Kiga language
Kiga is a Great Lakes Bantu language of the Kiga people. Kiga is a similar and partially mutually intelligible with Nkore language. It was first written in the second half of the 19th century.
Kiga is so similar to Nkore that some argue they are dialects of the same language, called Nkore-Kiga by Charles Taylor.
In common with other Bantu languages, Kiga has a noun class system in which prefixes on nouns mark membership of one of the noun genders. Pronouns, adjectives, and verbs reflect the noun gender of the nominal they refer to. Some examples of noun classes:
- mu – person, e.g. omukiga = inhabitant of Kigezi land
- ru – language, e.g. Rukiga = language of the Kiga
- ba – people, e.g. Bakiga = The Kiga people
- ki – customs or traditions, e.g. kikiga,, describes religious tradition common to the Kiga people. Sometimes the people are called 'Chiga' by people misunderstanding the linguistic rules in relation to the prefixes.
The sound is not distinctive in Rukiga. The letter "r" is used instead.
