Coodeh, a yaadie talk...wheel an come again!

 So....tell me, what do you know about Jamaican Patois?

Let’s take a close look at this interesting dialect.

Here are a few quick facts that you should know:

•  The vernacular form of English spoken in Jamaica is referred to as Patois or Patwa/Patwah.
• Jamaican Patois is also sometimes referred to as Jamaican Creole.
• The term Patois is a French word and can be interpreted to mean rough speech.
• Jamaican Patois language comprises words of the native languages of the many ethnic and cultural groups within the Caribbean including Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Amerindian, and English along with several African languages.
• Although Patois is a dialect that has borrowed most of its vocabulary from the European/English language, scholars have concluded that the pronunciation patterns and grammatical structures are West African.
• Patois has a few different dialects depending on the area of its speakers. For instance some Jamaicans who reside in the more rural areas like in the country areas tend to have thicker accents and their vernacular requires a sharp ear form proper translation.
• Jamaica’s official language is still English, even though most people speak Patois.

Seriously, mek wi talk (translation: let’s talk)

Have you ever had a conversation with a Jamaican? If you have, do you notice how their mood, tone and body language changes throughout the whole conversation? Why is that, you may be wondering. Well, its because when you speak Patois, there’s more emotion. Traditionally, the English language has so many words for things like, adverbs and adjectives that you can add. However, when you speak Patois it’s more like broken English, so you have to add the animation to it.

There are so many schools of thought about Patois. For instance, some see the dialect as a genuine and true reflection of what it means to be Jamaican, while others looks down on it and consider it the language of commoners and it makes you a ‘buttu’ ( translation: belonging to a lower class) if you speak it. Regardless of the expansion of patois beyond the island’s native speakers, the belief that it is uncivilized or an improper way of speaking is still prevalent in many circles.

From as early as I can remember as a child, my first language was Patois. But, as I transitioned to High School, Patois was less tolerable. We had to speak “proper” English while we were in school and if you misspoke and said something in Patois you were instantly corrected by your teachers. If you tried speaking proper some of your classmates would call you stoosh (translation: uppity, haughty). I remember we had one girl from class who went to the states for the summer and came back sounding more yankie than anything else. We would ridicule her and make fun of her proper way of speaking....ahh bwoy pickney can sometime be suh cruel eeeh? If you can’t decipher that phrase, just look it up!

Music and Patois....nutten nuh nice suh! (translation: nothing is this nice)

 While Jamaican Patois exists mostly as a spoken language, it is also heavily used for musical purposes, especially in the Reggae and Dancehall arena. When you hear a Jamaican tune come on, its like you already know how your brain and your body is going to react to it. The rhythm and the dialect just makes for a good combination. As a child growing up in Jamaica, I remember how I would memorize much of the songs that were being sung by popular artists like Beenie Man, Bounty Killer, Lady Saw, Freddie McGregor, Beres Hammond, Jimmy Cliff and many others. The music of great legends like Bob Marley is cemented as the core foundation of what Reggae music truly is. Reggae music brings us together and the binding agent in that mix is Patois.

Patois & Mainstream

Reggae and Dancehall music has helped to bring Patois to the world, but it’s more than just slang or creole. It is a language and artful expression of freedom. Patois has segued into many mainstream movies from fake Jamaican actors trying to put on their best Patois dialect, to mainstream pop-music and the injection of Reggae and Dancehall music. Patois also gives rise to the education of non-Patois speakers. Listeners of Reggae and Dancehall music who don’t speak Patois are attracted to the rhythm first, then realize they don’t understand the words so they look them up. Education = Elevation. A just suh wi dweet!

But, most important, part of understanding Patois’s absorption and effect on mass culture also involves understanding its formation, or synthesis. Patois is a dialect that was born out of necessity and formed a community of interest among the Jamaican people. At its core Patois is deeply rooted in exploitation and resistance from slavery, and an oppressive system. Universally, people need to know that Patois is more than just an island dialect. Patois is a language that heals, unifies and holds Jamaicans around the world together; it is culturally grounded.

Have you learned any new Patios words or phrases recently? Please share, we would love to read about it!

Maybe you have a favorite Patois phrase or word, if so, please don’t be stingy, let us hear it.