Uganglish

Uganda boasts more languages than I can name... guidebooks usually say some number in the 30s or 40s. For a country the size of Oregon, that is A LOT. The most commonly spoken Ugandan language is Luganda, which is the language I was taught during training and the language I now attempt to speak. We were taught certain languages depending on which region we were to be assigned to; even in my small training group of 12 volunteers, we were divided into 4 different language classes! Some Ugandan languages are similar- I could probably halfway understand someone speaking Lusoga. Others are very very different- there is no way I could understand anything said in Luo. The national language of Uganda is English, which is taught in secondary schools (and to a small degree in primary schools). Thus, English is the “common” Ugandan language, for those who have been educated.

However common, Ugandan English is phrased very differently than American or British English. Peace Corps Volunteers dub it “Ugan-glish,” and we speak it regularly. It is spoken more slowly, with different emphasis. It is now automatic for me to speak Uganglish any time I am talking to a Ugandan; it is so much easier to be understood. (If you are among those who have been on the phone with me when I paused to say something to a Ugandan, you will have heard me involuntarily slip into a different lilt.) If I were to speak the way I speak in America, no one would recognize my words.

It is hard to describe what exactly is different about Uganglish; in addition to phrasing, a lot of it has to do with weight, tempo, and the space between words, rather than what exactly is said. Nevertheless, I’ve written an example conversation for you, between me and a Ugandan:

Me: Hello!
Ug: Nakivumbi Jesca! You are lost!
Me: I have come back!
Ug: You are most welcome!
Me: Thank you. How has been the day?
Ug: The day has been good.
Me: Mmm.
Ug: Mmm. Thaaank you for the work you are doing.
Me: And-uh you, thank you also for the work.
Ug: You have been in-uh-which place?
Me: I have been with myyy friend in-uh Sanje.
Ug: In-uh Sanje?
Me: Mmm. Near with Kyotera, in-uh Rakai.
Ug: Mmm. How is there?
Me: There is good. And-uh-how is here?
Ug: We are OOH-kay.
Me: Also me, I am OOH-kay.
Ug: Kale. (“Kaaah-ley”) Nice time!
Me: Kale. Good-d-day!


I find my American English skills degenerating rapidly, but I also feel that Ugandans are more and more likely to understand my English, or, I should say, my Uganglish. A fair trade-off, I suppose. Sometimes, though, I slip. If I am talking to Americans who also speak Uganglish (ie fellow volunteers), I sometimes accidentally speak Uganglish. The substitutions are slight, but still noticeable; the other day I said to my volunteer friend, “You are looking for what?” whereas in America I would have said, “Whaddareya lookin for?”

There are casual differences, too: fellow volunteers remark on my quick “aht-AHT” (“No.”) or my sing-songy “uh-HUH” (“Yes / That’s right”) when I don’t even realize I’m doing it. I find myself responding to questions as Ugandans do, with a raise of the eyebrows or a “Mmm,” both of which mean “Yes.” (These responses were very disconcerting at first, especially the former. If you are asking someone an important question and all they do is raise their eyebrows to say yes, you don’t exactly feel confident that they have confirmed. But, you get used to it.)

While it can be frustrating to not be able to convey my exact meaning in my own too-complex form of English, speaking Uganglish is fun, not to mention extremely useful. I worry that, when I return to the States, friends will find my cadence odd. But, just as I have let Uganglish creep into my vocabulary here, I think it will creep back out when I return home.

Nice time!