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Runyakitara is a name given to the four major dialects found in Western Uganda namely Runyoro [Nyoro], Rutooro [Tooro], Runyankore [Nyankore] and Rukiga [Chiga]. (Makerere)
Runyakitara is a recent standardization, dating to 1990, so most available data is on the four related languages it draws on.
Ethnologue lists their classification as: Niger-Congo, Atlantic-Congo, Volta-Congo, Benue-Congo, Bantoid, Southern, Narrow Bantu, Central, J, Nyoro-Ganda (J.10)
The Webbook describes Nyoro (Runyoro) as belonging to the Nyoro-Ganda group of Bantu (Guthrie E11).
It is spoken mainly in Uganda. A variety of Nyoro (Hema) is spoken in the Dem. Rep. of the Congo (DRC). (Webbook and Ethnologue)
According to information compiled from Ethnologue:
The four languages in Uganda covered by Runyakitara total over 4 million.
Ladefoged, Glick, and Criper (1972) provide a table of mutual intelligibility for 20 Ugandan Bantu languages showing Rutooro, Rutagwenda, and Runyankore ranging from 86 to 92 percent mutually intelligible with Runyoro; "Runyoro/Rutooro . . . is accepted by Banyoro and Batooro as one language for teaching purposes" (p. 44). (Webbook)
Nyoro and Tooro have 78% to 93% lexical similarity. Hema-Sud (Nyoro-Toro) in DRC is quite different from Nyoro and Tooro. ... Nyankore, Nyoro, and their dialects are considered by some to be one language (lexical similarity 78% to 96%). (Ethnologue)
Dialects according to Ethnologue:
IDRC and CASAS (n.d.) did some research on interintelligibility of Runyakitara languages/dialects.
Another language, Ruruli, seems to be between Ganda and Runyakitara (interpreting information in Ethnologue)
The standardization of the western Ugandan languages (Nyankore-Chiga and Nyoro-Tooro) is called 'Runyakitara', and is taught at Makerere University. (Ethnologue, with modifications)
Nyoro is a local language. Ladefoged, Glick, and Criper (1972) report it is the official vernacular in several Ugandan school districts and agricultural information services and is broadcast about 9 hours per week in Uganda. (Webbook)
Notes from Ethnologue about Nyoro in Uganda: Literacy campaign in progress. Taught in primary schools. Used in newspapers, radio programs.
A standardized Latin-based orthography was established in 1947 [for Nyoro]. (Webbook) [Need more details.]
Sample texts are shown on the "Language Museum" site as follows (these may or may not reflect current standards and use):
ENTUURA Y'OBUNTU AHA BANTU OMUNSI YOONA (Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Runyankore-rukiga/Nkore-kiga Version) http://www.unhchr.ch/udhr/lang/nyn1.htm
Orumuri (a news site in Runyakore/Rukiga) - http://www.orumuri.co.ug/
There is a FOSS localization project called Safari-OS which includes Runyakitara. See http://khmeros.info/download/SafariOS.pdf
Runyakitara (none)
Nyankore
Nyoro
Chiga
Tooro
Hema
Ruli
Is use of Runyakitara superceding that of the individual languages in schools and media? Would it be a good choice for localisation strategies for this cluster of languages?
A good case could be made for a new ISO-639-1 or 2 code for Runyakitara.
Bernsten, Jan. 1998. "Runyakitara: Uganda's 'New' Language." Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development 19(2): 93-107. http://www.multilingual-matters.net/jmmd/019/0093/jmmd0190093.pdf
Dwyer, David (1997), Webbook of African Languages, http://www.isp.msu.edu/AfrLang/hiermenu.html (page on "Nyoro," http://www.isp.msu.edu/AfrLang/Nyoro_root.html )
International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and Centre for Advanced Studies of African Society (CASAS) (n.d.), "Report of the Evaluation of the Democratization of ICT Content for Africa Pilot Project" http://www.idrc.ca/uploads/user-S/10373084350EvalDemoContentAfrica.pdf
Makerere University, Faculty of Arts, Institute of Languages, (second page of language listings), http://www.makerere.ac.ug/arts/depts/morelang.html
SIL International, Ethnologue: Languages of the World, "Chiga," http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=cgg
______, "Hema," http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=nix
______, "Nyankore," http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=nyn
______, "Nyoro," http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=nyo
______, "Ruli," http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=ruc
______, "Tooro," http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=ttj
SIL International, "ISO 639 Code Tables," http://www.sil.org/iso639-3/codes.asp
U.S. Library of Congress, "ISO 639.2: Codes for the Representation of Names of Languages: Alpha-3 codes arranged alphabetically by the English name of language," http://www.loc.gov/standards/iso639-2/php/English_list.php
Wikipedia, "Runyakitara language," http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Runyakitara_language
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