Jamaican Slang EditorialTHE Blog for Jamaican Slang, Patois, Reggae, Rastafari, Real T’ing dem and Jamaica

Yup, that is correct, you shouldn’t listen to  some Jamaicans if you want to learn to speak Jamaican patois/slang. I know this may sound strange, but the truth of the situation is that there seems to be a certain amount of disapproval from some Jamaicans when it comes to foreigners speaking Jamaican Patois. This is just silly and really close minded on many levels. You would never hear a Cuban say, ” I cannot stand it when foreigners try to speak Spanish to me.” And you most certainly would not hear an American saying, ” It annoys me when immigrants try to speak English.” The whole concept of that sounds absolutely ridiculous to me and that is why I say you should not and cannot listen to some Jamaicans or people of any other nationality that try to put down your ambitions to speak another language, dialect, creole or patois.

Here is a “likkle” insight into why that type of close minded thinking does very little for the country, culture and language. Language is culture in alot of ways. There are words, expressions and pronunciations that develop in different languages and countires that give you some insight into the culture. For example, I speak Brazilian Portuguese (among other languages) and a good friend of mine speaks Haitian Creole. Well, recently he heard me speaking to a friend in Portuguese and he understood the word BUNDA which means butt in Brazilian Portuguese, but it also means butt in Haitian Creole. You might be thinking that this is a coincidence, but I know it is not. The fact that two New World Countries with large populations of Afro-Descendants have similar words among many other things gives clues to the history and cultural past of the two countries. What is the likely answer? Some of the slaves imported to the two countries share a common point of origin and the word became a part of the language. There might be other reasons, but that is as good of a lead as any. Secondly, when people try to speak Jamaican Patois, it only helps spread knowledge and awareness about the culture and country. Finally, it is fun. Learning and speaking new languages is fun. People love learning and speaking new languages. So the key is to seek out and surround yourself with people that will embrace your attempts at learning to speak Jamaican Patois or Spanish or French. If someone is clowning you because you are trying to practice your patois, tell them “more time” and move on to the next willing and open minded person.

Now, if you are learning to speak Jamaican Patois, leave message on the page of the YouTube user in the video below. Ideally, it should say “Wha gwaan star!!!”