Like many languages, Kinyarwanda constantly adds new words and terminologies. Some of them are formed by affixation, and some by processes. Terminologies are not common words; they are special words or expressions used in relation to a particular subject or activity. According to Egide Kabagema, Language Structure and Lexicology Research Specialist at Rwanda Cultural and Heritage Academy (RCHA), in Rwanda, the people in charge of a scientific or technical domain are the first to create technical and scientific terminologies. “RCHA receives any demand of people to help them create their technical terminologies in Kinyarwanda,” he continued. “When the request arrives in RCHA, it is analysed and answered. The Kinyarwanda terminologies are proposals. It is the use of them which confirms that they are useful and well done.” Kabagema also noted that it is the Language Structure and Lexicology Research Specialist of RCHA who proposes, updates and scatters new terminologies in the Rwandan community, although Rwandans are the ones who officialise the use of it. “Often,” he said. “They create themselves Kinyarwanda terminologies to be used. If they need help, they send a request to RCHA. But every time, they are the first to suggest how they feel those terminologies can be denominated in Kinyarwanda. The terminologist helps in smoothing them and publishing them on RCHA site so that the whole public can be aware of those new terminologies and try to use them in their daily writings.” The official process of creating a terminology According to Kabagema, when the concept is new, the one who invented it proposes the terminology, but when concepts are known in other languages and come to Rwanda, they need translation. In this case, he continued, those new terminologies are sent to RCHA to be translated, validated and returned to the sender, and later be published on RCHA website. “It is the use of them that integrates them in the language,” he emphasised, adding that all Kinyarwanda terminologies validated by RCHA must be published on its website. “On it,” he continued. “There must be a window where questions can be channelled and the platform facilitates chats or discussions on those new proposals as terminologies in Kinyarwanda.” He noted that RCHA also helps in refining terminologies to comply with the language’s nature and their meaning from the original language as well as to have their shorter versions. “It is important to check how a terminology is explained in its original language and use that definition to choose a Kinyarwanda word that fits it the best,” he said. “If the terminology is already being used by many people, it is hard to change it, but if it is not, we can create a more fitting and appropriate word for it and then publicise it in media, social media and other platforms until people adopt and start to use it.” He added that it takes up to five years to officially validate a terminology considering how the Rwandan community has used it.
