Over 23 languages face extinction as Luganda expands

Linguists are contemplating interventions to save over 23 languages of small communities in Uganda from extinction.

The communities whose languages are at greater risk include, the Banyala and Baruli in Buganda region, Alur, Ik, Tipenth, Lugbara, Luluba and Ma’di. Others include Kakwa, Nubian, Benet or Ndorobo, Bagungu, Bakenyi, Bavuma, Teuso and Soo.

The dean of Makerere University School of Language, Literature and Communication, Dr Saudah Namyalo, has disclosed that whereas almost all the 64 languages and dialects in Uganda are threatened by the fact that they are not official languages, those spoken by the minority communities are more endangered.

She said if there is no urgent practical intervention, they will be no more in a few years from now. The loss of any language, according to Namyalo, tantamount to the loss of humanity.

“Loss of language translates to losing a great part of our human heritage since languages are much more than spoken or written words and sentences. They are the means through which cultures, knowledge and traditions are preserved and transmitted between generations,” she said on Thursday as linguists celebrated achieving the first written corpus or the language resource of SO (Tepeth). The event took place at Makerere University, Kampala.

“The languages are highly endangered because they have no rheography and they are existing as oral languages. The fact is that most of them are not used as a medium of instruction and the media is another challenge,” Namyalo said.

LUGANDA MAKES INROADS

The Runyala and Ruruli languages, Namyalo said, are collapsing into Luganda.

She, however, cited that there are collaborated efforts between the department and the cultural leaders of the respective institutions to save the languages.

“We have the dictionary almost ready for Ruruli and Runyara and we shall be launching it soon,” she said.

Namyalo also said the developed grammar for both languages will also be published.

She said Luganda has made further in roads and that the number of Luganda speaking people has increased from five million people to about 20 million people in a few years, according to their studies.

She attributed it to the increasing use of the language in the business transactions on top of the other advantages of it being more developed than other languages. The language is being taught at all levels of education.

“As we took now, we have several professors in the language,” she said. Namyalo said its dominance of the media was another advantage.

The indigenous languages taught at the department include Swahili, Luganda, Runyakitara and Luo. These languages are taught at undergraduate, masters and PhD levels.

“We are in the process of introducing Lusoga,” she said.