Blessings can also be used. The secret is in the pronunciation and the trick is to say it fast — almost as one word. Obeah-men can still be found practising this outlawed craft in Jamaica. Fineral Funeral — Mass John fineral a next week Saturday enuh!

Butta Butter — Look if we have any butta inna di fridge please. Haaspital hospital — Jem admit inna haaspital enuh, you did kno? Nutnmeg Nutmeg — Grater piece a nutnmeg fi add to the porridge pot. Jamaican Patois has its own rich variety of swearwords.

The language of Jamaica

One of the strongest is bloodclaat along with related forms raasclaat, bomboclaat, pussyclaat and others—compare with bloody in Australian English and British Englishwhich is also considered a profanity. Subsequently, the life-work of Louise Bennett or Miss Lou — is particularly notable for her use of the rich colorful patois, despite being shunned by traditional literary groups. However, Standard English remains the more prestigious literary medium in Jamaican literature.

We are an excitable people and as such our language is loud, animated, and can come across as aggressive, especially in atmospheres such as at a sporting event or within the dark corridors of a rum-bar. Different regions within the island have their own what is fi in jamaican patois and what is fi in jamaican patois too, making things even more complicated. Luckily, in the major cities and resort townsJamaicans speak a lot more clearly than within the deeper rural regions. The Evolution of Jamaican Patois In the s, around the time Jamaicans were negotiating their independence from Englandthe local dialect was frowned upon by the upper classes as the language of the poor and uneducated folk.

On the other end of the spectrum, reggae musicians used the language to express their identity, and songs filled with descriptions of poverty and political strife were mainstream at the time. Poets and theater performers also embraced patois as their primary mode of communication.

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Jamaican Patois Greetings - Donalee Curtis

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The Jamaican language is largely a derivative of Spanish, English and African influences on the country through its colonial history.

Although the official language of Jamaica is English, many Jamaicans speak Patois in casual everyday conversation.

Travel Guides

Here are 15 Jamaican Patois phrases to know and use on your next visit to Jamaica. Island time is much slower than the rest of the world and this expression should be interpreted as meaning anything from a few hours to a few days.

For example: Weh yuh a seh? In a land where superstition reigns by day and duppies spirits haunt by night, religion is more than just saying your prayers before you go to bed in Jamaica. This expression implies a fearless person overcoming obstacles and difficulties.

This is a popular expression and even road-signs will advise drivers to mash up yuh brakes. The secret is in the pronunciation and the trick is to say it fast — almost as one word.

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