Editing Luganda (section)

=== Vowels ===

{| class="wikitable"
|-
|+Luganda vowels
!
! scope="col" | [[Front vowel|Front]]
! scope="col" | [[Back vowel|Back]]
|- align=center
! scope="row" | [[Close vowel|Close]]
| {{IPA link|i}}
| {{IPA link|u}}
|- align=center
! scope="row" | [[Close-mid vowel|Close-mid]]
| {{IPA link|e}}
| {{IPA link|o}}
|- align=center
! scope="row" | [[Open vowel|Open]]
|colspan=2| {{IPA link|a}}
|}

All five vowels have two forms: [[long vowel|long]] and [[short vowel|short]]. The distinction is phonemic but can occur only in certain positions. After two consonants, the latter being a [[semivowel]], all vowels are long. The [[vowel quality|quality]] of a vowel is not affected by its length.

Long vowels in Luganda are very long, more than twice the length of a short vowel. A vowel before a [[prenasalised consonant]], as in {{lang|lg|Bugáńda}} '[[Buganda]]' is also lengthened, although it is not as long as a long vowel; laboratory measurements show that the vowel + nasal takes the same length of time to say as a long vowel.<ref>Hubbard (1995), p.183.</ref> Before a [[geminate consonant|geminate]], all vowels are short. A segment such as {{lang|lg|tugg}}, where a short vowel is followed by a geminate consonant, is very slightly shorter than {{lang|lg|tuuk}} or {{lang|lg|tung}}.