Jamaica is warm sunny beaches, soulful music, friendly people, zesty cuisine and hundreds of years of intense historical events. Through the colonization activities of the Spanish, French and British, in addition to the African slave trade; a wonderfully eclectic society arose. The national motto "Out of Many, One People" says it best. Out of many national influences, one unique people has evolved. Along with the distinctive Jamaican people, a distinctive musical style, food, and several languages have developed. The official language of Jamaica is English, but the national language is Patios, which is not to be confused with Jamaican English or Rastafarian English. Let's take a look.
Jamaican Patois (pa-twa) is also referred to as Jamaican Creole. During the 17th century the British and Scottish (among others) brought hundreds of Central and West African slaves to the Caribbean. Those slaves were brought over for the purpose of working the plantations owned by the Europeans. Simply through their exposure to English, the slave population learned the vernacular and incorporated it into their own native languages of Pidgin and Creole. A sly side effect was a newly created spoken language in which slaves could communicate with each other without their masters being aware of what was being said. In a highly oppressive environment such as the plantation, this 'secret' language was a subtle form of rebellion for the slaves.
For the most part, Jamaican is a spoken language. British English is used for written communication in commerce, governmental matters, the medical industry, in education etc. In saying that, it is important to note the emerging presence of Patios in literary works over the last hundred years. Poetry written by Jamaican poets is often published in Patios, and even on web copy as a means of stylistic contrast.
When speaking of pronunciation in Jamaican Patois keep in mind a few general 'rules'. Any 'th' sound in a word is pronounced with a hard 'd'. A 'j' is used in place of 'y', for example when using 'you', Patois would use 'ju'. Plural 'you' is 'unu'. When referring to oneself (I, me) use 'mi'. Using 'he' or 'him' is used without the 'h': 'im'. Remembering the rule to drop the 'th' in favor of 'd', 'they' or 'them' is 'dem'. The letter 'u' most often becomes a long 'o'. A double 'o' will usually become 'u', for example 'book' becomes 'buk'. So, for the phrase "that's my book", in Jamaican Patois it would be "dat a fi mi buk".
The above is only a tiny example of a few Patois characteristics. For more information on the language, go to the website for the University of the West Indies website and seek out the Jamaican Language Unit. Then, test out your skills with a trip to the Caribbean nation!
Jamaican Patois (pa-twa) is also referred to as Jamaican Creole. During the 17th century the British and Scottish (among others) brought hundreds of Central and West African slaves to the Caribbean. Those slaves were brought over for the purpose of working the plantations owned by the Europeans. Simply through their exposure to English, the slave population learned the vernacular and incorporated it into their own native languages of Pidgin and Creole. A sly side effect was a newly created spoken language in which slaves could communicate with each other without their masters being aware of what was being said. In a highly oppressive environment such as the plantation, this 'secret' language was a subtle form of rebellion for the slaves.
For the most part, Jamaican is a spoken language. British English is used for written communication in commerce, governmental matters, the medical industry, in education etc. In saying that, it is important to note the emerging presence of Patios in literary works over the last hundred years. Poetry written by Jamaican poets is often published in Patios, and even on web copy as a means of stylistic contrast.
When speaking of pronunciation in Jamaican Patois keep in mind a few general 'rules'. Any 'th' sound in a word is pronounced with a hard 'd'. A 'j' is used in place of 'y', for example when using 'you', Patois would use 'ju'. Plural 'you' is 'unu'. When referring to oneself (I, me) use 'mi'. Using 'he' or 'him' is used without the 'h': 'im'. Remembering the rule to drop the 'th' in favor of 'd', 'they' or 'them' is 'dem'. The letter 'u' most often becomes a long 'o'. A double 'o' will usually become 'u', for example 'book' becomes 'buk'. So, for the phrase "that's my book", in Jamaican Patois it would be "dat a fi mi buk".
The above is only a tiny example of a few Patois characteristics. For more information on the language, go to the website for the University of the West Indies website and seek out the Jamaican Language Unit. Then, test out your skills with a trip to the Caribbean nation!
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