Languages of Uganda

Warning sign in Luganda, English and Swahili

Official| English[1] and Swahili
National| none
Recognised| Southern Luo, Lugbara, Runyankole, Lusoga, Ateso
Vernacular| Luganda, Ugandan English
Minority| many Bantu and Nilo-Saharan languages; Nubi
Signed| Ugandan Sign Language
Keyboard layout|

QWERTY

Language families map of Uganda

In Uganda, the most widely spoken language, especially in the capital city Kampala is English, which has been the country's official language since 1962, followed by Luganda. English is used as the medium of instruction in schools — a legacy of the colonial period — and it also serves as the primary language for business and legal affairs.[2] Swahili is the third most spoken language after English and Luganda. Although more prevalent in neighboring Kenya and Tanzania, Swahili is taught in Ugandan schools as an optional subject and is primarily spoken by the military. In 2005, there were discussions about adopting Swahili as a second official language due to its perceived neutrality; however, this proposal has not yet been ratified by the government.[2] Swahili is also spoken in some communities near the borders with South Sudan and Kenya.[3]

Uganda is a multilingual country with over 70 estimated languages in active use. Of the 43 living languages documented,[4] 41 are indigenous and 2 are non-indigenous. These languages fall into four major language families: Bantu, Nilotic, Central Sudanic, and Kuliak. Their status varies: 5 are considered institutional, 27 are developing, 7 are established, 2 are endangered, and 2 are nearly extinct. Uganda is also home to Ugandan Sign Language.

## Languages

[edit]

Sign in Kinyarwanda (Rufumbira dialect) and English in Kisoro

In Bantu-speaking regions of Uganda, dialect continua are common. For instance, while speakers in the Mbarara area use Runyankore and those in the Tooro Kingdom speak Rutooro, the communities located between these regions often use dialects that blend features of both. Historically, these and other closely related languages — such as Runyoro, Rutooro, Runyankore, Rukiga, Ruhema, Runyambo, and Ruhaya — were mutually intelligible and shared a common literary tradition under the label Runyoro.

In 1952, distinct orthographies were established for Runyoro–Rutooro and Runyankore–Rukiga, marking a shift toward linguistic differentiation. Around 1990, the term Runyakitara emerged to collectively describe this cluster of mutually intelligible Bantu languages. Runyakitara is not associated with any single ethnic group but rather with the cultural heritage of the historical Empire of Kitara. It has been promoted particularly in academic contexts, such as at Makerere University. However, a fully unified orthography for Runyakitara has yet to be developed and widely adopted.[citation needed]

In south-central Uganda, the Bantu languages of Luganda and Lusoga are largely interintelligible as well. This dialectic similarity also extends to the Lussese language spoken in the Ssese Islands of Lake Victoria.[5]

Nilotic languages include Karamojong of eastern Uganda (population 370,000), the Kakwa language in the extreme northwestern corner (about 150,000 population) and Teso south of Lake Kyoga (3.2 million 9.6% of Uganda's population). Western Nilotic Luo languages include Alur (population 459,000), Acholi, Lango, Adhola and Kumam.

Some Southern Nilotic Kalenjin languages are spoken along the border with Kenya, including Pökoot and the Elgon languages near Kupsabiny. Kuliak languages Ik and Soo are spoken in northeast Uganda. Lugbara, Aringa, Ma'di and Ndo of northwestern Uganda are members of the Central Sudanic languages.

## Language policy

[edit]

In Uganda, as in many African countries, English was introduced in government and public life by way of missionary work and the educational system. During the first decades of the twentieth century, Swahili gained influence as it was not only used in the army and the police, but was also taught in schools. The Baganda viewed the introduction of Swahili as a threat to their political power and partly through their influence, English remained the only official language at that time.[citation needed]

After independence, there were efforts to choose an African official language, with Swahili and Luganda as the most considered candidates. Although Luganda was the most geographically spread language, people outside Buganda were opposed to having it as a national language.[6] English remained the official language.[7]

Ugandan English, a local dialect of English, is largely influenced by native languages of the Ugandan people but very similar to both the British and American English.

### Uganda National Kiswahili Council

[edit]

In 2011, the government of Uganda revealed plans to establish a Swahili language council to boost the teaching of the Swahili language in the country. It was not until September 9, 2019 that the cabinet passed resolution to create the National Kiswahili Council.[8]

The National Swahili Council is meant to guide the planning process, implementation of interventions and allocation of resources to the usage and development of Kiswahili as a lingua franca – a language that is adopted as a common language between speakers whose first languages are different.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Constitution of Uganda Article 6
2. ^ a b Nakayiza, Judith; Ssentanda, Medadi. "English rules in Uganda, but local languages shouldn't be sidelined". The Conversation. Retrieved 2022-05-14.
3. ^ "Uganda". World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples.
4. ^ Ethnologue, "Languages of Uganda" (lists also 2 languages with no speakers, Swahili, and Ugandan Sign Language for a total of 45)
5. ^ Alexandra Aikhenvald; Anne Storch, eds. (22 January 2013). Perception and Cognition in Language and Culture. Koninklijke Brill NV. p. 252\. ISBN 978-90-04-23367-6. Retrieved 22 December 2013.
6. ^ Ladefoged et al., 1972:28-30
7. ^ Mpuga 2003
8. ^ URN. "Ugandans must prepare to learn, speak Kiswahili - Ofwono". The Observer - Uganda. Retrieved 2020-06-12.

## Further reading

[edit]

* Gordon, Raymond G., Jr. (ed.), 2005. Ethnologue: Languages of the World, Fifteenth edition. Dallas, Tex.: SIL International. Online version: http://www.ethnologue.com/. More specifically Ethnologue report for Uganda, retrieved August 19, 2005.
* Ladefoged, Peter; Ruth Glick; Clive Criper; Clifford H. Prator; Livingstone Walusimbi (1972) Language in Uganda (Ford Foundation language surveys vol. 1). London/New York etc. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-436101-2
* Mpuga, Douglas (2003) 'The official language issue: A look at the Uganda Experience'. Unpublished paper presented at the African Language Research Project Summer Conference, Maryland.
* Parry, Kate (ed.) (2000) Language and literacy in Uganda: towards a sustainable reading culture. Kampala: Fountain Publishers.

* v
* t
* e

Languages of Uganda

Official languages|

* English
* Swahili
* Ugandan Sign Language

Indigenous
languages|

| Bantu|

* Amba
* Gungu
* Gwere
* Khayo
* Kiga
* Kinyarwanda
* Luganda
* Luhya
* Marachi
* Masaba
* Nkore
* Nkore-Kiga
* Nyole
* Nyoro
* Nyoro-Tooro
* Ruuli
* Samia
* Singa
* Soga
* Talinga
* Tooro

|

Nilo-Saharan|

* Acholi
* Adhola
* Alur
* Aringa
* Bari
* Elgon
* Ik
* Karamojong
* Kuku
* Lango
* Lugbara
* Nyang'i
* Pökoot
* Soo
* Southern Luo
* Teso

Others|

* Runyakitara
* Nubi
* Oropom

Immigrant languages|

* English
* French
* Punjabi
* Spanish
* German
* Italian
* Hindi
* Hebrew
* Arabic
* Chinese
* Portuguese
* Japanese
* Russian
* Danish
* Dutch

* v
* t
* e

Uganda articles

History|

* Early (pre-1894)
* Egyptian rule
* British rule (1894–1962)
* Early independence (1962–1971)
* Idi Amin (1971–1979)
* Uganda–Tanzania War
* Third Republic
* Uganda since 1986

Geography|

* Cities and towns
* Conservation
* Lakes
* Mountains
* Protected areas
* Rivers
* Wildlife

Politics|

* Administrative divisions

* Constitution
* Corruption
* Elections
* Foreign relations
* Government
* President
* Prime Minister
* Cabinet
* Human rights
* Intersex
* LGBT rights
* Military
* Law enforcement
* Political parties
* Rebel groups
* Flag

Economy|

* Agriculture
* Banking
* Central bank
* Conservation
* Energy
* Fisheries
* Forestry
* Poverty
* Shilling (currency)
* Stock exchange
* Telecommunications
* Tourism
* Trade unions
* Transport

Society|

* Abortion
* Climate change
* Demographics
* Domestic violence
* Education
* Health
* Human trafficking
* Languages
* Polygamy
* Prostitution
* Religion
* Squatting
* Terrorism
* Water supply and sanitation
* Women
* Youth

Culture|

* Cinema
* Cuisine
* Gomesi (dress)
* Kanzu (robe)
* Media
* Music
* Public holidays
* Sport

* Outline
* Index

* Category
* Portal

* v
* t
* e

Languages of Africa

Sovereign states|

* Algeria
* Angola
* Benin
* Botswana
* Burkina Faso
* Burundi
* Cameroon
* Cape Verde
* Central African Republic
* Chad
* Comoros
* Democratic Republic of the Congo
* Republic of the Congo
* Djibouti
* Egypt
* Equatorial Guinea
* Eritrea
* Eswatini
* Ethiopia
* Gabon
* The Gambia
* Ghana
* Guinea
* Guinea-Bissau
* Ivory Coast
* Kenya
* Lesotho
* Liberia
* Libya
* Madagascar
* Malawi
* Mali
* Mauritania
* Mauritius
* Morocco
* Mozambique
* Namibia
* Niger
* Nigeria
* Rwanda
* São Tomé and Príncipe
* Senegal
* Seychelles
* Sierra Leone
* Somalia
* South Africa
* South Sudan
* Sudan
* Tanzania
* Togo
* Tunisia
* Uganda
* Zambia
* Zimbabwe

States with limited
recognition

* Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic
* Somaliland

Dependencies and
other territories

* Canary Islands / Ceuta / Melilla (Spain)
* Madeira (Portugal)
* Mayotte / Réunion (France)
* Saint Helena / Ascension Island / Tristan da Cunha (United Kingdom)
* Western Sahara

* v
* t
* e

Dialects and accents of Modern English by continent

Europe|

| Great
Britain|

| England|

| North|

* Cheshire
* Cumbria
* Barrow
* Lancashire
* Liverpool/Scouse
* Manchester
* Northumbria
* Pitmatic
* Sunderland
* Tyneside/Geordie
* Teesside
* Yorkshire

|

Midlands|

* East Midlands
* West Midlands
* Birmingham
* Black Country
* Stoke-on-Trent

South|

* East Anglia
* London & Thames Estuary
* Cockney
* Multicultural
* Received Pronunciation
* West Country
* Cornwall
* Dorset

Scotland|

* Glasgow
* Highlands

Wales|

* Abercraf
* Cardiff
* Gower
* Port Talbot

Ireland|

* Dublin
* South-West
* Ulster

* Channel Islands
* Gibraltar
* Isle of Man
* Malta

Americas|

| North
America|

| Canada|

* Aboriginal
* Atlantic
* Lunenburg
* Newfoundland
* Multicultural Toronto
* Ottawa Valley
* Quebec
* Standard Canadian

|

United
States|

* Midland
* New England
* Boston
* East
* Maine
* West
* New York City
* accent
* North
* Inland North
* North-Central
* Philadelphia
* Baltimore
* South
* accent
* Appalachia
* Chesapeake/Outer Banks
* New Orleans
* Older South
* Texas
* West
* California
* Pacific Northwest
* Western Pennsylvania

Social and
ethno-cultural|

* African-American
* Vernacular
* American Indian
* Cajun
* Chicano
* General American
* Good American Speech
* Miami Latino
* New York Latino
* Northeastern elite
* Pennsylvania Dutch

Caribbean|

* Antigua and Barbuda
* The Bahamas
* Barbados
* Bequia
* Cayman Islands
* Bay Islands
* Jamaica
* Saba
* Samaná
* Trinidad and Tobago

* Bermuda
* Falkland Islands

Oceania|

| Australia|

* variation
* accent
* Aboriginal
* South
* Torres Strait
* West

|

* Fiji
* New Zealand
* accent
* Palau
* Solomon Islands

Africa|

* Cameroon
* The Gambia
* Ghana
* Kenya
* Liberia
* Malawi
* Namibia
* Nigeria
* Sierra Leone
* South Africa
* accent
* Cape Flats
* South Atlantic
* Uganda
* Zimbabwe

Asia|

| East Asia|

* Hong Kong

|

South Asia|

* Bangladesh
* India
* regional and occupational
* Maldives
* Nepal
* Pakistan
* Sri Lanka

Southeast Asia|

* Brunei
* Cambodia
* Malaysia
* Myanmar
* Philippines
* Singapore
* Thailand

Antarctica|

* Antarctica

Related|

* English language
* Basic
* Broad and general accents
* Commonwealth
* Comparison of American and British English
* E-Prime
* Engrish
* English as a lingua franca
* English-based creole languages
* Englishisation
* Globish
* Gogate
* Nerrière
* International
* Jewish English (Yeshiva English)
* Learning
* Linguistic purism in English
* List of English-based pidgins
* Non-native pronunciations of English
* Plain
* Standard

* v
* t
* e

English-speaking world

English speaking countries

Further links

| Articles|

* English-speaking world
* History of the English language
* British Empire
* English in the Commonwealth of Nations
* Anglosphere

|

Lists|

* List of countries by English-speaking population
* List of countries where English is an official language

|  |

* Countries and territories where English is the national language or the native language of the majority

Africa|

* Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha

Americas|

* Anguilla
* Antigua and Barbuda
* The Bahamas
* Barbados
* Belize
* Bermuda
* British Virgin Islands
* Canada
* Cayman Islands
* Dominica
* Falkland Islands
* Grenada
* Guyana
* Jamaica
* Montserrat
* Saba
* Saint Kitts and Nevis
* Saint Lucia
* Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
* Sint Eustatius
* Sint Maarten
* South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
* Trinidad and Tobago
* Turks and Caicos Islands
* United States
* United States Virgin Islands

Europe|

* Guernsey
* Ireland
* Isle of Man
* Jersey
* United Kingdom

Oceania|

* Australia
* New Zealand
* Norfolk Island
* Pitcairn Islands

* Countries and territories where English is an official language, but not the majority first language

Africa|

* Botswana
* Cameroon
* Eswatini
* The Gambia
* Ghana
* Kenya
* Lesotho
* Liberia
* Malawi
* Mauritius
* Namibia
* Nigeria
* Rwanda
* Sierra Leone
* Somaliland
* South Africa
* South Sudan
* Sudan
* Tanzania
* Uganda
* Zambia
* Zimbabwe

Americas|

* Puerto Rico

Asia|

* Christmas Island
* Cocos (Keeling) Islands
* Hong Kong
* India
* Pakistan
* Philippines
* Singapore

Europe|

* Gibraltar
* Akrotiri and Dhekelia
* Malta

Oceania|

* American Samoa
* Cook Islands
* Fiji
* Guam
* Kiribati
* Marshall Islands
* Micronesia
* Nauru
* Niue
* Northern Mariana Islands
* Palau
* Papua New Guinea
* Samoa
* Solomon Islands
* Tokelau
* Tuvalu
* Vanuatu

Dependencies shown in italics.
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template