My thoughts…on stuff

My thoughts on…Jamaican language

October 17th 2006 -

Almost a month ago, Richard Flynn of UsingEnglish.com asked me to write a piece on Jamaican English. He also said he was a regular reader of my blog. I was honoured by the request and the statement, but also nervous, as I had never been asked to write an article before, and certainly not on a difficult subject like this. But after weeks of delay, I have finally written it. I originally intended to call it “My thoughts on…Jamaican English”, but Jamaican patois isn’t really English. It is a fusion of English, African, Amerindian and Spanish, born out of colonialism, as the slaves and the plantation owners needed some way to communicate. The “Africaness” of Jamaican patois can be seen in how the words are pronounced, and the “Englishness” can be seen in how similar the words are to English words, like “yeh” (yes). The term “patois” has negative connotations, so to bring more dignity to the language, linguists term it as “creole,” a language built from a mixture of other languages.

Apart from Jamaica, it is spoken in London, Toronto, Miami, just about anywhere Jamaicans settle in great numbers. It is said to be eating away at native dialects in those places. In Britain for example, it is replacing the traditional Cockney as the accent used by teens, a testament to the infectious nature of the language. Most Jamaicans speak it or have the ability to speak it, yet strangely English is still considered our official language. This is probably because of two reasons. The fact that Jamaican patois is not considered an official languge, despite the efforts of local linguists, or that patois is still considered a language for the lower classes, despite the efforts of Miss Lou and other cultural icons to make the language more socially acceptable.

In recent times, the language has been used as a means of expression and rebellion. Dancehall artistes use it in their songwriting to connect with the underprivileged in the ghettos, who are their biggest fans. Dancehall also adds many terms to the language, terms that are popular with today’s youth. Rastafarians use it to rebel against “Babylon”, the corrupt establishment, since proper English is an import from the days of slavery. They recognize Jamaican Creole as their own, and fully embrace it. Given Jamaica’s small size, one wouldn’t expect variations in the language. But there are. In urban areas, people speak a diluted form of patois, mixed with a lot of standard English. In the inner cities, a much coarser patois is spoken, where a lot of stress is put on the vowels. In the rural areas, patois much like the type Miss Lou promotes is spoken. It is closer to the patois of slavery days, as words such as “Massa” (Master) are still used.

In conclusion, Jamaican patois is not “Bad English,” though it has English origins. It’s not English either, as any first time visitor to Jamaica will tell you. It is a beautiful language with as much variety and richness as our people, and, in my opinion, is one of the most beautiful languages on the planet. And how could I end this piece without giving some examples of Jamaican words? Here are some common ones used. “Deh” (There), “Pickney” (Child), “Gwaan” (Go on), “Nyam” (Eat), “Likkle” (Little), “Weh” (Where). Here are some Jamaican phrases and a dictionary of them if you want to brush up on or learn Jamaican patois.

Related Posts:

1. My thoughts on…the Patois Bible
2. My thoughts on…Miss Lou’s legacy
3. My thoughts on…Miss Lou’s death
4. My thoughts on…the Jamaican “bomber”
5. My thoughts on…the Jamaican boycott

14 Responses on “My thoughts on…Jamaican language”

1. 
   Trent Says:
   October 17th, 2006 at 1:48 pm

   Jamaican patois is beautiful, as is any other local dialect of English. It is the human aspect that makes it beautiful - such things are true living languages. Myself, I find the Norwegian/Swedish drawl of the upper Midwest (particularly Minnesota) to be wonderful.

2. 
   Taylor Says:
   October 17th, 2006 at 7:29 pm

   Jamaian patois is okay or patwa as we say at times. however who really can speak it though.. I can honestly say i have no friends that speak the jamaican creole to its true nature. we mix it with english to give a more native version of the english language but its definatly not historical roots patois

   while on the subject of the jamaican language it makes me sad to see where it is going, almost every word in the english language has some negative meaning associated with it.. guys cant say the “two” or anything associated with the number due to association with homo sexuality derived from the “second hole”.. (your smart figure it out).. and there are loads of oteher stuff thats just one example.. so now you’ve gotta speak broken english as to be careful to not say something which might be thought of as gay..

3. 
   carrie Says:
   October 17th, 2006 at 8:14 pm

   this is a great article. i am glad you wrote it. i took a class on language and anthropology class and we learned about this kind of thing…. creoles and pidgins.

4. 
   eemanee Says:
   October 17th, 2006 at 9:37 pm

   nice post.

   and of course when a Caribbean person says “nice” its superlative and not some bland adjective like in the Standard English meaning

5. 
   Melody Says:
   October 17th, 2006 at 10:50 pm

   U’re right, our language isn’t really just broken English — just another reason we could teach (especially remedial) English as a Second Language (ESL).

6. 
   Josh & Lisa Says:
   October 18th, 2006 at 12:34 pm

   Leon: great blog! I’m so glad that Kitty found you.

7. 
   Kingston Girl Says:
   October 18th, 2006 at 2:32 pm

   I’m with those who say we need to start teaching english as a second language as by just teaching kids that patois is bad english just confuses them, degrades the language and makes it all go pear-shaped

8. 
   Abeni Says:
   October 18th, 2006 at 9:01 pm

   Good post. Dialect is beautiful in my humble opinion.It’s nothing to be ashamed of at all

9. 
   Richard Says:
   October 19th, 2006 at 1:47 am

   Thanks a lot for the article- I enjoyed reading it.

10. 
    Tina Says:
    October 19th, 2006 at 3:19 pm

    I’m with Josh & Lisa, great blog and thanks to Kitty for findin’ ya. Jamaican creole is a beautiful language. I first heard it while working as a line cook in New York many years ago. Thanks Leon for reminding me.

11. 
    Maritza Says:
    October 20th, 2006 at 8:28 am

    I find it fascinating how many Carribean speakers have the same words/phrases in common. Cubans call someone who is obnoxious “bofe” (pronounced BO-fey) which comes from the Trinidanian phrase “boldface”. Nice article.

12. 
    Paulo Eduardo Says:
    March 9th, 2007 at 9:26 am

    Hey buddy
    I am an English teacher in Brazil and loved your “class’ on Jamaican English. Congratulations! There is no need to be nervous about writing, you are a writer!
    Greetings from Brazil

13. 
    Anonymous Says:
    June 6th, 2007 at 7:20 am

    Tink bout dem good. dem wan fi use yuh as a ref. tell dem no mi bredda. summa dem seh yuh wan gi dem fi wi patois, deh av wi nutt’n a communicate seen. nah gi overstanding wi givt ;-

14. 
    My thoughts on…the Patois Bible on My thoughts…on stuff Says:
    July 12th, 2008 at 12:28 am

    [...] At present they’ve only translated 40 percent. For the uninitiated, I’m taking about Jamaican patois, a fusion of English, African, Amerindian and Spanish. This money could be better spent somewhere [...]

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