peterbamuhigire/language-standards

Language Standards — Multi-Language Tone & Grammar

All website copy, headings, CTAs, descriptions, and microcopy must follow this style guide for their respective language. Cross-cutting standard — applied throughout every content-writing step.

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Use when

• Language and tone standards for all written content across 3 languages — English (British, East African), French (Francophone African), and Kiswahili (East African standard). Enforces authentic, culturally appropriate, professional communication in each language. Apply throughout all content generation steps.
• Apply it alongside the primary deliverable skill whenever wording, tone, or editorial quality needs control.

Do not use when

• Do not use this skill for graphic design, video production, software development, or legal advice beyond the repository's stated scope.
• Do not use it when another skill in this repository is clearly more specific to the requested deliverable.
• Do not use this skill as a substitute for the main document, strategy, or copy-generation skill.

Workflow

1. Read the requested draft, source text, or surrounding brief before making language decisions.
2. Apply the rules in this skill consistently across the whole deliverable, not only the obvious problem lines.
3. Return corrected copy, guidance, or a style-constrained draft that the paired skill can use directly.

Anti-Patterns

• Do not invent client facts, performance data, budgets, or approvals that were not provided or clearly inferred from evidence.
• Do not skip required inputs, mandatory sections, or quality checks just to make the output shorter.
• Do not mix British and American English, and do not apply the rules inconsistently across the same deliverable.

Outputs

• A reusable style standard, rewrite, or editing pass that improves another deliverable rather than replacing it.

References

• Read references/business-english-advanced.md when you need the deeper framework, examples, or supporting material it contains.

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Required Input

Start with the source text or deliverable brief, then confirm the target language and market. If the target language is unclear, stop and establish it before applying this skill.

Core Principles (All Languages)

1. Clear and direct. Sentences are straightforward, grammatically careful, logically structured.
2. Formal and respectful. Politeness is essential. Communication shows courtesy and humility.
3. No excessive marketing language. Avoid drama, exaggeration, slang.
4. Professionally indirect. Soften directives with courteous phrasing.
5. Measured confidence. Confident without arrogance.
6. Culturally authentic. Respect regional norms, preferences, sensitivities.

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ENGLISH (en) — British English, East African Professional Standard

Core Characteristics

1. British English spelling throughout.
2. East African tone — formal, respectful, professionally courteous (Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania blend).
3. Measured and confident without arrogance or dramatic language.
4. Logical sentence structure — no fragments or telegram-style copy.
5. Progressive tense preference — use simple present or past over continuous tenses. "The company plans to expand" not "The company is planning to expand." Simple tenses are more direct and authoritative.
6. Consistent verb tense — do not switch tenses within a section. If you begin in present, stay present throughout that block. Mixing past and present within the same thought signals uncertainty.

British English Spelling

Always use British spelling:

| Correct (British) | Incorrect (American) | |-------------------|----------------------| | organisation | organization | | programme | program | | centre | center | | colour | color | | travelling | traveling | | specialise | specialize | | honour | honor | | favourite | favorite | | analyse | analyze | | defence | defense | | licence (noun) | license (noun) | | catalogue | catalog | | enquiry | inquiry |

Dates and Numbers

• Date format: 17 February 2026 (or 17th February 2026)
• Never: February 17, 2026 (American format)
• Numbers: Use commas for thousands: 1,000; 100,000
• Currency: £ for GBP, $ for USD, €, or regional (specify in design-tokens.md)

Tone by East African Country Context

Adjust tone slightly based on client location. Use Neutral East African when no country is specified.

| Country | Tone | Key marker | |---------|------|------------| | Uganda | Warm, relational, appreciative | Frequent "kindly", emphasis on harmony: "We highly appreciate your support. Kindly be informed…" | | Kenya | Confident, business-oriented, efficient | Clear timelines, professional firmness: "Please share the signed agreement by Friday, 21 February 2026." | | Tanzania | Calm, measured, conservative | Patient rhythm, influenced by Kiswahili patterns: "We kindly request your guidance. We shall revert shortly." | | Neutral (default) | Balanced blend | Use when no country is specified |

Courteous Phrases (English)

Natural and expected in East African business English:

• Kindly find attached…
• We kindly request…
• Please be advised that…
• We would like to inform you…
• Thank you for your continued support.
• We look forward to your response.
• We appreciate your partnership.
• Should you require any further clarification, please do not hesitate to contact us.
• Yours faithfully, / Yours sincerely,

Vocabulary Standards (English)

Preferred Professional Words

• facilitate, implement, undertake, liaise, coordinate
• engage, support, enhance, review, confirm
• advise, revert (widely accepted in East Africa, meaning "respond")
• significant, important, strategic, beneficial, valuable

Words to Avoid

Never use exaggerated marketing language:

| Avoid | Use Instead | |-------|-------------| | groundbreaking | significant | | revolutionary | innovative | | game-changing | strategic | | amazing | commendable | | awesome | excellent | | incredible | remarkable | | unleash | enable | | skyrocket | improve significantly | | supercharge | strengthen |

Also avoid: American slang (FYI, ASAP, BTW), dramatic emotional tone, excessive exclamation marks.

Instead of abbreviations, write in full: "Please respond as soon as possible."

AI Language Avoidance (All Languages)

AI-generated text has recognisable vocabulary and patterns. Every piece of content must pass as entirely human-written.

Tier 1 — Banned words (instant AI tells): delve, tapestry, landscape (as metaphor), multifaceted, testament, realm, harness, leverage, synergy, embark, navigate (as metaphor), foster, beacon, forge, unleash, pivotal, paramount, robust, vibrant, bolster, seamless, holistic, curate, resonate, underscore, showcase

Tier 2 — Overused by AI (use sparingly, never in headlines): compelling, captivating, cutting-edge, game-changer, revolutionary, transformative, innovative, streamline, empower, unparalleled, elevate, ignite, safeguard, enduring, seamless, holistic, curate, resonate, underscore, showcase

Tier 3 — Flagged in combination (fine alone, AI-tell together): crucial, facilitate, enhance, ensure, enable, encourage, essential, navigate, compelling, drive, embodies, emphasises. Rule: no more than one Tier 3 word per paragraph.

Banned phrases: "In today's fast-paced world", "It's important to note", "In the realm of", "Embark on a journey", "Game-changer", "Treasure trove", "Digital landscape", "Ever-evolving", "Not only X but also Y" (overused), "X isn't just Y; it's Z", "From X to Y, [subject] has..." (listicle pattern), "Whether you're [X] or [Y]..." (false inclusivity)

Banned structural patterns: Uniform sentence lengths (vary deliberately), "Furthermore/Moreover/Additionally" as paragraph openers, excessive em dashes (max 2 per article), three-item lists in every paragraph, present participial openers ("Leveraging our...", "Fostering an environment...")

Required human markers: Vary sentence length (mix 4-word and 30-word sentences), take clear positions ("I recommend" not "One might consider"), use the client's own vocabulary from their docs, include strategic contractions (2-4 per 500 words in English)

See blog-writer/references/human-voice-standards.md for the full blacklist with replacements, detailed techniques, and Voice DNA extraction process.

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Redundant Phrases (All Languages)

Delete constructions where one word does the full job: close proximity → proximity, consensus of opinion → consensus, free gift → gift, end result → result, future plans → plans, past history → history, refer back → refer, revert back → revert, advance warning → warning, repeat again → repeat, exact same → same. Full list in blog-writer/references/editorial-standards.md.

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English CTAs and Button Text

Apply respectful tone to buttons and UI text:

| Generic/Aggressive | East African Style | |--------------------|-------------------| | Buy Now | Place Your Order | | Sign Up | Register Today | | Get Started | Begin Your Journey | | Learn More | Find Out More | | Contact Us | Get in Touch | | Download | Download the Brochure |

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FRENCH (fr) — Francophone African Professional Standard

Core Characteristics

1. Formal francophone African French — not Québécois, not Belgian variants.
2. Respectful and courteous — professionalism with warmth.
3. Standard French grammar and conventions.
4. Vous (formal) throughout all professional communication — never "tu".
5. Culturally appropriate for Côte d'Ivoire, Cameroon, Senegal, DRC, Gabon.

French Spelling and Grammar

Use standard French orthography:

• Accent marks required: é, è, ê, ë, à, ù, ç, œ, æ
• Double-check diacritical marks (many African translators omit them)
• UTF-8 encoding mandatory

Apostrophes in Astro JSX Templates (French, Swahili, all languages)

CRITICAL: Single-quoted JS strings inside Astro JSX expressions (.astro template section) CANNOT contain straight apostrophes ('). This breaks the build because the apostrophe terminates the string early.

Rules for any text containing apostrophes (e.g. French d', l', n', qu'; Swahili ng'):

1. Use double-quoted strings for any JS string literal that contains an apostrophe: "d'excellence" not 'd\'excellence'
2. Never use \u2019 escape sequences — Astro's template compiler may not handle them correctly
3. Never use backslash-escaped apostrophes (\') in JSX template expressions — they work in frontmatter JS but fail in template JSX
4. HTML text content is fine — apostrophes in regular HTML <p>d'excellence</p> work without escaping
5. For JSX expression strings that need both " and ', use template literals: `string with ' and "`

Verb Conjugation

• Use vous for all formal communication (not tu)
• Example: "Veuillez remplir le formulaire" (not "Remplis le formulaire")
• Imperative form: "Veuillez" + infinitive for politeness

Gender Agreement

All adjectives and past participles must agree with gender:

• "La page est complétée" (feminine)
• "Le service est complété" (masculine)
• "Les pages sont complétées" (feminine plural)

French Dates and Numbers

• Date format: 17 février 2026 (or 17 février 2026)
• Month names: Lowercase (février, not Février)
• Numbers: Use space or period for thousands: 1 000 or 1.000 (not 1,000)
• Decimal separator: Comma (not period): 3,14 (not 3.14)
• Currency: Franc CFA (FCFA), Euro (€), or specified in design-tokens.md

Formal Registers and Politeness

Standard Openings

• Madame, Monsieur,
• Chère Madame, Cher Monsieur,
• Greetings,

Standard Closings

• Cordialement, (warm, professional)
• Respectueusement, (respectful)
• Avec mes meilleures salutations,
• Veuillez agréer l'expression de nos salutations distinguées.

Courtesy Phrases (French)

• Nous vous prions de…
• Veuillez… (imperative form with "vous")
• Merci de votre attention.
• Nous apprécions votre partenariat.
• N'hésitez pas à nous contacter.
• Nous vous remercions de votre soutien continu.
• Nous attendons avec intérêt votre réponse.
• Si vous avez besoin de précisions supplémentaires, veuillez nous contacter.

French Vocabulary Standards

Preferred Professional Terms

• Faciliter, mettre en œuvre, entreprendre, coordonner
• Engager, soutenir, améliorer, examiner, confirmer
• Conseiller, informer, communiquer
• Significatif, important, stratégique, bénéfique, précieux

Words to Avoid (Marketing Hype)

| Avoid | Use Instead | |-------|-------------| | révolutionnaire | innovant | | "game-changing" | stratégique | | incroyable | remarquable | | génial | excellent | | dingue | étonnant | | Libérez le pouvoir | Activez la capacité |

Francophone African Terminology

Use terms understood across francophone Africa (not Canada-specific, not France-specific):

• Budget (not "subvention")
• Entreprise (company, not "compagnie")
• Personnel (staff, not "employés" alone)
• Client (customer/client, standard everywhere)
• Formation (training, widely used)

French CTAs and Button Text

| English | French (Formal) | |---------|-----------------| | Sign Up | S'inscrire | | Register | Créer un compte | | Contact Us | Nous contacter | | Learn More | En savoir plus | | Submit | Soumettre | | Download | Télécharger | | Place Your Order | Passer votre commande | | Get Started | Commencer maintenant |

French-Specific Considerations

In-Country Reviewer Required

All French content must be reviewed by a native francophone speaker from the target market (Côte d'Ivoire, Cameroon, Senegal, DRC, Gabon). Send for review before publishing.

Text Expansion

French is typically 20–40% longer than English. Design for 1.3x expansion:

• Buttons must accommodate longer labels
• Navigation items must wrap gracefully
• Form labels must not overlap fields

Regional Variations

Avoid country-specific terms unless relevant:

• Use neutral francophone African vocabulary
• Avoid France-centric references
• Avoid Canadian (Québécois) terminology

Francophone Africa Geographic Scope

CRITICAL RULE: French content must target Francophone Africa broadly — NOT just East Africa or Uganda.

The French language version of any website should be written and positioned for the entire Francophone African market:

Target countries (examples, not exhaustive): Côte d'Ivoire, Cameroun, Sénégal, RDC (Congo-Kinshasa), Guinée, Mali, Burkina Faso, Gabon, Niger, Bénin, Togo, Madagascar, Mauritanie, Djibouti, Comores

Financial institutions to reference (where relevant):

• BCEAO (Banque Centrale des États de l'Afrique de l'Ouest) — West Africa
• BEAC (Banque des États de l'Afrique Centrale) — Central Africa
• Ecobank, BOA (Bank of Africa), UBA, Orabank, BGFI
• BNI (Côte d'Ivoire), Société Générale Afrique
• BOAD (IFD Ouest-africaine), AFC (Africa Finance Corporation)

Business regulatory frameworks to use:

• OHADA (Organisation pour l'Harmonisation en Afrique du Droit des Affaires)
• SYSCOHADA (accounting standards)
• FCFA currency (BCEAO/BEAC zone)

What to AVOID in French content:

• Ugandan-specific references: UDB, Centenary Bank, Stanbic Uganda, DFCU
• East Africa-only phrasing: "Afrique de l'Est" as the primary qualifier
• Assuming the French reader is in Uganda or East Africa

What to DO:

• Use "Afrique francophone" as the geographic qualifier
• Reference institutions and frameworks relevant across West and Central Africa
• Use examples from Côte d'Ivoire, Sénégal, Cameroun, DRC, Guinée
• SEO: target "plan d'affaires Côte d'Ivoire", "consultant Sénégal", "financement entreprise Cameroun", "business plan Afrique francophone"

When a client is specifically in East Africa: If the client is Uganda-based, English pages handle the Ugandan/East African audience. The French pages reach the francophone African audience — these are different markets.

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KISWAHILI (sw) — East African Standard

Core Characteristics

1. Standard East African Kiswahili — not regional dialects (Mombasa, Zanzibar variants).
2. Formal/respectful register throughout professional communication.
3. Humble and relationship-focused — Swahili culture emphasizes harmony.
4. UTF-8 encoding for proper character rendering.
5. Simple sentence structure — Kiswahili clarity values straightforward expression.

Kiswahili Grammar and Structure

Standard Kiswahili Conventions

• Subject prefixes: Proper noun classes (m-/ba, ki-/vi, n-, li-)
• Verb conjugation: Tense markers (-li-, -na-, -ta-, -ki-, -a)
• Adjective agreement: Must agree with noun class
• No gender distinction in pronouns (yeye = he/she)

Formal Register (Habari Rasmi)

Use formal register in all professional communication:

• Avoid slang (sheng, Nairobi street language)
• Use full words (hakuna = do not have, not "hakuna matata")
• Respectful pronouns and address forms

Tense Selection

• Present habitual: -na- (Anataka = He/she wants)
• Near future: -ta- (Atakuja = He/she will come)
• Past completed: -li- (Alifika = He/she arrived)
• Conditional: -ki-, -ngali (Akija = if he/she comes)

Kiswahili Dates and Numbers

• Date format: Februari 17, 2026 (or 17 Februari 2026)
• Month names: English borrowed (Januari, Februari) — no Kiswahili equivalents universally understood
• Day of week: Jumapili (Sunday), Jumatatu (Monday), Jumanne (Tuesday), etc.
• Numbers: Use spaces for thousands: 1 000 (not 1,000)
• Currency: Shilingi (Sh, KES for Kenya), or specified in design-tokens.md

Kiswahili Courtesy and Formality

Standard Openings (Business)

• Habari yako? (How are you? — formal)
• Tunataka kuwashukuru… (We want to thank you…)
• Tunakuomba… (We kindly request…)

Respectful Phrases (Kiswahili)

• Tafadhali (please — polite request)
• Asante sana (thank you very much)
• Karibu sana (welcome, you're welcome)
• Pole pole (take it easy, go slowly — suggests respect/patience)
• Haba na haba hujaza kibaba (little by little fills the measure — patience/humility)
• Tunataka kuwajua (We want to know / We would like to learn)
• Tutakurejea (We will respond to you)
• Tukikubali (If we may, with your permission)

Closings

• Kwa heshima (with respect)
• Wakati mwingine (another time / we hope to hear from you)
• Tunatumaini kuongea nayo upya (We hope to speak with you again)

Kiswahili Vocabulary Standards

Preferred Professional Terms

• Kusimamia (to manage, oversee)
• Kutekeleza (to implement, execute)
• Kushiriki (to participate, engage)
• Kusaada (to help, support)
• Kuboresha (to improve, enhance)
• Kupatiana (to agree, coordinate)
• Kuhakiki (to verify, confirm)
• Kuarifu (to inform, notify)
• Kujifunza (to learn)
• Muhimu (important, significant)
• Faida (benefit, advantage)
• Lengo (goal, objective)

Words to Avoid (Too Colloquial)

• Slang/sheng — use formal Kiswahili
• Hyperbolic marketing words
• English insertions without Kiswahili alternative available

Kiswahili CTAs and Button Text

| English | Kiswahili (Formal) | |---------|-------------------| | Sign Up | Jisajili | | Register | Andika Jina | | Contact Us | Wasiliana Nasi | | Learn More | Jua Zaidi | | Submit | Tuma | | Download | Pakua | | Place Your Order | Agiza Bidhaa | | Get Started | Anza Sasa |

Kiswahili-Specific Considerations

In-Country Reviewer Required

All Kiswahili content must be reviewed by a native Kiswahili speaker from East Africa (Kenya, Tanzania, or Uganda). Regional variants exist; ensure reviewer is from target market.

Text Expansion

Kiswahili is typically 10–30% longer than English. Design for 1.2x expansion:

• Buttons must flex for longer labels
• Navigation items must wrap gracefully
• Form labels must have clear spacing

No Dialects

• Use standard East African Kiswahili
• Avoid Mombasa Swahili (maChinwali features)
• Avoid Zanzibari Swahili (historical variants)
• Avoid regional slang or sheng (Nairobi street language)

Relationships and Harmony

Kiswahili communication culture emphasizes relationships:

• Lead with greetings and acknowledgment
• Use plural forms to show respect (sisi = we, kuambia mtu = speak to a person)
• Avoid direct criticism or bluntness
• Always acknowledge the relationship before asking for action

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When This Skill Applies

Cross-cutting — applies to all visible website text, meta descriptions, alt text, form labels, error messages, email templates, and microcopy in all enabled languages.

Extended reference: references/business-english-advanced.md — phrase banks (meetings, presentations, apologies, formal correspondence), 80 ESL grammar rules, register-switching guidance, and anti-jargon rewrites.

Integration with Other Skills

• i18n: Determines which language versions are built
• page-builder: Applies language standards when creating content
• seo: Uses language standards for meta tags, titles, descriptions
• sector-strategies: Industry-specific tone within language standards

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Quality Standards

Before publishing any page, verify:

• [ ] English pages: British spelling, East African tone, no marketing hype
• [ ] French pages: Formal French, vous throughout, francophone African vocabulary, reviewed by francophone
• [ ] Kiswahili pages: Standard Kiswahili, formal register, no slang, reviewed by East African native speaker
• [ ] All pages: No truncation or text overflow in any language
• [ ] All pages: Grammatically correct, properly punctuated, culturally appropriate
• [ ] All pages: CTAs use respectful, inviting language (not aggressive)