Local dialects and the English language

I'm a stickler for correct spellings. That is not to say that I intentionally look out for spelling errors on every printed piece of paper. It just happens that way. 

Now, the question I have is: do spellings really matter, especially when the message is clearly understood? I'm referring to spellings in the English language here.

Perhaps not. Considering the multilingual nature of many Sub-Saharan African countries (and perhaps of other countries of the world as well), in my opinion it would be difficult for every one of us whose first language isn't English to get all spellings correct, more so if one picked up the English language later in life. Granted, some spellings may change the meaning of a word entirely, but others may not.

In some instances, one's own local dialect (Uganda has over 40 local dialects) may dictate how they spell a word. That is because many of us tend to write, pronounce, or spell certain words the way we see or pronounce them in our own local languages. In other instances, we tend to alter the positions of certain letters in a word, often by mistake. At the end of the day if the message has been driven across, maybe that is what should count. Unless it is newsprint, a publication or an English language exam, of course.

Here are a few 'misspellings' to chew on.

It's clear which team he roots for... which happens to be the one I root for as well.

That may translation to hot cycle park... but you know exactly what is being referred to, don't you?

Land for sale - that's the meaning.

Great customer service and business awareness. This note was pinned on the wall of a barbershop (salon). The word 'saloon' has been used for 'salon'. Anyway, take the message wholesomely. Could have been a slip of the mind or fingers, or simply a case of 'lost in translation'. Heck, Mary and Merry sound alike. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you, too!

Nursery graduation

Graduation (also called commencement), in the academic sense, is the ceremony of conferring an academic certificate, diploma, or degree to students (graduands). Graduation takes place at all levels of education, right from the lowest level (nursery) to the highest level.

The last two days (Thursday and Friday) have been graduation days here in Arua. As is the norm with all graduations, the air was filled with anticipation, excitement and joy among the parents, teachers and pupils/students alike. From what I've observed, the most excitement is usually among the nursery school pupils.

In the two days of graduation, I've seen two sets of nursery schools proudly march with their graduands from a central location in town (Christ The King Church) to their respective schools. Both sets were accompanied by police officers and a youthful marching band -- they were colorful. One of these nursery schools happens to be in my work neighborhood. Here are some pictures taken from the office balcony.

The school van that took the graduands to the marching starting point.

The Springs Nursery/Primary School graduands march to school for a graduation ceremony at their school, accompanied by well-wishers and parents.

The band leader artfully spins his staff. A police officer (to his right in florescent green) was present to keep law and order.

The band members playing the marching music.

All marching in: The young graduands marching their way to school as the teachers (in the background) keep them marching in unison.

Some of the parents that accompanied the graduands on the march.

The procession slowly makes its way to the ceremony venue.

Education exhibition

Last week I took part in a higher education exhibition organized by the National Council for Higher Education in Uganda. The exhibition attracted over 70 universities, other tertiary institutions, and private entities with links to higher education. The aim was for the institutions to all congregate under one roof (in this case two due to the large number of participants) and show what academic treats they each have on offer. The target audience was secondary school students -- and indeed they turned up in big numbers!

It turned out to be quite a treat (in academic terms). However, what caught my eye was the vast array of decorative colours on display at some of the stalls. You can see a few here.

Students from the African Music Institute practice their craft at the exhibition.

The National Council for Higher Education had a colourful stall.

The Muni University Project stall... not bad for a project!

This textbook group made quite and impression.

Now this is full of colour!

Simplicity at its best!

Saving for the future... simple, yet neat.

Good colour combination.

The mechanism of an auto electrical system. It was impressive to see it in plain sight.

Well done!

Wow... that calls for a toast!

Wonderful display in the background.

Nice... but a little crowded.

On the final day of the exhibition, just as the most exhibitors were done packing and ready to load their stuff on/in their respective modes of transportation, the unexpected happened. The heavens opened and it bucketed down in typical tropical thunderstorm fashion! It caused instant flooding, which kept all of us indoors for about half an hour!

The storm wasn't about to be overshadowed!

The water had nowhere to go, quite unfortunate!