Kinyarwanda

Kinyarwanda:

• The language of Burundi is Kirundi, and the language of Rwanda is Kinyarwanda.  They are mutually intelligible, as similar to each other as American and British English.
• According to my teacher, however, Kinyarwanda sounds more expressive and romantic, is better in song, and contagious among Kirundi speakers.  He told me that a Rwandan refugee in Burundi will, even after 50 years, retain his native language, whereas a Burundian that visits Rwanda for a day will come back speaking Kinyarwanda.  In my own experience thus far, it certainly seems true that Kirundi speakers incorporate a great deal of the other language into their own.
•  Kinyarwana, to my English ear, is pronounced "kin-yar-gwanda."