Just Call Me Millet

Two important things to know about our local language, Runyankole:

1. R's and L's are frequently mixed up and used interchangeably in any word. Often we "play" in church and the children go outside to "pray."
2. Most Runyankole words end with a vowel. Many English words have been incorporated into the Runyankole language simply by adding a vowel sound, frequently the long /e/ or /oo/, to the end of the word. Town is "towni" (pronounced town-ee), office is "office-ee," and a drinking glass is "glassee" (or "grassee"...see item #1)

While there are many Ugandan names that are quite familiar to us, especially Biblical ones like David; Moses; Esther; and Mary, our American/Western names often don't translate well into this local language.

First, take my friends' names for example:
Cheryl is Sharon, Sharo, Shallow, or Cherie.
Bron is Brown.
Delaney is most often called Doreen. (Delaney>> has the long /e/ sound, so the "real" part of her name must be Delane>> Derane>> Doreen)

Isn't this version of word association fun?? I think so!

Carolyn is difficult because it has both an R and an L. I get many different variations on my name:
Calolyn
Caloryn
Calor
Carol
Caro. This is, by far, the most common pronunciation/nickname for me.

In Runyankole, caro is the name of a local food made from millet flour and served in these traditional baskets.

Therefore, I have to wonder how many people wonder if my name is actually Millet.

Food for thought.