Ugandans definitely have their own format of English. It evolved from British English back when Uganda was a British protectorate (1862-1962) and has taken a style of its own.
So, if you ever hear me utter any of the follow random phrases, now you’ll know why:
- Muzungu: My unofficial name over here; from what I understand, it is Swahili for “white person” and is used throughout East Africa. It is not a derogatory term and is used by everyone – from young kids up to elders – to refer mainly to people of European decent. However, it can also be extended to anyone who is lighter skinned than Africans, such as Latinos and Asians
- Nedda!: Simply means “No!” in Luganda, but much more fun to say – this was Tracy’s favorite phrase while over here
- Fine!: One of the most commonly heard words here; usually said with a very strong emphasis on the first half of the word (especially when said by kids) which I think makes it more fun to say. There apparently is an unwritten rule that “fine” is basically the only answer that can be given to the question “How are you?” or “How is the day?” Slight variations include “very fine” and “not so fine.” I think I'll try to bring supa-fine into the Ugandan context.
- Sorry…sorry…sorry: Ugandans tend to “apologize” for everything, whether it is in their own control or not. Case in point: I was at a meeting the other day and a chair got knocked over. Almost simultaneously about half of the meeting participants said “oooo, sorry…”
- Yes please: Ugandans tend to throw the word “please” into phrases much more than Americans, including in situations that don’t make any sense to us. For example, if I say someone’s name in an effort to get their attention, they’ll usually answer with “yes please.” The irony here is that Ugandans don’t use “please” in the context familiar to us very often. In fact, I’ve made some of my classmates repeat questions of me using the word please (picture a parent emphasizing to their child how to be polite in conversation) when they seemed to be demanding things of me rather than requesting. :)
- Okay please: Similar to “yes please” above, “please” gets thrown on the end of “okay” in every-day Ugandan English. For example, I tell a person to have a nice day and they reply with “okay please.”
- “What?” as a point of emphasis: Ugandans – especially Ugandan lecturers at Makerere – will sometimes interrupt their sentences with “what” as a way to emphasize a point (although sometimes I think it is just used as a filler as well). For example: “The fan is used for the what? The drying of the feedstock.” Or, “We will meet at the what? The stadium.” At first, I thought this was an actual question, and a couple times I did answer what I believed to be the question, which actually threw off the speaker a little. Only later did I realize it is used almost entirely in a rhetorical sense.
- “You are welcome” before “thank you”: This is what Tracy noticed first when she got here. Ugandans are generally very welcoming people, and when you first meet someone it is very common for them to say “You are welcome!” to which we would respond “thank you…?”
- Eyebrow raise & “mmmmm”: This one took me awhile to adjust to, but it’s simply a way of answering “yes” to a question. The first few times a Ugandan responded to a question by raising his/her eyebrows and giving a small “mmm,” I thought they were just blowing me off. It took me awhile to realize it was actually them giving a positive response to my question. It’s still a little off-setting when someone does this, but I’ve gotten used to it and occasionally find myself doing it as well. However, it’s a very dry way of responding to a question and I have realized I only do it when I’m annoyed with someone. So, if I do this to you, well, sorry…sorry…sorry.
- Responses to a simple hello: Basically all Ugandans speak a native tribal language outside of English. When you get outside of Kampala, many people know very limited English, if any at all. This makes for some interesting conversations, especially with people who have just a little grasp on English. The most obvious difference is how people will respond to a simple “hello.” Instead of a “hi” or “hello” in return, they’ll usually say “fine.” I eventually realized that this is because in Luganda (the main tribal language in the Kampala area) and most other related tribal languages (all of those that are Bantu-based, I believe), there actually is no translation for “hello.” Instead, it is customary to greet someone with the question “how are you.” So any conversation starter is assumed to be this, and the only response they know is “fine.” Another lost-in-translation occurrence is little kids that will often come running up to me shouting “Bye, Muzungu, bye!” I originally thought it was them mispronouncing “hi,” but I figured out that wasn’t the case. I’m still not sure why this is said, maybe I’ll figure it out in the next 7 weeks…
- Short Call: A Ugandan way of saying I’m going to the bathroom for a #1
- Long Call: A Ugandan way of saying I’m going to the bathroom for a #2
Cheers!
Chris
P.S. It has nothing to do with this post, but since it's Easter time, here are a few pictures of the church I attend:
St. John's Church of Kawuku - an Anglican church about 10 minutes' walk from my home
A look at the inside of church at the end of a normal service (two weeks before Easter)
The children from the church-run school performed two weeks before Easter
Baptisms occurred the Monday after Easter. I attended for part of the ceremony (I opted not to stay for all 30-40 children) to see what it was like: they're sprinklers, not dunkers :)
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