Ganda (LùGáànda)
Ganda or Luganda is a member of the Bantu branch of Niger-Congo languages.
Around 3 million Baganda people, who live mainly in the Buganda region of
Uganda, speak the language. Ganda is also widely used elsewhere in Uganda as a
second language. The name Uganda is the Swahili version of Baganda.
Ganda was first written during the second half of the 19th century. The
first Ganda grammar was published in 1882, and was soon followed by other
publications, many of which were written by missionaries. A number of different
Ganda spelling systems were developed. A standard orthography of Ganda
(Empandiika y’Oluganda Entongol) was introduced in 1947 at an
All-Baganda Conference.
Ganda is used as the language of instruction in some primary schools in
the Buganda region. There are also regular radio broadcasts in Ganda.
Arabic alphabet for Ganda
| A a | B b | C c | D d | E e | F f | G g | I i | J j |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| a | bba | cca | dda | e | ffa | gga | yi/i | jja |
| K k | L l | M m | N n | NY ny | Ŋ ŋ | O o | P p | R r |
| kka | la | mma | nna | nnya/ nna-yi |
ŋŋa | o | ppa | eri |
| S s | T t | U u | V v | W w | Y y | Z z | ||
| ssa | tta | wu/u | vva | wa | ya | zza |