Paxton Belcher-Timme
Rhetoric of Reggae
December 1, 2009
Patois: the language of Jamaica
Introduction:
For
a country of only 2.7 million people[1],
Jamaica seems to get more publicity in the world wide pop culture industry than
any other island in the Caribbean does. For one reason or another the Jamaican
culture fascinates the outsiders. It seems that Jamaican culture is one that has
many aspects that set it apart from other cultures, making Jamaicans easily
distinguishable from other cultures.
One
huge difference in the comparison of Jamaicans, and Americans, is the dialect
that is being spoken between the two of them. When you visit Jamaica as an American,
and you come in contact with a native Jamaican, you feel as though you and them
are speaking two entirely different languages from one another. The truth is
that you are both speaking the same language, just different dialects.
Most
Jamaicans speak a dialect of English that was developed in Jamaica, and has
formed a strong culture that the people of Jamaica have grown very proud of. This
dialect has been one of the strongest unifying forces for the Jamaican people,
as well as one of the most recognizable characteristics of the Jamaican people
in pop culture, other than dread locks of course.
This
dialect of Jamaica is known as patois (Pah-Twa)[2],
or patwa. It is important to note that patois can be called any number of other
names such as Jamaican Patwa, Jamaican Creole, black English, broken English,
and has even been known to be referred to as baby talk on occasion[3].
Patois is considered an unacceptable official language. This means that it is
not to be used in any formal settings, and is not fully recognized as its own
language.
Many
people who feel strongly about their patois have been lobbying to get Jamaican
Patois recognized as an official language for some time now, with limited
success. The argument is that since it is really just a form of English, and if
there are so many differing forms of patois across the Caribbean, then it
should be viewed as a dialect, not a language. The issue with not acknowledging
patois as a language lies in how established this languages culture has become
already. The Jamaican patois has had a long and trying history, that has gone
through adversity, and heartache.
History:
This
dialect, or language, as people do still argue over which category patois
should fall under. The dialect of Jamaican patois that is spoken is an example
of a Creole. Creole as defined by The
Free Dictionary is a language that has its origin in
extended contact between two language communities, one of which is generally
European. It incorporates features from each and constitutes the mother tongue
of a community.[4] Creole languages are present on every continent in
the world, and are 200 attested Creole languages in the world[5].
A Creole language is formed when multiple languages come into contact with each
other, causing a new dialect or language to be formed. Most Creole dialects are
directly connected to a large movement of people from one culture in the world and
are brought to another culture, and Jamaica is no exception to this.
When
the British colonized Jamaica in 1655[6],
they turned Jamaica into an English speaking country, even though the majority
of people who lived in Jamaica at the time were brought there as slaves, and spoke
other African dialect as their primary language. When the British brought
slaves to Jamaica from Africa, they were immediately submerged into an English only
speaking culture, and told to speak English. The British actually outlawed the
use of native tongs as a way to try and weaken the bonds that the African people
had to their homelands.
The
British would split up people who were from the same area in Africa, and sent
them to different plantations on the island, making communication between
slaves in their native tongs almost impossible. The early settlers and slave
owners were afraid that the slaves would conspire against them, or attempt to
escape if they could communicate with out being able to be understood. In
rebuttal to this fear, the British forced the slaves to only speak English.
After
living their entire lives speaking the native languages of their homelands, the
English that the slaves spoke was far from perfect. Slaves were forced to speak
English in everyday situations, and because of this, a dialect of broken
English came into fruition. This exact situation was mirrored on nearly every
other Caribbean island as well, creating an un official dialect of the
Caribbean, and Jamaica in general.
As time
went by, this broken English developed into a uniform dialect of broken English.
The dialect began to adopt its own set of rules, phrases, and words. This
development of this form of broken English became widespread and understood in
Jamaica, creating its own dialect, rather than just the title of broken
English. This dialect is helping to create a Jamaican race of people.
Patois
as a spoken dialect cannot be defined as easily as just a Creole of English and
African dialects, because it has truly formed its own identity. There were many
other factors at work in the creation of modern day patois, from slave codes of
old, to more modern day religions like Rastafarianism.
Much
of the influence on patois is due to the slave codes. The slaves saw it as a
form of rebellion, by not speaking in perfect English. Making patois a form of
civil disobedient that has gone on since the people of Jamaica were taken from
their homeland and brought to the island of Jamaica.
Patois dialect
The
slaves that were brought to Jamaica, although forced to speak English to
communicate with the British in every day settings, the slaves them selves
still had to come up with their own words for names of things, such as names of
plants, animals, religious ceremonies, and even actions of people. This aspect
of patois is responsible for some of the most interesting phrases in any
English dialect.
Some examples of created Patois words:[7]
Jenga: is a shrimp, or crawfish
Maca:
is a Thorn, or prickle
Patu:
is an owl
Salt:
in an adjective meaning broke, or poor
Winjy:
is some one who is thin and sickly looking.
Labrish:
is gossip, or chit chat.
As
you can see, some of the words were created at the same time that the dialect
of patois was, as shown in the examples above. Many of the original sources for
the creations of these words have been lost, or are just unknown, but many are
modified versions of that word in their original tong. It is important to also
realize that not every word that is used in patois is that different from its English
counterpart, in fact most word used in Jamaican patois are similar in sound,
just written under a different set of spelling and grammatical rules.
Some Examples of similar words in patois and English:[8]
|
Jamaican patois |
English |
|
Bwoy |
boy |
|
Deestant |
decent |
|
Kyan |
can |
|
Bun |
Burn |
|
Ryal |
royal |
|
Pattan |
Pattern |
As
you read the words in the Jamaican patois side, and compare them to their
English equivalent, notice how the spelling differs, but the sound is generally
the same. The sound is almost a condensed abbreviated English.
In Patois, because it was founded as a
spoken dialect before a written one was even considered, words are almost
always spelt phonetically. When patois was first starting to be spoken, it was
illegal for the slaves to know how to write, not that it would have served much
purpose at that time, in the agricultural economy of Jamaica. Allowing the
dialect of patois to develop as an oral language, prior to it ever being written
down. In this case, as is true with most Creole dialects, they spelt the words
as they sound.
Then
again the whole notion of spelling is not that curtail in Jamaican patois.
Since patois is a spoken dialect, the individual sound is depending on ones
heritage, and the area in which one lives; no ones patois sounds the same. Due
to this vast variant in sounds, the spellings of patois have also varied over
time.
There
have been efforts to create unified Caribbean Creole dictionaries, and Jamaican
patois dictionaries, yet non-has been able to gain recognition as the official
dictionary. The problem is that not every dictionary spells words the same way,
making the whole point of a dictionary irrelevant. The best thing you can
really get your hands on, both online or off, is a Jamaican Patois phrase
dictionary. That will give you many common words and phrases used in Jamaican
patois, as shown below.
Jamaican Patois Phrases:[9]
Patois: Frah wha pawt yuh deh?
English: Where are you from? / From what part are
you?
Frah wha = From Where
Pawt = Part
Yuh deh = You from
Patois: Suh yuh nah guh badda guh?
English: So, you are not going to bother going?
Suh = So
Yuh = You
Nah guh = Not going
Badda = bother
Patois: cooh deh, dem ah galang lakka seh
dem nuh ha nutten
English:
Look at that! They are behaving as if they do not have anything.
Cooh
Deh! = Look at that!
Deh
ah = They are
Galanga
lakka she = Behaving as if
Dem
= They
Nuh
ha nutten = Do not have anything
Culture:
The
writing of patois is not all that important to most Jamaicans any way, as they
like the freeform sound it creates. As the language of Jamaican patois formed
into what it is today, it has built its self a reputation of being the language
of the islands. Many people who speak patois as their primary language are very
proud of their ability to speak it. Below is an example of Jamaican American
rapper, Busta Rhymes, using patois in a song called ÒRastaman chant.Ó[10]
Much
of the pride associated with patois is due to the connection patois has with
Rastafarianism, and the creation of Jamaica. Many of the people who hold onto patois
as their primary dialect are people who want to hold onto their roots. The
speaking of patois is a reference to the time when most Jamaicans ancestors
were taken from their homeland, and forced to speak English. Jamaicans as a people
are very proud of the struggle that their ancestors have had to fight through
and over come, making patois a staple of any true Jamaican. Patois and
Rastafarianism share a common path, and many similarities. Patois and
Rastafarian both started in Jamaica, with roots in Africa, and influences in
reggae.
Reggae and Patois:
Reggae and Patois go hand in hand. One is the sound
of Jamaica, with reggae, the other the voice of Jamaica, in patois. Seeing as
how reggae is a Jamaican music, and most musicians who perform reggae are from
Jamaica, making most reggae musicians sing in patois. The fact that patois is a
spoken dialect gives it a smooth sound that ties in nicely with a heavy reggae
beat.
An exert from the song be yourself, by the Gentlemen[12]
A
no time deh
Fi go join dem
Jah rastafari say fi seek and you shall find then
No time deh
Fi we go join dem
You follow babylon you end up ina problem
Well nuff a dem out deh sell dem soul because of vanity
Me see dem a search but can not find fi dem identity
Cause their identity is coming from the nozzle of dem gun
But I and I identity is coming from the nyabingi drum
If
you listen to the song while you read the lyrics, you can see clearly how the
words are spelt exactly as they sound, unlike the English language that has
silent letters, and other grammatical tricks. You can also hear how well the
patois seems to flow with the beat, its seems to flow much more poetically than
Orthodox English does. There are many examples of this that I could show you,
as the majority of reggae stars sing in patois, apart from the some of the
better-heard artists like Bob Marley, who sings in to what would be considered
English.
One
reason why patois and reggae go together has to do with what it stands for. In
todayÕs world if you are speaking patois, the people around you are going to
make assumptions about you. People like Peter Tosh are proud to speak the tong
of his ancestors, and tends to not repeat himself if some doesnÕt understand.
In the global view, patois is considered an uneducated dialect, due to its
origins. Tosh embarrassed this, he felt that patois was his language, not
English.
Connections
This feeling Tosh had was not isolated to just his
case. In fact many fellow Jamaicans felt that same way, about speaking their
dialect that is viewed as uneducated, but in their eyes is just their language.
I cannot help but draw connections to other English dialects present in the
United States.
If
you compare Jamaican patois, and Americas Ebonics, you will find many
similarities as well. For starters they are both dialects of English, both of
which are spoken dialects, with loose to no rules of grammar. The truth is that
when spoken Ebonics and patois donÕt sound that similar, but when written Ebonics
is actually very similar looking to patois.
Both
patois and Ebonics are slave languages, but rather than direct slave contact
creating the dialect as in patois, years of oppression forced a lack of
education in the inner cities of America, causing a dialect that is viewed as
uneducated to be created.
Ebonics
and patois also draw a commonality in their involvement in music. Patois has
reggae, which is the music of patois, and embodies many of the same ideals, and
Ebonics draws connections to hip-hop, and rap. Ebonics is the language of
hip-hop, as most hip-hop is performed in Ebonics. In reggae and the Rasta
religion, the goal is to make it from Babylon, or Jamaica, back to Zion, or
Ethiopia. Where as in hip-hop and the culture involved with Ebonics, says the
goal is to make it out of poverty, and out of the struggle, and into a place of
personal wealth.
These
commonalities between the two of these dialects, allows one to make some
comparisons. One of the things that are prevalent is that slavery has molded
our culture into what it is today, and our nation is still trying to right its
wrongs of the past. Both of these dialects hold a deeper meaning to the people who
speak them, and then just those who have read about them, or even listened to
it. To the people of Jamaica, or the people of an inner city, the dialect
represents a group of people and what they stand for. It does not matter if it
is viewed as an uneducated dialect, because it stands for so much more in the
eyes of the people whoÕs family came over on slave ships. Their dialect is a
tribute to the struggles their ancestors suffered through.
Conclusion:
The
island of Jamaica has a culture that is rich in history, and even richer in
character. The Jamaican people are a proud people that hold onto their roots in
Africa. Manny Jamaicans practice Rastafarianism, which actually calls for the
return to Zion, or Ethiopia at some point. This mentality of remembering where
you came from, allows Jamaica to stay very simple, and patois is no exception
to this.
Patois,
although not the most refined or elegant language, is a very fitting dialect to
the people of Jamaica, as it does pay homage to the Jamaicans who have past.
The sound of that is nice, but one issue that has risen, is the issue of if
patois is actually just a creation of Babylon. I feel that if the Rastafarians
donÕt like to use products of Babylon, such as a lighter, or razor, but does
that mean a dialect created under the force
The
question now is, does speaking a dialect forced upon the slaves of Jamaica by
their master, become something that should be forgot, or something that should
be celebrated. It just comes down to whether or not you view speaking broken
English as a disobedient action, or you view speaking patois as a remainder of
the Babylon that enslaved the Africans and brought them to Jamaica.
My
view on the topic is in support of speaking patois. When the slaves were told
to speak English, they were not supposed to speak broken English; they were
supposed to speak English. The people of Jamaica have every right in my eyes to
speak patois, and speak it proud. Patois is only one of many Creoles in the
world, yet could be the most famous. If there is ever a Jamaican depicted in
culture, they speak patois. That may not seem that important, but it shows the effect
that patois has even off of the small island of Jamaica.
Patois
needs to be kept alive, and eventually needs to be recognized as its own
language. Patois is a large part of what Jamaican culture has formed into, and
if it continues to go unrecognized, that will be a travesty. If there is any
problem that needs to be confronted, it is the problem of creating a unified
Jamaican patois dictionary, so that the Jamaicans can have a set spelling for
the words in the patois dialect.
In
conclusion to what I have been talking about, let me close by saying that
patois has as much of a right to be a language as any other recognized language,
and in some cases actually has a stronger history than most of those official
languages. I believe that patois is the language of Jamaica, and that Jamaicans
should continue to speak patois for as long as it can still be taught.
Works
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