Ugandan English
Ugandan English, also colloquially referred to as Uglish, is the variety of English spoken in Uganda. Aside from Uglish, other colloquial portmanteau words are Uganglish and Ugandlish.
Influence of indigenous languages
The phonological characteristics of Ugandan indigenous languages significantly influence the pronunciation patterns of Ugandan English. The country's linguistic diversity enables speakers familiar with the region to discern an individual's ethnolinguistic background through their English pronunciation patterns.In the Bantu languages of southern Uganda, particularly notable is their syllabic structure, which prohibits isolated consonants without accompanying vowels. In Luganda, for instance, the metalinguistic term for consonant literally translates to "silent letter". This phonological constraint results in epenthetic vowel insertion, whereby the name Alfred undergoes vowel epenthesis to become. Similarly, muscular is realized as.
Luganda exhibits specific phonotactic constraints regarding liquid consonants: the rhotic never occurs word-initially and is restricted to post-vocalic positions following front vowels and. Conversely, the lateral is prohibited in these environments. This complementary distribution affects loanword adaptation, transforming railway into.
Another distinctive feature of Luganda phonology is the prohibition of the sequence, which undergoes palatalization to. Consequently, cute is phonetically realized as.
In contrast, speakers of Runyankole and Rukiga demonstrate different phonological patterns. These languages readily accommodate word-initial rhotics but have limited occurrence of the lateral. Additionally, they exhibit a tendency toward postalveolar fricatives, often realizing as. The cumulative effect of these phonological rules results in transformations such as calcium being pronounced as.
Vocabulary and idioms
Some words in Ugandan English have unique meanings widely understood within Uganda but unknown to foreigners. The best known example is probably to extend, which in Uganda means "to move aside" or "to create space for someone else to sit". Another example, pop, is used to replace words such as bring and come, for example: "Danny, pop that bottle here" or "Heno, pop to my house". The origins of some of these words' usages may be obscure.Buildings
; godown : A warehouse or storage area, often used for goods in transit, derived from Malay. The standard English term warehouse is also known in Uganda.; hotel : A restaurant found in a small town.
Clothing
; put on : To dress, to be dressed or to wear. For example, "That lady is rich, don't you see how she is putting on?" and "The police are looking for a man putting on a red shirt."Communication
; beeped, flashed : To ring up the intended recipient of a call and hang up immediately, indicating that the caller wishes to talk at the receiver's expense. The receiver understands themselves to have been beeped or flashed, based on the brief flashing of the screen. This is common in Uganda due to the prevalence of prepaid mobile phone services.Education
; facilitation : In Uganda, it means paying someone for attending a meeting or event, often covering expenses and providing additional compensation. This contrasts with the European or US meaning, which focuses on helping organise progress without financial compensation.Family members
; cousin : In Uganda, this term is used to refer to any close relative, including siblings, aunts, uncles and even close family friends. Thus, the terms cousin brother or cousin sister are used to identify the "close" cousins.; dependant : A child who is not the biological offspring of the family with whom the child lives. Sometimes, dependants are referred to as sons, daughters, nephews or nieces. The high number of children orphaned by AIDS and poverty combined with the communal culture of Uganda leads to an extremely high number of dependents and a great deal of confusion for an outsider trying to determine biological family structure.
; sibling : In Uganda, this term can also used to refer to cousins, especially those who are close in age. This usage is common in many Ugandan languages, where the concept of family extends beyond immediate siblings.
Food and farming
; take a beverage : To drink a beverage, such as water, soda or beer.; chai : Another word for all kinds of tea.
; chips : French fries, as in British English.
; digging : A common word to refer to farming.
; garden : A field under cultivation, including large fields. This is a direct translation from several Ugandan languages.
; Irish potatoes : Potatoes in general. By itself, potatoes refers to sweet potatoes.
; macrons : Spaghetti, which is generally fried in oil.
; ovacado, vacado : Avocado, a common fruit in Uganda.
; pop : A soda, such as Coca-Cola or Fanta, similar to regional American English.
; posho : A dense mixture of cooked cornmeal and water, similar to ugali.
; sukuma wiki : Collard greens, a common vegetable in Uganda.
Language
; vernacular : Commonly used to refer to local languages, as opposed to English. It originates from the practice in primary schools of punishing students for speaking their local languages, which are often referred to as "vernacular". This usage is not common in other English-speaking countries.Money
; bounce : In American and British English, a dishonoured check is said to "bounce". In Uganda, this phrase has been adopted to refer to the failure to meet with someone, with or without an appointment: "I came to your place and bounced."; demand : In Uganda, the verb demand is often used in place of owe, with inversion of subject and object. For example, "I demand John ten thousand shillings" means "John owes me ten thousand shillings".
; eating money : A phrase used to describe the act of spending money, especially in a lavish or extravagant manner. It is derived from the idea that when one spends money, they are "eating" it, as if consuming it. This phrase is widely used in Uganda and has several connotations. It is also a common phrase in reference to embezzlement, corruption, or misappropriation of funds: "The Minister ate the money," or "He was fired from his job because he ate money." This phrase also applies to living a lavish or abundant lifestyle, hence "You are eating money", which commonly means one is successful and doing well.
; forex : Foreign currency, and currency exchange bureaus are referred to as forex bureaux.
; house : When out with friends for drinks or shopping, if someone pays the bill, they are said to have "housed" the group. For example, "We went out with Kenneth last night and he housed us" means "Kenneth paid for the drinks".
; terms for shillings : Due to the high exchange rate to other currencies, in Uganda, 1000 shillings is referred to as "1k", 2000 shillings as "2k", and so on. For example, "Lend me some 10k Marvin" means "Lend me 10,000 shillings Marvin."
Quality
; fake : A word used to describe something that is not genuine or authentic. For example, if one's friend went on an exciting evening out without inviting the other friend, one might hear the latter complain, saying "Eeh, you man, you are fake!"; somehow : A frequently interspered word used to mean "slightly" or "occasionally". It can also imply doubt or uncertainty. When asked if you liked the food, and you enjoyed it slightly, you could simply reply "somehow".
Religion
; pagan : Individuals who would be referred to elsewhere as atheists and agnostics are referred to as pagans, often used to describe those who do not adhere to Christianity.; save-dee : A person who has found God, often referred to in other English-speaking countries as "being saved".
Social interactions
; congs : Short for "congratulations".; lost : Used to mean that one has not seen the person in a long time. It can also be used to signal a transition. For instance, if a person is preparing to leave, he might break a moment of silence with "ok please" and then announce that he is leaving. "Thank you please" has a similar meaning but can also mean thank you. "Please" never means please. If Ugandans want something, they say "You give me..." Please is not required; the tone of the voice is normally enough to convey politeness.
; wel be back : A bastardised way of saying "welcome back", used much more commonly than the standard phrase.
Transport and directions
; bodaboda : A motorbike or bicycle used for the same purpose as a taxi. The term originated at the Uganda–Kenya border crossing at Busia, where a kilometre separates the downtown area from the border post on the Ugandan side. Travellers dropped off at the bus/taxi station by buses or taxis, or those coming to Uganda from the Kenya side, were ferried over this distance by enterprising cyclists, who would attract business by calling "border, border".; branch : To turn.
; captain : The title applied to all pilots, not just those in command of a plane. Pilot is often used to refer to the driver of a bus, taxi or "special hire".
; foot : To walk.
; give someone a push : To accompany a person home for some distance.
; means : Forms of transport. For instance: "I could not reach the party last night; I had no means."
; sleep outside : When a car "sleeps" outside, it means it stays outside, not in the compound or in the garage.
; slope : To go in a particular direction which is not necessarily downhill.
; taxi : A van used like a bus, carrying many persons along a fixed route. A taxi taking one passenger at a time on a negotiable route is referred to as a special hire.