Ebook: Elements of Luganda grammar: together with exercises and vocabulary

Publisher: Kampala : Uganda Bookshop
Publication date: 1923
Number of pages: 280This book is reprinted by special request of the Uganda Translation Committee. Whatever in it may be of 'scientific' value is from the pen of that able scholar and teacher, G. L. Pilkington ; the rest is simply rambling notes of one who has tried to think as the people think. That such a book should find sufficient favour to be worth reprinting confirms my very strong conviction that African studies cannot be expressed in terms of Western scholarship. If we would understand Africa, we must train ourselves to think as the African thinks. Our knowledge of Latin or Greek, our school training in French or German, and even a certain consciousness that
we can write or speak effective English is not going to help us. Such a dictum is not, I know, very palatable to the educated mind. But it is in reality nothing but the amplification of the remarks given in the beginning of these Elements many years ago ; and no request has been
made that they be omitted from the reprint now called for. further, the request of the Syndics of the Cambridge University Press to contribute to their Guides to Modern Languages has brought this point acutely to the front. A Manual of Luganda was written as nearly as possible on modern lines. It was favourably noticed by the press ; and so far as I am aware contains all the matter in the Elements, except the notes on transliteration and philology. Moreover it was
condensed into the handy form of some 250 pages of very clearly printed matter. Yet when it reached Uganda it was found to be almost unsaleable. In fact now and again a man was willing to give nearly four times its price for a copy of the old book, if such could be found second-hand.
What was the reason? The grammatical matter was precisely the same; the vocabulary was fuller and contained all the words known to Mr. Pilkington and a few more; in addition there were short extracts ii native texts. None the less the European felt, without doubt, that none of this touched anything whatsoever with which he was familiar. lie wanted 'exercises' in far greater number. In brief hi wanted that educative process which trains the mind to think as the
African thinks.