include:
 
  
 
-VOCABULARY
+VOCABULARY (VOLUME):
 
 Aa
 
@@ -78,7 +114,7 @@ aba (adj) many, (v) stray
 
 ababa (n) madness, craziness
 
-Abairo (n) waterfalls on River Asa in Kamikua Village (Wandi Parish within Oluko Subcounty), transformed by John Acile into a tourist attraction since 2006, found at the end of Waterfalls Road and eastwards below Arise Center
+Abairo (n) waterfalls on River Asa in Kamikua Village (Wandi Parish within Oluko Subcounty), transformed by John Acile as a tourist attraction since 2006, found at the end of Waterfalls Road and eastwards below Arise Center
 
 Abaku (n) name meaning "I do not create"
 
@@ -210,6 +246,8 @@ adisi (n) humour, comedy, chat, fun talk (also adu, andru) eg Tobi Tobiasi "High
 
 Adjumani (n) district east of Moyo across the Albert Nile (also East Moyo) eg Skovia ni aa Adjumani-a. = Scovia stays in Adjumani.
 
+Adranga (n) Lugbara clan in DR Congo
+
 adre (v) be, is, was
 
 adreni (phr v) is not (plu. adrekini) eg Ewa adreni muke ku 'ba andrale eli 120 (turu alu kali iri) pini. = Alcohol is not good for persons under the age of 120.
@@ -224,6 +262,8 @@ adro (n) uncle; spirit placed in a body by Divine Spirit and stands for the indi
 
 ADRO (n) the Creator; sky GOD in Lugbara mythology appears in both good and evil aspects though a single Deity, appeared on earth as a very tall white man near death with only one half of the body, missing one eye, one leg, etc; Divine Absolute Spirit, his children were adroanzi (also ADRONGA in Aringa, ADROO, ADROU) eg ADRO 'ba o'bapiri = GOD who created people
 
+adroa (n) small god, idol
+
 adroanzi (n) children of ADRO; nature gods of specific rivers, trees and other sacred wild areas, protect people but can also kill and eat them if they look behind while being followed in the dark, sometimes known as water snakes, bloodline of the Nosferatu Clan, originating in the Lugbara Culture of Central Africa, protectors of the local tribe in exchange for blood
 
 adrogo (n) idol, false god eg Muhamadi nze adrogo karakara Kaba ma ageia Meka-a. = Muhammad removed many idols near the Kaaba in Mecca.
@@ -404,7 +444,7 @@ ai (n) salt; [(v) trap with rope or string, get caught, accept, welcome, respond
 
 Aiivu (n) subcounty near Maracha, south of Yivu and Omugo, north of Katrini
 
-Aiko (n) penname of a committed Black Ugandan Artist who dropped out the letter Y from his surname at 6 years of age, shortened from Ayiko, Scandinavian male-given name also used in Northern Germany as a variation of Eike or Ekke [Blade], Chinese boy-name, Japanese female-given name meaning "Love child", "Little Love" or "Child who will be loved" eg Aiko ngo "Kisshug". = Aiko sang "Kisshug".
+Aiko (n) penname of a committed Black Ugandan Artist who dropped out the letter Y from his surname at 6 years of age, shortened from Ayiko, American musician also known as Jhene Chilombo, Scandinavian male-given name also used in Northern Germany as a variation of Eike or Ekke [Blade], Chinese boy-name, Japanese female-given name meaning "Love child", "Little Love" or "Child who will be loved", mountain in Finland eg Aiko Japani-a ngo "Kisshug". = Aiko in Japan sang "Kisshug".
 
 aise (n) grass
 
@@ -4650,7 +4690,7 @@ ojiata (n) baboon (also ojimata)
 
 ojio (n) go between, one sent on errands, apostles eg YESU pe ojio mudri drini iri (12) ma ti. = JESUS sent 12 apostles.
 
-Ojiodri (n) original name of Arua Hill before colonialists built a weather observation cell on top of it and a prison where Arua Hill Primary is
+Ojiodri (n) original name of Arua Hill before colonialists built a weather observation station house on top of it and a prison near where Arua Hill Primary is
 
 ojita (n) bath, taking, steering, deliverance
 
@@ -6422,6 +6462,8 @@ wura (n) colour, art, fine arts, activity of colouring (also wura gbata), Kunst
 
 Yy & 'Y'y [Yhyh]
 
+YA (n) GOD above everything
+
 ya (v) sieve, sort, shake eg Oyakiya ya angu. = An earthquake shook the place.
 
 yaa (v) tremble
@@ -6456,7 +6498,7 @@ yereyere (adj) rough, scattered
 
 Yerusalemu (n) Jerusalem eg Paulo mu Yerusalemu-a. = Paul went to Jerusalem.
 
-YESU KRISTO (n) JESUS Christ (also YEZU), the Greatest Human Being to walk on Earth and the Sea, Superprophet, Saviour of Sinners, Son of GOD, Lamb of GOD, Prince of Peace, KING of Kings and LORD of Lords, XP, The Anointed One, Witness and Judge on Judgement Day eg YESU ni Opi! = JESUS is Lord!
+YESU Kristo (n) JESUS Christ (also YEZU), the Greatest Human Being to walk on Earth and the Sea, Superprophet, Saviour of Sinners, Son of GOD, Lamb of GOD, Prince of Peace, KING of Kings and LORD of Lords, XP, The Anointed One, Witness and Judge on Judgement Day eg YESU ni Opi! = JESUS is Lord!
 
 yi (n) water (also iyi); [suffix for plurals; (pron) they; (v) pour] eg Ma yi mvu. = I'm drinking water.
 
@@ -6548,7 +6590,7 @@ Zambia (n) cell, village or zone in Mvara after Barifa Forest and before Kenya Z
 
 zamva (n) girl, meat child eg Britni ni zamva te saa azi ma vutia, eri mu eca oku. = Britney is a girl but after some time, she is going to become a woman.
 
-zapi (n) niece (daughter) eg Judith Babirye Ayikoru ni eri ma zapi. = Judith Babirye Ayikoru is his niece.
+zapi (n) niece (daughter) eg Judithi Babirye Ayikoru ni eri ma zapi. = Judith Babirye Ayikoru is his niece.
 
 ze (v) defecate, push; [faeces, shit, dung]
 
@@ -6590,59 +6632,125 @@ zuzu (adv) everyday, daily
 
 
 
-The LORD's Prayer [Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:2-4; very similar to the submissive Muslim Daily Worship Prayer (Salah/ Swalat) which is always said in Arabic, Koran 1 (The Opening)]:
+Kalafe [Numbers]:
 
-ATA amani ovupi 'buari [Our FATHER who art in Heaven],
+0. Toko/ Ogbo
 
-Ru MINI ma ovu inzizaru [Hallowed be THY name];
+1. Alu
 
-Suru MINI ma emu [YOUR Kingdom come];
+2. Iri
 
-E'yo MINI leleri ma 'ye-i nyakua ekile 'buarile [YOUR Will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven].
+3. Na
 
-Mi fe etu 'dosi nyaka andruni ama dri [Give us today our daily food].
+4. Su
 
-Mi ku mari amani, amani 'ba afa amani nyapi 'diyi ma mari kulerile [Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors].
+5. Towi/ Tawu
 
-Mi ji ama obeta ma alea ku [Lead us not into temptation];
+6. Azia
 
-Mi pa ama 'ba onzi dri [Deliver us from evil].
+7. Aziri
 
-Te suru pi, okpo pie, diza pie dria MINI 'dani 'dani [For the Kingdom, power, and glory are YOURS forever and ever].
+8. Aro
 
-Amena [Amen]!
+9. Oromi
 
+10. Mudri/ Modri
 
+11. Mudri (dri) ni alu
 
-Lugbara Anthem (Approved by Lugbara Kari from a competition won by Mercy Deogratious Ajedra and launched on Wednesday 6th October 2021 in Mvara, Arua):
+12. Mudri (dri) ni iri
 
-1. Ama Lugbara ru, ama 'ba aluni
 
-Afa azi maco ama esele ku
 
-Leta asianzu be ama eselea
+20. Kali iri
 
-Ama 'ba aleru, e'yo ada lepi ni.
+21. Kali iri drini alu
 
+22. Kali iri drini iri
 
 
-2. Ama a'bi 'ba ama, ovuzu suru nduni
 
-Wudrikurua 'di eyi ma eselea dria.
+30. Kali na
 
-Suru drile, opi, Agofe amani,
+40. Kali su
 
-Lugbara Kari eci ama tualu.
+50. Kali towi
 
 
 
-3. ADRO fe amani lonyi capini 'bo:
+100. Turu alu
+
+101. Turu alu (drini) alu
+
+102. Turu alu (drini) iri
 
-Nyaku, pati, yi, anyapa, oli be
 
-Ama eciti tualu, angu amani ezozu,
 
-Ama nga paso okporu Lugbara ru.
+110. Turu alu mudri
+
+111. Turu alu mudri drini alu
+
+112. Turu alu mudri drini iri
+
+
+
+120. Turu alu kali iri
+
+121. Turu alu kali iri drini alu
+
+122. Turu alu kali iri drini iri
+
+
+
+200. Turu iri
+
+300. Turu na
+
+400. Turu su
+
+
+
+1,000. Alifu alu
+
+2,000. Alifu iri
+
+3,000. Alifu na
+
+
+
+1,000,000. Milioni alu 
+
+
+
+47,000,000,000. Bilioni kali su drini aziri
+
+
+
+12,000,000,000,000. Trilioni mudri drini iri
+
+
+
+The LORD's Prayer [Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:2-4; very similar to the submissive Muslim Daily Worship Prayer (Salah/ Swalat) which is always said in Arabic, Koran 1 (The Opening)]:
+
+ATA amani ovupi 'buari [Our FATHER who art in Heaven],
+
+Ru MINI ma ovu inzizaru [Hallowed be THY name];
+
+Suru MINI ma emu [YOUR Kingdom come];
+
+E'yo MINI leleri ma 'ye-i nyakua ekile 'buarile [YOUR Will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven].
+
+Mi fe etu 'dosi nyaka andruni ama dri [Give us today our daily food].
+
+Mi ku mari amani, amani 'ba afa amani nyapi 'diyi ma mari kulerile [Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors].
+
+Mi ji ama obeta ma alea ku [Lead us not into temptation];
+
+Mi pa ama 'ba onzi dri [Deliver us from evil].
+
+Te suru pi, okpo pie, diza pie dria MINI 'dani 'dani [For the Kingdom, power, and glory are YOURS forever and ever].
+
+Amena [Amen]!
 
 
 
@@ -6792,6 +6900,38 @@ AZITA MUNGUNI MUDRI 'DIYI [THE 10 COMMANDMENTS], Excerpts from Exodus 20:3-17 in
 
 
 
+Lugbara Anthem (Approved by Lugbara Kari from a competition won by Mercy Deogratious Ajedra and launched on Wednesday 6th October 2021 in Mvara, Arua):
+
+1. Ama Lugbara ru, ama 'ba aluni [We are Lugbara, we are one people]
+
+Afa azi maco ama esele ku [Nothing should divide us]
+
+Leta asianzu be ama eselea [Love and peace among us]
+
+Ama 'ba aleru, e'yo ada lepi ni [We are loving people, who love the truth].
+
+
+
+2. Ama a'bi 'ba ama, ovuzu suru nduni [Our ancestry has made us, to be a different tribe]
+
+Wudrikurua 'di eyi ma eselea dria [Among all these in the world].
+
+Suru drile, opi, Agofe amani [Our clanheads, chiefs, Agofe],
+
+Lugbara Kari eci ama tualu [Lugbara Kari unites us].
+
+
+
+3. ADRO fe amani lonyi capini 'bo [GOD has given us enough wealth already]:
+
+Nyaku, pati, yi, anyapa, oli be [Land, trees, water, animals, with air]
+
+Ama eciti tualu, angu amani ezozu [Let us unite, to develop our place],
+
+Ama nga paso okporu Lugbara ru [We will stand strong as Lugbara]!
+
+
+
 Wura [Colours in Lugbara]:
 
 eka = red/ crimson/ scarlet
@@ -6828,7 +6968,7 @@ okaza, okazaru, okalamgba, wara wara (walala), okata, oka, brawuni = brown (brow
 
 
 
-The verb "to be":
+The Verb "Be":
 
 I am = Ma
 
@@ -6844,104 +6984,6 @@ They are = (E)yi
 
 (Past tense for I and we is expressed by starting a sentence with a- before the verb [though pronounced differently] or ending for all with (ta and) ra = (then and) affirmative eg Amu (ta) ra! = I/ We went then! or 'bo = already eg Amu 'bo! = I/ We have gone already! Present tense for sb or sth is shown by following the subject with ni = is eg Yuganda ni onyiru! = Uganda is good! Future tense is shown by nga = will eg Eri nga gu. = S/he will laugh.)
 
-
-
-Kalafe [Numbers]:
-
-0. Toko/ Ogbo
-
-1. Alu
-
-2. Iri
-
-3. Na
-
-4. Su
-
-5. Towi/ Tawu
-
-6. Azia
-
-7. Aziri
-
-8. Aro
-
-9. Oromi
-
-10. Mudri/ Modri
-
-11. Mudri (dri) ni alu
-
-12. Mudri (dri) ni iri
-
-
-
-20. Kali iri
-
-21. Kali iri drini alu
-
-22. Kali iri drini iri
-
-
-
-30. Kali na
-
-40. Kali su
-
-50. Kali towi
-
-
-
-100. Turu alu
-
-101. Turu alu (drini) alu
-
-102. Turu alu (drini) iri
-
-
-
-110. Turu alu mudri
-
-111. Turu alu mudri drini alu
-
-112. Turu alu mudri drini iri
-
-
-
-120. Turu alu kali iri
-
-121. Turu alu kali iri drini alu
-
-122. Turu alu kali iri drini iri
-
-
-
-200. Turu iri
-
-300. Turu na
-
-400. Turu su
-
-
-
-1,000. Alifu alu
-
-2,000. Alifu iri
-
-3,000. Alifu na
-
-
-
-1,000,000. Milioni alu 
-
-
-
-47,000,000,000. Bilioni kali su drini aziri
-
-
-
-12,000,000,000,000. Trilioni mudri drini iri
-
  
 
 Lugbara Relationships [The Clan]:
@@ -7038,7 +7080,7 @@ Neighbour (jo ejele, jirani)
 
 
 
-O'du Wiki ni [Days of the Week]:
+O'du Wiki Ni [Days of the Week]:
 
 A day is called o'du in Lugbara; 1 week is wiki alu, yumala alu, yumula alu, sabatu alu, sabiti alu or yinga [Lingala for week] alu
 
@@ -7544,7 +7586,7 @@ Tu burusu sia [Climbed onto a pigeon-pea tree] = Used vulgarity and obscene insu
 
  
 
-WEST NILE TOTEMS [SYMBOLS or EMBLEMS]:
+West Nile Totems [Symbols or Emblems]:
 
 Alur = O'du [Leopard]
 
@@ -7668,7 +7710,7 @@ FEEDBACK (Amazing World of Lugbara):
 
 
 
-LUGBARA SUPERMOBILE:
+Lugbara Supermobile:
 
 Machines (AI or Artificial Intelligence) can be programmed to use Lugbara. Engineers, Designers as well as Technology Students in Ugandan Schools have always tinkered with this Possibility. Machines can also teach themselves Lugbara through Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) or Artificial Superintelligence (ASI). Some great advancements towards this goal include the Lugbara Gboard in Android phones plus mobile apps in Lugbarati; whoa! Below are translated Commands you might see in the mega, super-smart Videophones of the future [Vidiosimu/ Supamobailu] or at a GSMA Mobile World Congress:
 
@@ -7826,15 +7868,11 @@ Off [Anyu]
 
 
 
-DREAMCAST (OJAPI CONVERTER, LUGBARA TRANSLATE):
-
-When I was in Senior 5 (during 2001), I told my hostelmates that one day there will be a radio device that converts words spoken on air into text and displayed on a screen. I was labelled "mulalu [Luganda for: mad]" but dreams are not hopeless; GOD's Time brings them to life like Google Assistant, Meet (In-chat captions) or Google Beam, Apple's Siri, TranSay, Logbar ili, OpenAI's ChatGPT or Whisper, etc. Twitter (X) Spaces is also not very far from my Ongo vision. Zero-Shot Machine Translation tech is a model that can learn to translate words into another language without having to see any examples... Meta's Universal Speech Translator is a very ambitious AI research project that might improve language-mixing or Computer-Assisted Translation like Google Translate does... LaMDA (Language Model for Dialogue Applications) which Blake Lamoine labelled "sentient" was originally introduced as Meena in 2020. It's a conversational Large Language Model (LLM) built by Google... The Madi-Lugbara language is related to the languages of Southern Nigeria eg Yoruba, Igbo, Edo, Iduma, Igala, Igbira, Gbari and Nupe. In addition, we can include Ijo and Kalabari of the Niger Delta plus the Bariba - north of Yoruba and Aja (Ewe) spoken in Southern Dahomey (Benin), Togo and South-Eastern Ghana... Some people consider Lugbara a dialect of Madi but many do not accept this theory. In fact, a survey was conducted and it concluded that the Rigbo, Okollo and Ogoko dialects (which are considered Southern Madi) should be categorised as dialects of Lugbara. Besides, we share the same names, numbers and many words... In 2020, with support from the Hewlett Foundation, Sunbird AI commenced the African language technology project. They created a large multilingual parallel text dataset of Ugandan languages, with translations in Acholi, Ateso, Luganda, Lugbara and Runyankole... It was very unreal to discover on Sunday 10th September 2023 while googling for "Lugbara AI" that then 55 year old Google AI Lead Jeff Dean's mother speaks "fluent Lugbara"; she lived in West Nile when Jeffrey was 5 years old. I guess she knows that Lugbara is learnable by machines; Meta introduced its own AI on WhatsApp a few days later. I love the fact that it paraphrases websites rejected by Wikipedia. Mark Zuckerberg believes AI will make multi-lingual connections possible for all. When you copy some of the BigAMBO [Words] in this dictionary and paste as a chat message to Meta AI, it can learn Ugandan Lugbara even though it used a strange vocabulary as Lugbara in Twenty24...
-
-
+LOST IN TRANSLATION (like Leta SI [Synthetic Intelligence]/ Lugbara Artificial General Intelligence):
 
-LOST IN TRANSLATION (like Leta SI [Synthetic Intelligence]/ Lugbara Artificial Intelligence):
+This Lugbara Dictionary research documentation is inspired by (and dedicated to) Cynthia Letasi, aka Rejoice (The Beautyful One and Green Riding Hood born on Thursday 17th August 1995; now Mrs. Mungufeni) who changed my worldview like a Kumari in the Orient between 2001-6; made me feel like Bob Harris in Arua. To be honest, she was my first true crush within Arua (West Nile) though I never told her my exact reality for years (just tried to show it by actions until she confessed something I will treasure forever) plus resembles Tonto Dikeh (Nigerian), Sheebah Karungi and Betty Mpologoma as well as Spice Diana who automatically became my all-time favourites. Queenie, one of the lead vocalists in Miracle Cathedral Rubaga's Proclaim Music choir also has that Cynthia aura plus Pretty Banks, Sheila Gashumba, etc. Even though I reconnected with Xnthi via Facebook at the turn of the 2010s, I did not see her again until 2019 on Arua Avenue at the Ediofe Road Junction. Obsession is not a crime, just harness it like human electricity; Rejection or Disconnection is Redirection! Too much love will heal you. Love is infinite and the Greatest Thing: I admired Cynthia's supadupa fluency at a very tender age of 6-11 and felt inspired to polish my own linguistics by reading Lugbara afresh since I learnt my mother tongue in Busoga (Birth to 11 years) and Buganda only by listening to Lugbara people talk. Even though I spoke and understood it, I couldn't transcribe Lugbara well like English but when I met our Mt. Wati Road (Arua) neighbour's adorable brownskinned daughter, I was motivated to re-study this vernacular from northwestern Uganda in black and white (using music lyrics, Biblia, other literature, then a Fountain Publishers 2009 dictionary compiled by Willy Ngaka, Edward O'du'bua and Paul Iga Ongua [bought for a Twenty10 gig from Sarah Ojirot at Uganda Deaf Women's Organisation], etc). Consequently, I would perhaps grasp Lugbara the way ShaoLan Hsueh created Chineasy, then fabricate my own Synthetic Artificial Lugbara Technology (SALT), Informative Synthetic Encoder (ISE) and Ojapi Translator. Language has to be preserved through documentation and transmitted to anyone connected or interested because cultural heritage represents a collective identity of values, diversity, traditions and assets passed around from generation to generation eg my parents (James + Elizabeth Dramani) to me. Some relatives and natives would laugh at my pronunciations or choice of words but it didn't phase me. I've never been ashamed to be called Omulugwara even if it is a byword for stupidity, Naked People and backwardness among some communities. Aren't we descendants of Noah, the Flood Survivor? One day, I bypassed two dudes on Acacia Avenue in KLA and heard them speak what sounded like broken Lugbara; I reasoned later that it might have been Madi language. Also, Aringa is like Lugbara Patois or Filipino. During May 2023, someone asked me why I study Lugbara yet it is not useful and I told him not to diss my mother tongue like that; garbage or waste appears worthless until it's recycled and given value: Lugbara is a multinational language spoken mainly across three colonial borders which converge at Salia Musala (about 2 hours by car northwards from Arua City). There are nine Lugbara clans in DR Congo. I strongly believe Generative AI can learn Lugbarati and make it reuseable and applicable in various fields; Deep Learning Indaba (DLI), Hugging Face or Lugbara GPT type-of-way. Live translation of President M7's speeches by people like Fred Bada plus other arrangements like crusades, etc can also be a reference... In December 2013, the Lugbarati Language Board proposed an Orthography Guide with 45 letters (including 7 vowels and 38 consonants). Tonal Lugbara literature with its many character symbols (accents, crosses, dashes, dots, umlauts, etc) seems advanced plus crowdily complex and scares away learners, but the simpler version shared in this wordbook is legit too... Lugbara funeral songs have been replaced with church hymns... In my Allegory of Artificial Ignorance: For machines to learn Lugbara, humans (both self-motivated and paid contributors) must train them or organise datasets for AI to decode unsupervised... Artificial Dreams (or Hallucinations) can also come true like Dreamcast...
 
-[This Lugbara Dictionary research documentation is inspired by (and dedicated to) Cynthia Letasi, aka Rejoice (The Beautyful One born on Thursday 17th August 1995; now Mrs. Mungufeni) who changed my worldview like a kumari in the Orient between 2001-6; made me feel like Bob Harris in Arua. To be honest, she was my first true crush within Arua (West Nile) though I never told her my exact reality for years (just tried to show it by actions until she confessed something I still treasure) plus resembles Tonto Dikeh (Nigerian), Sheebah Karungi and Betty Mpologoma as well as Spice Diana who automatically became my all-time favourites. Queenie, one of the lead vocalists in Miracle Cathedral Rubaga's Proclaim Music choir also has that Cynthia aura plus Pretty Banks, Sheila Gashumba, etc. Even though I reconnected with Xnthi via Facebook at the turn of the 2010s, I did not see her again until 2019 on Arua Avenue. Obsession is not a crime, just harness it like human electricity; Rejection or Disconnection is Redirection! Too much love will heal you. Love is infinite and the Greatest Thing: I admired Cynthia's supadupa fluency at a very tender age of 6-11 and felt inspired to polish my own linguistics by reading Lugbara afresh since I learnt my mother tongue in Busoga (Birth to 11 years) and Buganda only by listening to Lugbara people talk. Even though I spoke and understood it, I couldn't transcribe Lugbara well like English but when I met our Mt. Wati Road (Arua) neighbour's adorable brownskinned daughter, I was motivated to re-study this vernacular from northwestern Uganda in black and white (using music lyrics, Biblia, other literature, then a Fountain Publishers 2009 dictionary compiled by Willy Ngaka, Edward O'du'bua and Paul Iga Ongua [bought for a Twenty10 gig from Sarah Ojirot at Uganda Deaf Women's Organisation], etc). Consequently, I would perhaps grasp Lugbara the way ShaoLan Hsueh created Chineasy, then fabricate my own Synthetic Artificial Lugbara Technology (SALT), Informative Synthetic Encoder (ISE) and Ojapi Translator. Language has to be preserved through documentation and transmitted to anyone connected or interested because cultural heritage represents a collective identity of values, diversity, traditions and assets passed around from generation to generation eg my parents (James + Elizabeth Dramani) to me. Some relatives and natives would laugh at my pronunciations or choice of words but it didn't phase me. I've never been ashamed to be called Omulugwara even if it is a byword for stupidity, Naked People and backwardness among some communities. Aren't we descendants of Noah, the Flood Survivor? One day, I bypassed two dudes on Acacia Avenue in KLA and heard them speak what sounded like broken Lugbara; I reasoned later that it might have been Madi language. Also, Aringa is like Lugbara Patois or Filipino. During May 2023, someone asked me why I study Lugbara yet it is not useful and I told him not to diss my mother tongue like that; garbage or waste appears worthless until it's recycled and given value: Lugbara is a multinational language spoken mainly across three colonial borders which converge at Salia Musala (about 2 hours by car northwards from Arua City). There are nine Lugbara clans in DR Congo. I strongly believe Generative AI can learn Lugbarati and make it reuseable and applicable in various fields; Deep Learning Indaba (DLI), Hugging Face or Lugbara GPT type-of-way. Live translation of President M7's speeches by people like Fred Bada plus other arrangements like crusades, etc can also be a reference... In December 2013, the Lugbarati Language Board proposed an Orthography Guide with 45 letters (including 7 vowels and 38 consonants). Tonal Lugbara literature with its many character symbols (accents, crosses, dashes, dots, umlauts, etc) seems advanced plus crowdily complex and scares away learners, but the simpler version shared in this wordbook is legit too... Lugbara funeral songs have been replaced with church hymns... In my Allegory of Artificial Ignorance: For machines to learn Lugbara, humans (both self-motivated and paid contributors) must train them or organise datasets for AI to decode unsupervised... Artificial Dreams (like Hallucinations) can also come true...]
+When I was in Senior 5 (during 2001), I told my hostelmates that one day there will be a radio device that converts words spoken on air into text like S2T (Speech-2-Text) and displayed on a screen. I was labelled "mulalu [Luganda for: mad]" but dreams are not hopeless; GOD's Time brings them to life for instance Google Assistant, Meet (In-chat captions), Apple's Siri, TranSay, Logbar ili, OpenAI's ChatGPT or Whisper, etc. Twitter (X) Spaces is also not very far from my Ongo (Ojapi Converter) vision. Zero-Shot Machine Translation tech is a model that can learn to translate words into another language without having to see any examples... Meta's Universal Speech Translator is a very ambitious AI research project that might improve language-mixing or Computer-Assisted Translation like Google Translate does... LaMDA (Language Model for Dialogue Applications) which Blake Lamoine labelled "sentient" was originally introduced as Meena in 2020. It's a conversational Large Language Model (LLM) built by Google... The Madi-Lugbara language is related to the languages of Southern Nigeria eg Yoruba, Igbo, Edo, Iduma, Igala, Igbira, Gbari and Nupe. In addition, we can include Ijo and Kalabari of the Niger Delta plus the Bariba - north of Yoruba and Aja (Ewe) spoken in Southern Dahomey (Benin), Togo and South-Eastern Ghana... Some people consider Lugbara a dialect of Madi but many do not accept this theory. In fact, a survey was conducted and it concluded that the Rigbo, Okollo and Ogoko dialects (which are considered Southern Madi) should be categorised as dialects of Lugbara. Besides, we share the same names, numbers and many words... In 2020, with support from the Hewlett Foundation, Sunbird AI commenced the African language technology project. They created a large multilingual parallel text dataset of Ugandan languages, with translations in Acholi, Ateso, Luganda, Lugbara and Runyankole... It was very unreal to discover on Sunday 10th September 2023 while googling for "Lugbara AI" that then 55 year old Google AI Lead Jeff Dean's mother speaks "fluent Lugbara"; she lived in West Nile when Jeffrey was 5 years old. I guess she knows that Lugbara is learnable by machines; Meta introduced its own AI on WhatsApp a few days later. I love the fact that it paraphrases websites rejected by Wikipedia. Mark Zuckerberg believes AI will make multi-lingual connections possible for all. When you copy some of the BigAMBO [Words] in this dictionary and paste as a chat message to Meta AI, it can learn Ugandan Lugbara even though it used a strange vocabulary as Lugbara in Twenty24...