Cover not available
Part of
Ugandan English: Its sociolinguistics, structure and uses in a globalising post-protectorate
Edited by Christiane Meierkord, Bebwa Isingoma and Saudah Namyalo
[Varieties of English Around the World G59] 2016
► pp. 75–94

The sociolinguistic situation of English in Uganda

A case of language attitudes and beliefs

In Uganda, English has attracted very high prestige and status over the years. It is the language of public, political and social discourse (Katamba 2006) and the main language of instruction in schools. English has furthermore developed into the most influential interethnic language in Uganda, as it has in other East African countries (Mazrui and Mazrui 1998). This chapter examines the sociolinguistic situation of English in Uganda, highlighting its status, use and the associated attitudes and beliefs. It discusses the development of English as the de facto national language and shows why, despite the presence of local languages, English continues to dominate the public domain.

Keywords: English and national identity, language attitudes, language choice, language use
Published online: 20 October 2016
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/veaw.g59.04nak
References (35)
Batibo, H.M
2005 Language Decline and Death in Africa: Causes, Consequences and Challenges. Clevedon Hall: Cromwell Press.Google Scholar
Bamgbose, A
2000 Language and Exclusion: The Consequences of Language Policies in Africa. London: Transaction Publishers.Google Scholar
Blommaert, J
1996 Language planning as a discourse on language and society: The linguistic ideology of a scholarly tradition. Language Problems and Language Planning 20(3): 199–222. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Chien, S
2014 Varieties of English: Taiwanese attitudes and perceptions, Newcastle and Northumbria Working Papers in Linguistics 20: 1–16. [URL] (16 March 2016).Google Scholar
Garrett, P
2010 Attitudes to Language. Cambridge: CUP. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Giles, H
(ed) 1977 Language, Ethnicity and Intergroup Relations. London: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Githiora, C
2008 Kenya: Language and the search of a coherent national identity. In Language and National Identity in Africa, A. Simpson (ed), 235–251. Oxford: OUP.Google Scholar
Government White Paper
1992 Education for National Integration and Development. Government White Paper on the Education Policy Review Commission. Entebbe: Government Printers.Google Scholar
Graham, B
2005 The development of Aboriginal language programmes: A journey towards understanding. Canadian Journal of Education 28: 318–338. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Katamba, F
2006 Uganda: The language situation. In The Encyclopedia of Language and Linguistics, Vol. 13, 2nd edn, K. Brown (ed), 209. Oxford: Elsevier. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Kalyegira, T
2015 Why I’m fed up with Luganda. Sunday Monitor 14 June 2015 Kampala: Nation Media Group. [URL] (16 March 2016).Google Scholar
Kato, C.M
2015 Luganda can easily become the East African language. The Observer, 25th–27th September 2015, 10. Kampala: Observer Media.Google Scholar
Kobayashi, I
2008 “They speak ‘incorrect’ English”: Understanding Taiwanese learners’ views on L2 varieties of English. Philippine Journal of Linguistics 39: 81–98.Google Scholar
Lewis, M.P., Simons, G.F., & Fennig, C.D
(eds) 2015 Ethnologue: Languages of the World, Eighteenth edition. Dallas, Texas: SIL International. [URL] (18 March 2016).Google Scholar
Majola, K
2005 Language and Education in Uganda: An Encounter with the National Indigenous Language Forum. MA thesis, University of Oslo.Google Scholar
Mazrui, A.A. & Mazrui, A.M
1998 The Power of Babel: Language and Governance in the African Experience. Oxford: James Currey.Google Scholar
McKenzie M.R
2010 The Social Psychology of English as a Global Language: Attitudes, Awareness and Identity in the Japanese Context. Berlin: Springer. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Mukama, R
2010 Theory and practice in language policy: The case of Uganda. Paper presented at the International Conference on Multilingualism (22nd–23rd July 2010), Kenyatta University, Nairobi.
Nakayiza, J
2013 The Sociolinguistics of Multilingualism in Uganda: A Case Study of the Official and Non-Official Language Policy, Planning and Management of Luruuli-Lunyara and Luganda. PhD dissertation, SOAS, University of London.Google Scholar
Namyalo S. & Nakayiza, J
2015 Dilemmas in implementing language rights in multilingual Uganda. Current Issues in Language Planning 16(4): 409–424. DOI logo.Google Scholar
Naulele, S
2011 The week in pictures. Sunday Vision 29 May 2011, 7. Kampala: New Vision Group.Google Scholar
Pennycook, A
2006 Global Englishes and Transcultural Flows. Abingdon: Routledge.Google Scholar
Richards, L
2009 Handling Qualitative Data: A Practical Guide. London: Sage.Google Scholar
Rosendal, T
2010 Linguistic Landshapes: A Comparison of Official and Non-Official Language Management in Rwanda and Uganda, Focusing on the Position of African Languages. PhD dissertation, University of Gothenburg.Google Scholar
Sachdev, I
1995 Language and identity: Ethnolinguistic vitality of Aboriginal peoples in Canada. The London Journal of Canadian Studies 11: 41–59.Google Scholar
Schiffman H
1996 Linguistic Culture and Language Policy. London: Routledge. DOI DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Spolsky, B
2009 Language Management. Cambridge: CUP. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Ssempuuma, J
2008 Luganda-English Code Switching Among the Baganda in Uganda. MA thesis, University of Bayreuth.Google Scholar
Ssentanda, M.E
2014 Mother Tongue Education and Transition to English Medium Education in Uganda: Teachers’ Perspectives and Practices Versus Language Policy and Curriculum. PhD dissertation, Stellenbosch University.Google Scholar
Tembe, J. & Norton, B
2008 Promoting local languages in Ugandan primary schools: The community as stakeholder. The Canadian Modern Language Review/La Revue Canadienne des Langues Vivantes 65: 33–60. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
The Government of Uganda.
1995 Constitution of the Republic of Uganda, 1995. Kampala: State House Uganda.Google Scholar
2005 The Constitution (Amendment) Act, 2005. Kampala: Parliament of the Republic of Uganda.Google Scholar
Tollefson, J.W
1991 Planning Language, Planning Inequality: Language Policy in the Community. London: Longman.Google Scholar
UNESCO
2003 Language Vitality and Endangerment: Programme Safeguarding of Endangered Languages. Paris: UNESCO.Google Scholar
Wong, W.S
2011 Taiwanese University Students’ Attitudes Towards Indian English Accent. MA thesis, National Yunlin University of Science and Technology.Google Scholar
Cited by (3)

Cited by 3 other publications

Deborah Mirembe, Dorica & Bebwa Isingoma
2022. The Use of Conjunctions Among L1 Luganda Speakers of English. Studies in Linguistics, Culture, and FLT 10:1 ► pp. 7 ff. DOI logo
Nabukalu, Catherine & Reto Gieré
2021. The Status and Future of Charcoal in the Energy Transition Era in Sub-Saharan Africa: Observations from Uganda. In Energy Transitions and the Future of the African Energy Sector, ► pp. 189 ff. DOI logo
Nassenstein, Nico
2020. Playing with accents. Sociolinguistic Studies 14:3 DOI logo

This list is based on CrossRef data as of 24 june 2024. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them.