Languages of Uganda

Languages of Uganda
Warning sign in Luganda, English and Swahili
Official	English 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 in the capital city Kampala is Luganda, followed by English, which has been the country's official language since 1962. 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. Swahili is the third most spoken language after Luganda and English. 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. Swahili is also spoken in some communities near the borders with South Sudan and Kenya.

Uganda is a multilingual country with over 70 estimated languages in active use. Of the 43 living languages documented, 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

Sign in Kinyarwanda (Rufumbira dialect) and English in Kisoro

In Bantu-speaking regions of Uganda, [[dialect continuum|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.

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.

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

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.

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. English remained the official language.

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

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.

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.

Further reading

• 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.