The First 24: Uganglish (Mini-Series 4/5)

Regarding: November 9 - November 11th, 2016

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So picture this:

A little American stumbles tiredly into a van after flying for 12+ hours. Immediately the American is told: "You are welcome!"

Like the well-bred breed she is she hesitantly responds, "Uh… thank you."

While internally bewildered: 'What did I forget to say thank you for?'

She arrives on the compound, more choruses of "You're welcome!"

"Yeah, no, thank you so much for… uh, your hospitality… and the ride."

'This feels very out of order…'

The first day of training: "You are welcome!"

'OK COME ON HOW MANY TIMES CAN ONE BE PROMPTED TO SAY THANK YOU?!'

This American has just had her first encounter with Uganglish!

Uganglish is a not so clever mashup of English and Uganda, and is how PCV's sometimes refer to the unique vocabulary and intonation Americans discover in Uganda. The intonation is a bit controversial and refers a sing-songy tone some PCV's use when they are speaking English to Ugandans. One side argues that the tone makes it easier to speak slowly and helps Ugandans to understand what you are saying. The other side argues it's unnecessary and condescending. Ultimately, I think it's up to each PCV to find a balance that respects their community members and helps facilitate communication. #Diplomacy

Now, on to some of the vocabulary!

1. "You are welcome!" -

This is just the Ugandan way of saying "Welcome!" or, if you're from Texas you might prefer "Howdy!". I'm just kidding. I don't really say howdy…

Ugandans are incredibly welcoming and are quite generous in letting you know that you are, in fact, welcome no matter where you go! So if you hear "You are welcome" no it is not a passive-aggressive prompting for a "thank you", you are simply being told that you are, in fact, welcome! And a thank you may be an appropriate response anyway.

I have been told repeatedly how welcome I am to Uganda, to the PCV training sites, to my school, even to the market!

For my future visitors, let me give you a preemptory "You are welcome!" Enjoy the Pearl of Africa!

2. "You have been lost!" -

This is a way of telling you that you have been away for too long, as though you "got lost" on your way back. If I'm not at school or the market for a few days, I can expect to be greeted with "You have been lost!" when I return.

3. "Flash me" -

Wow, lots of people hesitantly interested in this one. "Flash me" means "Call my cellphone really quickly just long enough that I can see it's you and then hang up".

What.

Yeah, so phone plans are a bit different in Uganda. Think back to the States back when minutes were a thing, and whoever makes the call is charged for the call. So, if you're low on minutes (here called 'Airtime'), you can just "flash" someone, and they'll know you want to talk. Then they can call you back, go outside to meet you, whatever you've planned on doing after being "flashed".

4. "Somehow" -

Ok, I'll be honest, I'm not quite sure what "somehow" means. It kind of seems like it means "somewhat" (e.g. - "The house is somehow big"), and it also kind of seems to mean to mean "fine" or "so-so" (e.g. - "How was your day?" "It was somehow"). It's a pretty common phrase. I'd say I somehow understand it.

5. "… seriously!" -

Examples: "I am going to give it to you seriously!" or "It is going to rain seriously!" and means something along the lines of 'really' or generally emphasizes what you just said. For example: "I am really going to give it to you!' or 'It is going to rain really hard!'

I'm sure there are more, but this is a good introduction to some of the terminology I discovered during my first three months at site! To finish on a theme of words, please enjoy a picture of a scrabble game I recently lost.