Typecraft v2.5
Jump to: navigation, search

Diminutives in Luganda

by Medadi Erisa Ssentanda



DIMINUTIVES IN LUGANDA

Introduction

A diminutive (DIM) form refers to a slight degree of something, smallness of an object or quality, but it can also express intimacy or endearment. Luganda (Bantu E15) like many other Bantu languages uses noun class prefixes and adjectives to mark diminutives. When a noun appears in its diminutive form agreement is required. This means that various words that modify the noun must carry agreement prefixes.

All nouns and all proper names in Luganda can appear in a diminutive form by adding an affix. Diminutives in Luganda are widely formed by assigning any noun or proper name to classes 12/13 (12 = aka/ 13= otu) for singular and plural respectively. Class 14 (obu) is also diminutive, but class 14 contains more inherent nouns than 12 and 13. Classes 12/13 have very few nouns that inherently belong to these classes, and these inherently assigned nouns are not semantically diminutives. Examples of inherently assigned nouns to class 12/13 are:

CLASS 12 aka - Inherent Nouns
Nouns inherent to cl12 English translation
akajanja
akatandaalo a raised table like structure for drying utencils
akalulu vote
akateebe deep water
akakunizo puzzle
akamooli ventilator

The plural of nouns in class 12 is class 14 obu. For instance akamooli ventilator in class 14 is obumooli ventilators.

CLASS 13 otu Inherent Nouns
Nouns inherent to cl13 English translation
otulo sleep

Nouns in class 12 and others can be pluralised in class 13 but with a diminutive connotation of smallness, beauty and endearment. So, the only inherent noun in cl13 is otulo sleep


Class 14 = Obu has inherently mass nouns that cannot be pluralised. The inherently assigned nouns include but not only:See table below:


CLASS 14 Inherent Nouns
noun English translation
obulo millet
obubaka message
obuugi porridge
obukeedo raw material for making a basket

Nouns in cl12 when pluralised but with no Diminutive connotation go to cl14; when a diminutive connotation is intended then cl 13 is ude.

See this table (no diminutive connotation):


CLASS 12 Inherent Nouns, singular
noun cl14 obu plural form English translation
akakongovvule obukongovvule ankles
akateebe obuteebe deep waters
akatandaalo obutandaalo raised table-like structure for drying utencils
akakunizo obukunizo puzzles

But when a diminutive connotation of those nouns is intended, then cl13 otu is used as given here:

CLASS 12 Inherent Nouns
cl13 otu English translation
akamooli otumooli beautiful/endeared ventilators
akajanja no plural
akakongovvule otukongovvule small/beautiful/endeared ankles

Lets now look at the derivation of diminutives.

Examples are given in the table below:

Noun class Root Diminutive Gloss
cl12 aka- -sajja man akasajja small/tiny man
cl12 aka- -wala girl akawala small/tiny girl
cl12 aka caayi tea kacaayi tea (endeared)(from Swahili, chai)
cl12 aka -ti tree akati stick/tiny/small tree
13OTU Uncountable nouns -zzi waterkm light in a year otuzzi small amount of water/precious water
cl12 aka -nnyu salt otunnyu little salt/precious salt
cl14 OBU Plural -lenzi boy obulenzi small boys, derogatorykm light in a year
cl14 obu -papula paper obupapula small/tiny papers/beautiful papers

Example sentences

Akasajja kali kantama
“I loathe the other man”
Akasajja
akasajja
IV12DIMman
N
kali
kali
12DIMDIST2
DEM
kantama
kantama
12SBJ1SGOBJloatheFV
V


Leeta wano otunnyu twange
“Bring here my (endeared/precious) salt”
Leeta
leeta
bringFV
V
wano
wano
here
PREP
otunnyu
otunnyu
IV13DIMsalt
N
twange
twaange
POSS13mine
PNposs


Talina mulimu, akola bulimulimu bwasanze
“S/he has no proper job, s/he does any job s/he finds”
Talina
tealina
notNEG haveFV
V
mulimu
mulimu
 work/job
N
akola
akola
3Pwrok/doFV
V
bulimulimu
bulimulimu
 work/job14DIM 
N
bwasanze
bweasang-įle
 3PfindPFV
V


The other additional element of meaning that is often associated with diminutive forms in Luganda is the emotive element involving expression of affection, endearment or sympathy towards the referent. For instance, in sentence (1) above, the speaker treasures the little salt referred to. Possibly it is the only salt left, and he/she cannot stand to waste it.

Like Booij (2005:14) puts it, diminutives are not only used to denote small size but also for giving a positive negative evaluation. For instance in sentence (3) the jobs referred to are disapproved, they are not proper. I thought he/she does any kind of job he/she finds; he/she does not discriminate, and the jobs are short lived, but not disapproved In Luganda, diminution can also be formed by adding affixes to proper names: when this is done, the noun becomes derogatory and negatively evaluates the referent. This addition of a diminutive prefix onto a proper name can also mean little or endearment. However, the meaning here can also be colloquial. For instance:

Kamukasa
“Small Mukasa/ Endeared Mukasa.”
Kamukasa
kamukasa
12DIM 
Np


kajohn kaako kazze
“Little/small John has come”
kajohn
kajohn
12DIM 
Np
kaako
kaakao
12 12AGRDIST
DEM
kazze
kajj-įle
12AGRcomePFV
V


In this case the meaning of the diminutive varies from the context to context, see example ii above. The John in question can be endeared to the speaker or that the John talked of is negatively evaluated (derogatory). In his paper, A short survey of Diminutives in Slovak and English Alena Kačmárová mentions something interesting about diminutives: A means by which a language can be considered ‘cute’ is the usage of diminutive forms of nouns, verbs, adjectives, or adverbs. In Luganda this phenomenon is true, diminution can at times be untranslatable. It is not uncommon in Ugandan English to hear Luganda speakers appending Luganda diminutives to English words in an attempt to express their intended meaning. This probably comes because the intended shade of meaning has no match to the English equivalents. What is interesting is that, the diminutives are sometimes appended to the English diminutives, see example iii and iv below. The same case happens with augmentation.

Your kadress is so beautiful
“Your dress (endeared) is so beautiful”
Your
your
2p
PRTposs
kadress
kadress
12DIMdress
N
is
is
 
AUX
so
so
INTS
 
beautiful
beautiful
 
ADJ


Give me a kasmall piece
“Give me a small piece ”
Give
give
give
V
me
me
me1POBJ
PN
a
 
a
ART
kasmall
kasmall
12small
ADJ
piece
piece
piece
N


In example (6) the speaker endears the dress. The dress is not necessarily small but it is endeared or taken to be precious to the speaker. This kind of language is so common among the youth.

In example (7) notice that ka (class12 prefix) denotes smallness, and the English adjective small also means small; but because of the untranslatable nature of some meanings, some speakers feel unsatisfied with using only the English adjective.

Adjectives denoting diminution

-tono small

Njagala amazzi matono
“I want little water”
Njagala
nyagala
1PSBJwantFV
V
amazzi
amazzi
IV6water
N
matono
matono
6little/small
ADJ


Olugoye lwe lutono telumutuuka
“His/her cloth is small, it does not fit him/her”
Olugoye
olugoye
IV11SGcloth
CN
lwe
lue
11his/hersPOSS
 
lutono
lutono
11AGRsmall
ADJ
telumutuuka
telumutuuka
notNEG11AGR3PfitFV
V


–tini tiny

Mpa katini
“Give me a tiny piece”
Mpa
nwa
1PgiveFV
V
katini
katini
12DIMtiny
ADJ


This adjective, -tini is very common in young children’s language. They use it to refer to smallness and also to tininess of something. Adults do not usually use this adjective.

Cultural usage of diminutives

In Kiganda culture, when someone gives birth, people begin to ask of the sex of the baby one gave birth to. The question posed in this situation is diminutive denoting littlness, endearment and affection:

Namubiru yazadde kaana ki?
“Which sex of the child did Namubilu give birth to?”
Namubiru
namubiru
 
Np
yazadde
aazaal-įle
3PPASTbirthPFV
V
kaana
kaana
12DIMchild
N
ki?
ki?
Q
Wh


Also, when one is congratulating a mother they say:

Akaana kakulike!
“Congratulations upon being delivered of a baby!”
Akaana
akaana
IV12DIMchild
N
kakulike
kakulike
12AGRcongratulateSBJV
V


Kababby kakulike
“Congratulations upon your birth”
Kababby
kababby
12DIMbabby
N
kakulike
kakulike
12AGRcongratulateSBJV
V



References

Booij, G.(2005) The Grammar of Words: An Introduction (2nd edn). Oxford University Press: UK

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diminutive

Kačmárová, Alena. A short survey of Diminutives in Slovak and English