Different Englishes
(American English versus Ugandan English)
Having lived in the United States most of my life, I have
grown up speaking American English. Although I have traveled to many places
around the world, I have only been in a handful of countries where English is
the official language. Because English is one of Uganda’s official languages, I
thought it would be easy to understand and be understood here. However, I was
wrong. Like a newborn baby, I have had to learn how to adjust to certain
phrases and words that are different from my version of English.
Can I give you a push?
My first experience with this phrase was when one of my
friends asked, “Jamie, do you mind if I give you a push?” We were actually
standing by a large hill near the gym and my first thought was if this person
pushes me down this hill, I am going to fight back and then run. However, my
friend was not asking to push me down the hill, but yet to walk with me. We
usually say, may I walk with you?
You are smart.
I learned this phrase when I walked into the office and one
of the secretaries told me I was smart. I thought she was telling me I was
intelligent, so I said thank you. She
realized I was confused, so she told me she liked the way I was dressed.
You are welcome.
In my first Foundation Studies meeting, the Head of
Department used this phrase to welcome all of the staff back from break. I was
very confused because in my culture, we use this statement as a way to express
gratitude. We usually say, welcome to the
meeting. If I want to invite someone to go with me, I might say, you are welcome to join me.
Move with tea
I am usually late to most things and Monday mornings are no
exception. I usually have a meeting at 9 and class at 11. Tea is served around
10:30, but sometimes it is late and I am rushing to have tea and report to my
lecture on time. Last week I decided to take my coffee with me to class (I
rarely drink tea). My students seemed mortified that I did not have enough time
to have my tea and insisted that I take my tea, then teach class. Apparently
people do not “move” with food or drink like they do in my country. In the
U.S., we have fast everything, so most things are geared toward convenience. We
usually refer to this as taking it to go.
Pick my key, pick my
phone, pick my book
People use these phrases here for going to get something,
but in American English, we usually say, I
am going to pick up my book from my friend or I need to pick up my phone from my sister’s house. People here also
use this phrase when they want to answer a phone call. We would say, excuse me, I need to answer this call.
Torch
Most people at home refer to a torch as a flashlight. A torch is usually something
that involves a large flame or a fire. For example, we might say, I am going to use a torch to start the fire
or her house was torched by the fire.
Nice weekend, nice
day, nice lunch
Everyone is so friendly around campus and always wish me a nice something. I am thankful for the
kind and caring words from everyone, but the way the kindness is expressed is
sometimes confusing to me. If someone says have
a nice lunch, I do not know if they mean: Did you have a nice lunch? Are you going to have a nice lunch? or Have a nice lunch. Now, I understand people
are usually wishing something for the future when they say these phrases.
Fresher
This word is on signs,
t-shirts, and advertisements. We refer to the people in the first year of
university as freshman, but I like freshers because it is gender neural. We
have many women studying here and we should use terminology that includes them.
Short call/long call
This phrase was a point of severe misunderstanding for me. I
had gone to Lwengo to visit a friend’s charity and I told one of the staff
members that I needed to use the restroom. The word restroom is used in most places in the U.S. to signify a place
where you would find a toilet and place to wash your hands. When I asked for a
restroom, the person looked very confused and asked me to repeat the phrase.
So, I tried a different way and said, “I need to use the bathroom.” Again, the
person looked confused and thought I meant a shower. Eventually, someone
intervened and the person told me it was called a short call. I told him that I did not need to use his phone, but
that I needed to use a toilet. He laughed and said, “Yes, I understand you, but
we call it a short call or long call. Which do you need?” Of
course, I had to ask the difference between the two and then proceeded to take
my short call. Although having to tell someone which type of call I need to
make seems incredibly personal, I understand that it could mean the difference
between using one type of toilet or another.
Are we together?
I have heard this phrase many places, particularly during community
worship or as I am passing a classroom. Lecturers usually use different ways to
check in with their class to make sure they are paying attention. I typically
say, Are we okay? Do you understand? Are
there any questions?, but people here ask if everyone is together. I tried
this out on one of my education classes. I was lecturing and I asked them my
usual phrases, but they did not respond. Then, I tried the “together” phrase
and instantly everyone answered. I laughed and explained to the my little
experiment to the students.
I’ll keep you in
touch.
This is one of my favorite phrases because it puts the onus
on the person who is making the connection. At home, we say, Keep in touch, which makes the other
person responsible for maintaining the line of communication.
Take away
I have seen this phrase several times as an advertisement at
a restaurant. I did not realize it meant the same thing as “take out” until
recently when I asked a friend what it meant.
All in all, I have enjoyed my time here over the last month
or so. People have been so patient with my English and American accent. I know
there will be many more phrases that I will learn during my stay here in
Uganda, but I look forward to getting to know more and more each day about the
culture and people in this amazing pearl of Africa.
Jamie Cardwell is an English Language Fellow working in the
Literature and Languages Department with Dr. Richard Watuulo. The fellowship is
part of a collaboration between UCU, Georgetown University, and Department of
State/U.S. Embassy. Jamie holds a B.S. in Education from Illinois State
University, a B.S. in Bible from Lincoln Christian University, an M.A. in
English from Southern Illinois University, and is currently a doctoral
candidate at Walden University (expected graduation December 2014). Jamie is
originally from St. Louis, Missouri and expects to be here working at UCU for
about two years. In addition to teaching duties, Jamie hosts one-on-one writing
clinics in the library on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10-12 p.m. and
participates in various workshops with the faculty. In her spare time, Jamie
enjoys running, cooking, reading, and spending time with family and friends.
