ABSTRACT

This chapter describes the linguistic and socio-linguistic factors which could act as a guide in the adaptation of African languages to modern conditions—the assumption being that what holds true for Luganda will be useful elsewhere, even if the detailed findings about the treatment of loans differ significantly. In Uganda Luganda, though not officially recognized as Uganda's lingua franca, has a position which compares somewhat favourably with that of Kiswahili in up-country Kenya, in that it is spoken or understood by at least over 3 million people. Of Uganda's local languages, Luganda has the largest number of speakers outside its tribal boundaries, and at one time it used to be the medium of instruction as well as a curriculum subject in many primary and junior secondary schools outside Buganda, particularly in the Eastern Region.