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n Lexikos - From corpus to dictionary : a hybrid prescriptive, descriptive and proscriptive undertaking
Abstract
Despite some heroic efforts over the past few years, Lusoga remains mostly underdeveloped. It is under continuous pressure from more prestigious languages, such as the neighbouring Luganda and especially the only official language in Uganda, English. Lusoga is undergoing rapid language shifts, with new concepts entering the language daily. Ironically, this process is taking place before Lusoga has even been properly reduced to writing. There is no single official orthography that is truly being enforced; people who do write, write as they think fit. Language data is needed for the production of reliable reference works. In the absence of a substantial body of published material in Lusoga, the researcher can resort to recording and transcribing the living language. This opens Pandora's box, in that spoken language (which is meant to be heard, and is typically less formal) is far more complex than written language (which is meant to be read, and is typically more formalised). Spoken and written variants are, by definition, different. And yet one wants to move the language forward, in a way, before the time is ripe. But then, with over two million speakers, how much longer can one wait? This article reports on the building of a new Lusoga corpus, nearly half of which consists of transcribed oral data. The writing problems encountered during the transcription effort are given detailed attention. Dealing with those writing problems in lexicography requires a multipronged approach. While most could be solved by laying down a norm, and thus through prescriptive lexicography, others need a more cautionary approach, and thus descriptive lexicography. Others still can only sensibly be solved when the lexicographer proposes certain options in defiance of existing norms and assumptions, at which point proscriptive lexicography needs to be called in.
Okulondoola engeli eitu ly'Olusoga bwe linaatuusibwa mu iwanika : omutindo ogulaga olulimi bwe luli, bwe luteekwa okuba oba bwe lube lutwalibwe
Empandiika y'Olusoga ekaali inhuma inho waile nga waliwooku obubonelo obulaga enkola y'obuzila mu kugizimba. Olusoga lukaawagamiile wansi w'ennimi nga Oluganda n'olulimi olw'eiwanga, Olungeleza. Ensonga endala ku dhikaalemeisa Olusoga okwetengelela n'okuba nti lulina ebigambo ebilwingila buli olukeile. Eky'embi, enkyukakyuka ebigambo bino ebiyaaka by'eleetawo eli kwidha mu kiseela nga Olusoga lwene lukaali kufunilwaku mpandiika ntongole. Waile walifu dh'Olusoga buti dhiliwo kamaala, wazila ndala ku dho eli kugobelelwa mu kuwandiika kubanga abantu bakaawandiika nga bwe babona. Ebiwandiiko ebili ku Lusoga oba mu lulimi Olusoga byetaagibwa okulaga Olusoga bwe lulina okuba ela n'ebilina okwebuuzibwaku. Eibula ly'ebiwandiiko oti ni bino litegeeza nti omunoonheleza alina okwefunila entambi dh'Olusoga olwogelwa ela yeewanulila Olusoga oluli mu ntambi edho okusobola okutegeela engeli olulimi olwo bwe luli mu kiseela ekyo. Kino kileeseewo obuzibu obundi nti Olusoga olwogelwa tilutongoze ate lulimu emigote kamaala egyandibaile gilondoolwa okusinziila ku mutindo omusengeke singa lubailem mu buwandiike. Ekika ky'Olusoga oluli mu mbeela eyogelwa kya ndhawulo ku kili mu mbeela y'obuwandiike. Okuwanula Olusoga okuva mu ntambi kw'aba nti kugiililiile kwagayaga na kunoga kibala kikaali kwenga bukalamu. Aye engeli ye kili nti Olusoga lulina aboogezi abaswika mu bukaile obubili, abanoonheleza ku Lusoga baalisaine kutandiika li? Olupapula luno lulambulula enzimba y'eitu ly'Olusoga nga ekitundutundu ky'eitu lino kiviile mu Lusoga olwawanulwa okuva mu mbeela eyogelwa. Obuzibu obwayagaanibwa mu mpandiika y'ebigambo ebyawanulwa n'obusimbiibwaku eisila. Okulaga engeli y'okuzigula obuzibu bw'empandiika mu isomo ly'amawanika kwetaagisa enkola eteekubila inho ku nsonga ndala aye enoonheleza engeli esinga kugasa omutendela gw'obuzibu obulondoolebwa. Waile nga obuzibu obundi busobola okugondhoolwa okugiila ku mutendela oguteebwawo, gwalaga olulimi nga bwe luteekwa okuba, obuzibu obundi bwetaagamu okwegendeleza nga wano mubaamu enkola y'okulaga nga olulimi bwe luli. Ate bwo obuzibu obundi bwandyetaagisa abawandiisi b'amawanika okuwaayo obudhulizi obusinziilwaku endowooza dhaibwe edhitagobelela mitendela giliwo nga balaga olulimi bwe lube lutwalibwe waile nga kino kyandiba nga kikontana n'amateeka g'olulimi agaliwo.
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