Jamaican English is a dialect of English that combines unique parts of American and British English, along with some expressions of patois, due to the linguistic influence that Jamaica had for having been an English British colony for centuries, and the geographical proximity between Jamaica and the United States.Īs I mentioned a few seconds ago, Jamaican English also tends to use some Jamaican Creole expressions. However, there is a linguistic variant of English, which also makes use of some patois words and is often confused with this language, that you could start using today, and that is Jamaican English. Patois has its own structure that makes it a unique language, so if you focus on learning it, it can be a really fun experience. Wait a minute, I think I regret that last statement. It is not like the Texas accent, which can be understood by any American. While a native English speaker would say “somebody”, a patois speaker would say “sumadi”, “hear” is said as “ier”, and the expression “this” is said “dis”.ĭespite these similarities, patois is still a language of its own with its own rules, which is why it is also incorrect to call it a dialect. And by that, I mean the expressions to the funny expressions I’ve told you about. But first, let’s start with the things they have in common. But wait a minute, what about English and patois being similar? Although patois uses much of the English vocabulary, it has its own characteristics that make it unique. In fact, I would argue that it is absolutely impossible to understand patois being only a native English speaker, unless you have relatives who speak patois, grew up in Jamaica, or sat down to learn the language. However, I think the differences are too many to consider it an alternative to English. There is a group of linguists who consider patois as an alternative form of English because of the similarities between the two languages. Because trust me, you don’t want to get into an argument with an angry Jamaican.
It is quite addictive to watch a Jamaican say some funny words and wave his arms while calling you a rasta. In addition to using different variations of English words, which I’m going to tell you about in a minute, patois practitioners often communicate through their hand gestures, tone, and rhythm, making it a very expressive language. Today the Patois language is spoken by millions of people and represents a large part of the cultural identity and pride of this nation. It is estimated that more than 90% of the vocabulary of Patois was taken from English since it was the language used by the colonizers who dominated the Caribbean.Īfter the British Empire decided to abolish slavery, many of these large slave populations migrated to other parts of the Caribbean and went to work in other regions, such as Central and South America, causing the Jamaican patois to continue to spread throughout the world. Since many of the people who worked on these plantations did not share a common language, the slaves began to create their own language through a combination of English, Spanish, Portuguese, and various African languages, in order to communicate with each other. Like many other Creole languages, Jamaican patois originated from the African slaves that were forced to work on the many plantations in the Caribbean. Unless you can’t even afford the bus fare, as it happens to me. Today it is possible to find thousands of people practicing this incredible Creole language in different countries, such as the United States and the United Kingdom, thanks to the incredible power of globalization and the ease of travel from one country to another. Jamaican patois, also known as Jamaican Creole, is an English-based Creole language commonly practiced in the Caribbean Sea area, primarily spoken in Jamaica. So let’s dive into it! What is Jamaican patois? I will also teach you some incredible expressions that you can use to embarrass your family while pretending to speak patois with the delivery man. In this article, I will tell you all the differences between English and Patois, along with the similarities and characteristics that will help you have a better understanding of this fantastic Jamaican language. There is a slight difference between hearing someone speak in a language totally unknown to you to hearing one Creole language that has a lot of similarities with English, known as Jamaican patois.
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