Ugandan English is influenced by indigenous Ugandan languages. Left dislocation is used more in Ugandan English than in Standard English. In Ugandan English, prepositions are overwhelmingly used like in Standard English. The use of the progressive aspect varies among English speakers with the three indigenous Ugandan languages.
This study analyses left dislocation, prepositions, and the progressive aspect in Ugandan English. It uses spoken data of English speakers with the three indigenous Ugandan languages. The results show high frequency use of left dislocation in Ugandan English. This suggests possible substrate influence from these first languages since left dislocation construction is used in these languages. The use of prepositions is overwhelmingly like in Standard English with just very few cases indicating variation from Standard English, although the three indigenous languages have very few prepositions in comparison to the English language. The use of the progressive illustrates variation among English speakers with the three first languages indicating that Ugandan English is not homogenous.
Ugandan English as a Variety of English - Language Situation in Uganda - Left dislocation in Ugandan English - Prepositions in Ugandan English - The progressive aspect in Ugandan English
Jude Ssempuuma is a lecturer in English Linguistics at Bayreuth University, Germany. His research interests include varieties of English, contact linguistics, cognitive linguistics, and multilingualism.
