Youth languages and the dynamics of language change: The story of aguu and the Acholi youth language Leb pa Bwulu

Leb pa Bwulu is the name of an Acholi-based linguistic practice spoken in Gulu, the largest city of Northern Uganda. It presumably came into existence during or directly following the end of the civil war in the region in 2008 among young men and boys that were either abandoned by their families or voluntarily left their villages to come to Gulu. Over the past few years this linguistic practice was also picked up by musicians, dancers and comedians, leading to its spread throughout the town’s young population. The development of Leb pa Bwulu can be regarded as an expression of social change, developing urban identities, national and local power relations as well as linguistic appropriation.