ENGLISH VARIETIES

JAMAICA

Jamaica in the World

History
The First Jamaicans
The first Jamaicans were the Taino Indians who settled in Jamaica around 600 AD. They were stoneage peoples who had migrated to Jamaica from the northern coast of South America. After living continuously in Jamaica for almost 900 years, the Tainos were wiped out within 50 years of the Spanish conquest in 1494.

The Spanish Period

Christopher Columbus was the first European to set foot on the island when he claimed it for Spain on May 3rd, 1494, during his second voyage to the New World. Jamaica was settled by the Spanish in 1510 and the indigenous Taino people were forced into slavery and eventually exterminated. Jamaicas first town was built by the Spanish in Saint Anns Bay and was called Sevilla Nueva. In 1538 the Spanish moved the capital of Jamaica to Spanish Town. Jamaica was, however, never heavily populated by the Spanish, for they found no gold on the island.

The British Period and the Pirates of the Caribbean

In 1655 British naval forces captured Jamaica from the Spanish. The British went on to retain control of Jamaica for over 300 years. The British took advantage of Jamaicas strategic location in the centre of the Caribbean to challenge the Spanish dominance of the region and to disrupt their lucrative trade in gold and silver. Port Royal was almost completely destroyed in 1692 by a devastating earthquake, and further damaged by a series of hurricanes over the next thirty years. By then, England and Spain had signed a peace treaty and the need for the buccaneers had vanished. Jamaica became more involved in trade and the exportation of sugar, cocoa and other agricultural products.

The Maroons
During the upheaval caused by the transition from Spanish to English rule in 1655, many of the West African slaves formerly owned by the Spanish escaped into Jamaicas hilly interior and pioneered the resistance to slavery that would continue in Jamaica for most of the ensuing 200 years. These escaped slaves developed their own separate culture based on their West African roots. Known as the Maroons

Africa in the Caribbean and the Resistance to Slavery

The importation of African slave labour, begun by the Spanish, continued under the British with much greater intensity. Most Jamaican slaves came from the region of modern day Ghana, Nigeria and Central Africa, and included the Akan, Ashanti, Yoruba, Ibo and Ibibio peoples. By the 18th century, Jamaica had become one of the most valuable British colonies. But the conditions endured by the slaves were horrendous. Families were routinely separated. Housing and sanitary conditions were abysmal. Beatings and torture were rampant. Many died from overwork and starvation. Life expectancy of a West African slave in Jamaica was 7 years.

Asia and the Middle East in the Caribbean

* The Jews were among the first ethnic group to settle in Jamaica, arriving in the early sixteenth century to work in sugar manufacturing.
*In 1845 the first Indians arrived in Jamaica to work as indentured servants on the sugar plantations that had been abandoned by the African-Jamaicans after the abolition of slavery. *In 1854 the first Chinese migrants arrived as indentured labourers. Most were from Hong Kong and from the Kwang Tung Province in southeast China. * In the early years of the twentieth century migrants from Palestine and Lebanon settled in Jamaica, fleeing political and religious persecution in their home countries and in search of a better way of life. The peoples of the Middle East, India and China have retained many of the cultural values from their places of origin and have enriched Jamaica with their contributions
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Transition to Independence
By 1938, dissatisfaction with the crown colony system, sharpened by the hardships and suffering brought on by a worldwide economic depression, erupted in serious and widespread rioting. These events resulted in the formation of the first lasting labour unions, as well as of political parties linked to them. A growing demand for self-determination also became apparent Political agitation by Jamaican activists and trade union leaders led to the granting of a new constitution in 1944. Further constitutional advances took place in 1953 and 1957, and full internal self-government was obtained in 1959. On August 6, 1962, after 300 years of British colonization, Jamaica became an independent nation with full dominion status within the Commonwealth.

Geography and environment

Jamaica is the third largest island in the Caribbean. Mountains, including the Blue Mountains, dominate the inland. They are surrounded by a narrow coastal plain. Chief towns and cities include the capital Kingston on the south shore, Portmore, Spanish Town, Mandeville, Ocho Ros, Port Antonio, Negril, and Montego Bay on the north shore. Jamaica lies 140 km (90 mi) south of Cuba and 190 km (118 mi) west of Haiti. At its greatest extent, Jamaica is 235 km (146 mi) long, and its width varies between 34 and 84 km (21 and 52 mi). With an area of 10,911 km2 (4,213 sq mi), Jamaica is the largest island of the Commonwealth Caribbean and the third largest of the Greater Antilles, after Cuba and Hispaniola.

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Kingston Harbour is the seventh-largest natural harbour in the world, which contributed to the city being designated as the capital in 1872. Jamaica lies in the hurricane belt of the Atlantic Ocean and because of this; the island sometimes suffers significant storm damage.
Among the variety of terrestrial, aquatic and marine ecosystems are dry and wet limestone forests, rainforest, riparian woodland, wetlands, caves, rivers, seagrass beds and coral reefs. The authorities have recognized the tremendous significance and potential of the environment and have designated some of the more 'fertile' areas as 'protected'.

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Jamaica in the Caribbean

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Kingston Harbour is the seventh-largest natural harbour in the world, which contributed to the city being designated as the capital in 1872. Jamaica lies in the hurricane belt of the Atlantic Ocean and because of this; the island sometimes suffers significant storm damage. Among the variety of terrestrial, aquatic and marine ecosystems are dry and wet limestone forests, rainforest, riparian woodland, wetlands, caves, rivers, seagrass beds and coral reefs. The authorities have recognized the tremendous significance and potential of the environment and have designated some of the more 'fertile' areas as 'protected'.

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Flora
Jamaica's climate is tropical, supporting diverse ecosystems with a wealth of plants and animals. Jamaica's plant life has changed considerably over the centuries. When the Spanish arrived in 1494, except for small agricultural clearings, the country was deeply deforested. The European settlers cut down the great timber trees for building and ships' supplies, and cleared the plains, savannas, and mountain slopes for intense agricultural cultivation. Many new plants were introduced including sugarcane, bananas, and citrus trees. Areas of heavy rainfall contain stands of bamboo, ferns, ebony, mahogany, and rosewood. Cactus and similar dry-area plants are found along the south and southwest coastal area. Parts of the west and southwest consist of large grasslands, with scattered stands of trees.

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Fauna
The Jamaican animal life, typical of the Caribbean, includes highly diversified wildlife with many endemic species found nowhere else on earth. As with other oceanic islands, land mammals are mostly Bats. The only non-bat native mammal extant in Jamaica is the Jamaican Hutia, locally known as the coney. Jamaica is also home to about 50 species of reptiles. Lizards, such as Anoles, Iguanas and snakes, such as racers, and the Jamaican Boa (the largest snake on the island), are common in areas such as the Cockpit Country. None of Jamaica's eight species of native snakes is venomous. One species of freshwater turtle is native to Jamaica, the Jamaican Slider. Birds are abundant, and make up the bulk of the endemic and native vertebrate species. Jamaican waters contain considerable resources of fresh-and saltwater fish. Insects and other invertebrates are abundant, including the world's largest centipede, the Amazonian Giant Centipede, and the Homerus Swallowtail, the Western Hemisphere's largest butterfly. 15

Jamaican Hutia

Amazonian Giant Centipede

Homerus Swallowtail

Coasts

The coastline of Jamaica is one of many contrasts. The northeast shore is severely eroded by the ocean. There are many small inlets in the rugged coastline, but no coastal plain of any extent. A narrow strip of plains along the northern coast offers calm seas and white sand beaches. Behind the beaches is a flat raised plain of uplifted coral reef. The southern coast has small stretches of plains lined by black sand beaches. These are backed by cliffs of limestone where the plateaus end. In many stretches with no coastal plain, the cliffs drop 300 metres (980 ft) straight to the sea. In the southwest, broad plains stretch inland for a number of kilometres. The Black River courses 70 kilometres (43 mi) through the largest of these plains. The swamplands of the Great Morass and the Upper Morass fill much of the plains. The western coastline contains the island's finest beaches.
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Climate
Two types of climate are found in Jamaica. An upland tropical climate prevails on the windward side of the mountains, whereas a semiarid climate predominates on the leeward side. Warm trade winds from the east and northeast bring rainfall throughout the year. The rainfall is heaviest from May to October, with peaks in those two months. Temperatures in Jamaica are fairly constant throughout the year, averaging 25 to 30 C (77 to 86 F) in the lowlands and 15 to 22 C (59 to 71.6 F) at higher elevations. Temperatures may dip to below 10 C (50 F) at the peaks of the Blue Mountains. The island receives, in addition to the northeast trade winds, refreshing onshore breezes during the day and cooling offshore breezes at night. These are known on Jamaica as the "Doctor Breeze" and the "Undertaker's Breeze," respectively. Jamaica lies in the Atlantic hurricane belt; as a result, the island sometimes experiences significant storm damage. Powerful hurricanes which have hit the island directly causing death and destruction include a Category 4 hurricane, Hurricane Dean, which caused some deaths and heavy damage to Jamaica in August 2007. The first recorded hurricane to hit Jamaica was in 1519.
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Vegetation and wildlife

Although most of Jamaica's native vegetation has been stripped in order to make room for cultivation, some areas have been left virtually undisturbed since the time of Columbus. Indigenous vegetation can be found along the northern coast from Rio Bueno to Discovery Bay, in the highest parts of the Blue Mountains, and in the heart of the Cockpit Country.

1- Wild Crocodile 2- Jamaican Boa 3- Jamaican Giant Anole

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Jamaican Facts
Population (2009) Yearly Growth Rate Area Density Gdp (2008) GDP/Inhabitant (2008) Life Expectancy (2009) Birth (2009) Fecundity Index (2009) Death (2009) Child Death Rate (2009) Alphabtization Rate (2007) Official Languages Currency Converter Human Developpment Index (IDH 2012) Environmental Performance Index (EPI 2010) Nature Of The State Head Of The State National Hollyday Internet Code Of The Country : Tourist (2007)
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2 695 164 0.480 11 425 235.90 14.40 5 335 73.53 19.68 2.25 6.43 15.22 86.00 English

inhabitants % km2 inhabitants/km2 milliards $USD $USD years % children/woman % % %

Jamaican dollar (JMD) 0.730/1.0 (rank : 86/186) 58.0 (rank : 90/164) Parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy Monarch Elizabeth II 6th august (independence of 1962) .jm 1 704 000 people

Demographics
According to the 2001 census, the majority of Jamaica's population is of African descent The most common ethnic groups among all Africans taken to Jamaica were the Akan (known as the "Coromantee") from present-day Ghana and the Igbo from present-day Nigeria. Multiracial Jamaicans form the second largest racial group, many of whom also have Irish ancestry. Most mixedrace people on the island self-report simply as "Jamaican". The make up is 76.3% African descent, 15.1% Afro-European, 3.4% East Indian and Afro-East Indian, 3.2% Caucasian, 1.2% Chinese and 0.8% Other.
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Ethnic Origins

African Indian Chinese

Afro-European Caucasian Other

Religion
Christianity is the largest religion practiced in Jamaica and according to the 2001 census. The country's largest denominations are the Church of God of Prophecy (24% of the population), Seventh-day Adventist Church (11%), Pentecostal (10%), Baptist (7%), Anglican (4%), Roman Catholic (2%), United Church (2%), Methodist (2%), Moravian (1%) and Plymouth Brethren (1%). The Christian faith gained acceptance as British Christian abolitionists and Baptist missionaries joined educated former slaves in the struggle against slavery. The Rastafari movement had 24,000 adherents, according to the 2001 census. Other religions in Jamaica include Jehovah's Witnesses (2% population), the Bah' faith, which counts perhaps 8,000 adherents and 21 Local Spiritual Assemblies, Buddhism, and Hinduism. There is a small population of Jews, about 200, who describe themselves as Liberal-Conservative.
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Church of God of Prophecy 7th-day Adventist Church Pentecostal Baptist Anglican Roman Catholic United Church Methodist Moravian Plymouth Brethren

Crime
Jamaica has had one of the highest murder rates in the world for many years, according to UN estimates. Some areas of Jamaica, particularly cities such as Kingston, experience high levels of crime and violence. Many Jamaicans are hostile toward LGBT and intersex people. Various mob attacks against gay people have been reported, prompting humanrights groups to call Jamaica "the most homophobic place on earth.

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Education
The emancipation of the slaves heralded in the establishment of the Jamaican education system for the masses. Prior to emancipation there were few schools for educating locals. Many sent their children off to England to access quality education. After emancipation the West Indian Commission granted a sum of money to establish Elementary Schools, now known as All Age Schools. Most of these schools were established by the churches. This was the genesis of the modern Jamaican school system.
Education is free from the early childhood to secondary levels. There are also opportunities for those who cannot afford further education in the vocational arena through the Human Employment and Resource Training-National Training Agency (HEART Trust-NTA) programme and through an extensive scholarship network for the various universities. Students are taught Spanish in school from the primary level upwards; about 4045% of educated people in Jamaica know some form of Spanish.
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Economy
Jamaica is a mixed economy with both state enterprises and private sector businesses. Major sectors of the Jamaican economy include agriculture, mining, manufacturing, tourism, and financial and insurance services. Tourism and mining are the leading earners of foreign exchange. Half the Jamaican economy relies on services, with half of its income coming from services such as tourism. An estimated 1.3 million foreign tourists visit Jamaica every year.

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Jamaican Culture
National Symbols
The Flag

The Jamaica National Flag was first raised on Independence Day, August 6, 1962. It signifies the birth of the nation. The Flag brings to mind memories of past achievements and gives inspiration towards further success. It is flown on many triumphant occasions, showing the pride that Jamaicans have in their country and in the flag itself. Symbolism The sun shineth, the land creative is the symbolism the strength and creativity and beauty of sunlight; and
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is green and the people are strong and of the colours of the flag. Black depicts of the people; Gold, the natural wealth green, hope and agricultural resources.

Jamaican Coat of Arms

The Jamaican national motto is Out of Many One People, based on the populations multi-racial roots. The motto is represented on the Coat of Arms, showing a male and female member of the Taino tribe standing on either side of a shield which bears a red cross with five golden pineapples. The crest shows a Jamaican crocodile mounted on the Royal Helmet of the British Monarchy and mantling.

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Jamaican National Fruit - The Ackee (Blighia Sapida)

Ackee is the national fruit of Jamaica as well as a component of the national dish ackee and codfish. Although the ackee is not indigenous to Jamaica, it has remarkable historic associations. Originally, it was imported to the island from West Africa, probably on a slave ship. Now it grows here luxuriantly, producing large quantities of edible fruit each year.

Jamaican National Bird - Swallow-Tail Hummingbird

The doctor bird or swallow tail humming bird, is one of the most outstanding of the 320 species of hummingbirds. It lives only in Jamaica. These birds beautiful feathers have no counterpart in the entire bird population and they produce iridescent colours characterstic only of that family. In addition to these beautiful feathers, the mature male has tow long tails which stream behind him when he flies. For years the doctor bird has been immortalized in Jamaican folklore and song.
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Jamaican National Flower - Lignum Vitae

The Lignum Vitae was found here by Christopher Columbus. Its name, when translated from Latin, means wood of life probably adopted because of its medicinal qualities. The short, compact tree is native to continental tropical American and the West Indies. In Jamaica it grows best in the dry woodland along the north and south coasts of the island.

Jamaican National Tree - The Blue Mahoe

It is indigenous to the island and grows quite rapidly, often attaining 20m (66ft) or more in height. In wetter districts it will grow in a wide range of elevations, up to 1200m (4000 ft.) and is often used in reforestation. The Blue Mahoe is so beautiful and durable that it is widely used for cabinet making and also for making decorative objects such as picture frames, bowls and carving.
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Beliefs and Customs

One of the most common birth rite in Jamaica, pertains to the burying of the umbilical cord of a newborn. Usually a tree, called "navel-string tree" or "baby's tree", is planted at the burial spot, so that the baby always remains connected to his/her place of birth. Nine Night is one of the important Jamaican funeral ceremonies, wherein for the first eight nights, the friends and relatives of the deceased assemble together at his/her home, and sing, dance, and drink all night. The room of the deceased is rearranged, so that his/her spirit does not recognize it and return. A last meal is served to the spirit of the deceased, and is kept under the silk-cotton tree, which is believed to be the hiding place of the spirits. A traditional Jamaican marriage calls for big celebrations, lavish preparations, and heavy expenses. It is a complete family affair, where both families meet formally before the wedding. Friends and relatives begin sending presents long before the "big day". The most common gift is that of eggs, to be used for making the wedding cake. The ceremony itself is fairly short, and ends with the cutting of the cake.
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Jamaican Music
The British realized very early that African traditions especially singing, dancing and drumming were vital in retaining their spirit of freedom. They were also fearful that these African rituals could be used as calls to rebellions and uprisings. As a measure of control, legislation was passed in 1696 which forbade large gatherings, prayers, singing, drumming or other forms of celebration. However, despite the oppression, the Africans held close to their traditions and learned how to secretly pass these traditions down through the generations.

Mento
Mento is a distinct style of Jamaican music that emerged in the early 1900's and is not to be confused with Jamaican calypso. Mento draws its traditions from African slaves brought to Jamaica and some European folk culture. Salves were sometimes made to play music singing European folk songs which largely influenced the development of Mento. Mento came to real prominence in the 1940's and 1950's before being displaced by ska, rocksteady and reggae. It was not until the 1950's that the first recordings were made and many of the more popular songs were pressed by Stannley Motta and Ivan Chin.

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Ska
Ska combines elements of Jamaican mento with American Jazz and rhythm and blues. After World War II, many Jamaicans obtained radios and frequently listened to American jazz and rhythm and blues that was brought to the island by American naval officers stationed there. In the 1950's however, Americans began listening to rock'n roll instead of jazz and R and B, and Jamaicans yearned to hear the jazz and R and B which they had come to love

Rocksteady
When these rudeboys starting dancing a little slower to the music, the tempo of the music changed and became slower. This was the birth of rocksteady. Rocksteady only lasted 2 years and led to the advent of reggae.

Reggae
Rocksteady only lasted 2 years and led to the advent of reggae. Reggae emerged around 1968 and is commonly used to refer to all popular Jamaican music. When the tempo of the music began to slow down the music form known as reggae was created. The word reggae with regards to music comes from the song Do the Reggae' by the Maytals. During the seventies and eighties, reggae achieved international acclaim with the success of groups like "The Wailers" and movies like Jimmy Cliff's "The Harder They Come".
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Jamaican Art
The earliest evidences of Jamaican art come from the prehistoric times. This is the art of the Taino inhabitants that comes in the form of drawings, engravings, and paintings on rock surfaces and cave walls. This rock art of the Tainos depicts, other than their mythological stories, themes related to their daily lives such as hunting scenes, their religious practices, their perceptions of nature, and so on. Other than these, we also have evidences of numerous stone and ironwood figurines and masks, supposedly related to their belief in the zemis. Until the middle of the 20th century, what can be called an out-and-out Jamaican art revolution was born. People from all classes came together and created powerful works of art that conveyed very strong social and political messages. Today, the National Gallery of Jamaica, situated in Kingston, houses some of the finest works of art in the entire Caribbean region. Added to this, there are also a number of private art galleries giving exposure to famous as well as upcoming artists.

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Literature, Theater, and Films

Oral tradition has a long history in Jamaica, beginning with the folktales told by the Jamaican slaves during the colonial era. Later than that, Thomas MacDermot, a Jamaican novelist, poet, and a journalist was the first ever internationally recognized Jamaican literary figure. In fact, he is credited for promoting Jamaican literature on the world platform. Apart from him, the Nobel laureate Derek Walcott, Claude McKay, and Louis Simpson are all noted authors who come from Jamaica. On the other hand, as far as theater is concerned, Louise Bennett, Andrew Salkey, and Mikey Smith made significant contributions to patois plays. Jamaica also holds an annual film event called "The Reggae Film Festival" in Kingston, every year in the month of February.
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Cuisine
Much like its culture, the cuisine of Jamaica is also a wonderful blend of varied influences, spices, flavors, and cooking methods. Jamaican dishes are very hot and spicy. The use of strong spices and various aromatic herbs in the recipes have made Jamaican dishes very popular throughout the world. Their national dish is Ackee and Saltfish. The spicy jerk pork and jerk chicken are also favorites.
Some Jamaicans, especially the Rastafarians, prefer vegetarian dishes which are also equally famous. Fruits and vegetables form the main ingredients of many recipes. Spices unique to Jamaica such as jerk are used. Their national drink is Jamaican rum. Blue mountain coffee and hibiscus tea are also served.

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Phonology
Accounts of basilectal Jamaican Patois consonants and between 9 and 16 vowels. postulate around 21 phonemic

1.The status of /h/ as a phoneme is dialectal: in western varieties, it is a full phoneme and there are minimal pairs (/hiit/ 'hit' and /iit/ 'eat'); in central and eastern varieties, the presence of [h] in a word is in free variation with no consonant so that the words for 'hand' and 'and' (both underlyingly /an/) may be pronounced [han] or [an]. 2.The palatal stops [c], [] and [] are considered phonemic by some accounts and phonetic by others. For the latter interpretation, their appearance is included in the larger phenomenon of phonetic palatalization. Consonants Labial
Nasal Stop Fricative Approximant Lateral M p b f v

Alveolar
N t d s z L

Postalveolar
t d

Palatal
c J

Velar
k

Glottal

(h)1 W

Palatalization

Examples of palatalization include: /kiuu/ [ciu] [cu] ('a quarter quart (of rum)') /iaad/ [iad] [ad] ('guard') /piaa + piaa/ [pipi] [pp] ('weak') Voiced stops are implosive whenever in the onset of prominent syllables (especially word-initially) so that /biit/ ('beat') is pronounced [it] and /uud/ ('good') as [ud]. Before a syllabic /l/, the contrast between alveolar and velar consonants has been historically neutralized with alveolar consonants becoming velar so that the word for 'bottle' is /bakl / and the word for 'idle' is /ail /.

Vowels of Jamaican Patois

Jamaican Patois exhibits two types of vowel harmony; peripheral vowel harmony, wherein only sequences of peripheral vowels (that is, /i/, /u/, and /a/) can occur within a syllable; and back harmony, wherein /i/ and /u/ cannot occur within a syllable together (that is, /uu/ and /ii/ are allowed but * /ui/ and * /iu/ are not).These two phenomena account for three long vowels and four diphthongs:

Vowel
/ii/ /aa/ /uu/ /ia/ /ai/ /ua/ /au/

Example
/biini/ /baaba/ /buut/ /biak/ /baik/ /buat/ /taun/

Glossary
'tiny' 'barber' 'booth' 'bake' 'bike' 'boat' 'town'

Sociolinguistic variation
Jamaican Patois is a creole language that exhibits a gradation between more conservative creole forms and forms virtually identical to Standard English (i.e. metropolitan Standard English). This situation came about with contact between speakers of a number of NigerCongo languages and various dialects of English, the latter of which were all perceived as prestigious and the use of which carried socio-economic rewards. The span of a speaker's command of the continuum generally corresponds to the variety of social situations in which he or she situates himself.

Grammar
The tense/aspect system of Jamaican Patois is fundamentally unlike that of English. There are no morphological marked past tense forms corresponding to English -ed -t. There are two preverbial particles: en and a. These are not verbs, they are simply invariant particles that cannot stand alone like the English to be. Their function also differs from the English. According to Bailey (1966), the progressive category is marked by /a~da~de/. Alleyne (1980) claims that /a~da/ marks the progressive and that the habitual aspect is unmarked but by its accompaniment with verbs like 'always', 'usually, etc. (i.e. is absent as a grammatical category). Mufwene (1984) and Gibson and Levy (1984) propose a past-only habitual category marked by /juusta/ as in /we wi juusta liv iz not az kuol az ii/ ('where we used to live is not as cold as here').

For the present tense, an uninflected verb combining with an iterative adverb marks habitual meaning as in /tam aawez nuo kieti tel pan im/ ('Tom always knows when Katy tells/has told about him').

en is a tense indicator a is an aspect marker (a) go is used to indicate the future /mi on/ I run (habitually); I ran /mi a on/ or /mi de on/ I am running /a on mi dida on/ or /a on mi ben(w)en a on/ I was running /mi did on/ or /mi ben(w)en on/ I have run; I had run /mi a o on/ I am going to run; I will run

Like other Caribbean Creoles (that is, Guyanese Creole and San Andrs-Providencia Creole; Sranan Tongo is excluded) /fi/ has a number of functions, including.

Directional, dative, or benefactive preposition

/dem a fait fi wi/ ('They are fighting for us')[24] Genitive preposition (that is, marker of possession) /dat a fi mi buk/ ('that's my book') Modal auxiliary expressing obligation or futurity /im fi kom op ja/ ('he ought to come up here')

Pre - infinitive complementizer

/unu hafi kiip samti fa de ini piipl-dem fi biit dem miuzik/ ('you have to contribute something to the Guinean People for playing their music').

Pronominal system
The pronominal system of Standard English has a four-way distinction of person, number, gender and case. Some varieties of Jamaican Patois do not have the gender or case distinction, but all varieties distinguish between the second person singular and plural (you). I, me = /mi/ you, you (singular) = /ju/ he, him = /im/ (pronounced [] in the basilect varieties) she, her = /i/ or /im/ (no gender distinction in basilect varieties) we, us, our = /wi/ you (plural) = /unu/ they, them, their = /dem/

Negation
/no/ is used as a present tense negator: /if kau no did nuo au im tuotuol tan im udn taans piesiid/ ('If the cow knew that his throat wasn't capable of swallowing a pear seed, he wouldn't have swallowed it') /kiaan/ is used in the same way as English can't /it a puo ti dat kiaan ma ant/ ('It is a poor thing that can't mash an ant'). /neva/ is a negative past participle. /dan neva tiif di moni/ ('John did not steal the money').

Vowels

Short vowels
Letter i e a o u Patois sik bel ban kot kuk English sick bell band cut cook

Long vowels
Letter ii aa uu Patois tii baal shuut English tea ball shoot

Diphthongs

Diphthongs
Letter ie uo ai ou Patois kiek gruo bait kou English cake grow bite cow

Nasal vowels are written with -hn, as in kyaahn (can't) and iihn (isn't it?)

Consonants

h is written according to local pronunciation, so that hen (hen) and en (end) are distinguished in writing for speakers of western Jamaican, but not for those of central Jamaican.

Consonants
Letter b d ch f g h j Patois biek daag choch fuud guot hen joj English bake dog church food goat hen judge

Consonants

Consonants
Letter m n ng p r s sh t v w y z
zh

Patois man nais sing piil ron sik shout tuu vuot wail yong zuu
vorzhan

English man nice sing peel run sick shout two vote wild young zoo
version

Vocabulary
Jamaican Patois contains many loanwords. Primarily these come from English, but are also borrowed from Spanish, Portuguese, Hindi, Arawak and African languages as well as Scottish and Irish dialects. Examples from African languages include /se/ meaning that (in the sense of "he told me that..." = /im tel mi se/), taken from Ashanti Twi, and /dopi/ (duppy) meaning ghost, from the Twi word adope. The pronoun /unu/, used for the plural form of you, is taken from the Igbo language. Red eboe describes a fairskinned black person because of the reported account of fair skin among the Igbo. Soso meaning only comes from both Igbo and Yoruba. From Igbo comes Obeah, a form of African shamanism (and also used as a popular scapegoat for common woes) originating from the Igbo dibia or obia ('doctoring') herbalists and spiritualists. Words from Hindi include nuh, ganja (marijuana), and janga (crawdad). Pickney or pickiney meaning child, taken from an earlier form (piccaninny) was ultimately borrowed from the Portuguese pequenino (the diminutive of pequeno, small) or Spanish pequeo ('small'). There are many words referring to popular produce and food itemsackee, callaloo, guinep, bammy, roti, dal, kamranga. See Jamaican cuisine. Jamaican Patois has its own rich variety of swearwords. One of the strongest is blood claat (along with related forms raas claat, bomba claat, claat and others compare with bloody in Australian English and British English, which is also considered a profanity). Homosexual men are referred to as /biips/or batty boys.

Creole Language

A creole language, or simply a creole, is a stable natural language developed from the mixing of parent languages. Creoles differ from pidgins (which are believed by scholars to be a necessary predecessor of creoles) in that creoles have been nativized by children as their primary language, with the result that they have features of natural languages that are normally missing from pidgins. The vocabulary of a creole language is largely supplied by the parent languages, particularly that of the most dominant group in the social context of the creole's construction, though there are often clear phonetic and semantic shifts. On the other hand, the grammar often has original features that may differ substantially from those of the parent languages.

Jamaican to English Phrases

Youre here because youve heard Jamaican Patwa either through friends, through Jamaican music, or through traveling to Jamaica and interacting with the locals Hereunder you will find a guide of some common English phrases translated to Jamaican patwa so you can learn a little piece of the language.

English Jamaican Patwa

1. Hello Waah Gwaan 2. What are you doing? Weh u deh pan? 3. What is that? Wah dat be? 4. Dont worry Nuh worry 5. What do you want to eat? Weh u waan nyam? 6. You want it? Yu waannt ih? 7. No, I do not want it no sah mi no want ih 8. I do not understand what you are saying mi nuh andastan weh u a she 9. Did you eat yet? yu nyam sumting areddy? 10. No I have not eaten no mi nuh eet areddy 11. Where are you? weh u deh? 12. I am sick mi sik 13. I want to go to the beach mi waannt fi go a beach 14. I want something to eat mi waannt summhh fi it 15. Do you like it? yu like ih?

English Jamaican Patwa

16. Where is it? weh ih deh? 17. Let me find it for you mek mi fine ih fi yuh 18. Show me where this is located mek me I know weh dis deh 19. What do you want to buy? Weh u waan fi buy? 20. Can I have some water? Mi caan get sum wata please? 21. Where is the bus stop? weh di bus tap deh? 22. Do you know her? yuh kno har? 23. Who sings this song? a who sing da sang ya? 24. Where is the field? wich paaat feel deh? 25. Where is the bookstore? wich paaat di bookstore deh? 26. What are we having for breakfast? wah wi a eet fi brekfass? 27. Where is the party? wich paaat di paaty deh? 28. I cannot find it mi caan fine ih 29. I cannot do it mi caan dweet 30. Do you like to dance? yuh like fi dance?

English Jamaican Patwa

30. Do you like to dance? yuh like fi dance? 31. I want to go swimming mi waaan fi go swim 32. How much for that? humuch fi dat? 33. I do not have any money mi nuh hav nuh money 34. What do you think? weh u tink? 35. Im joking with you mi a ramp wid yuh 36. Where is the beach? weh di beach deh? 37. Do you have a boyfriend? yuh hav a man? 38. Do you have a girlfriend? yuh hav a uhman? 39. What is your phone number? wah u numba be? 40. I need to find a hotel mi need fi fine wah hotel 41. Where is the restaurant weh di restarant deh? 42. Where is the airport weh di airport deh? 43. Can I use your phone mi caan use yuh phone? 44. I need new clothes mi need new clothes 45. Where is the nearest hotel? weh di nearest hotel deh?

English Jamaican Patwa

46. I cannot understand you mi caan undastan yuh 47. I need your help mi need yuh fi help mi 48. What did you say? weh u she? 49. When are you going? wen yaago go? 50. Goodbye lata / likkle moe