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

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Perfecting Personal Pronouns in Patois, that is kind of a tongue twister and if you do not get the hang of this lesson you might get twisted with your Jamaican Patois. One of the main differences between standard English and Jamaican Patois is in the personal pronouns used. Here is a break down of Personal Pronouns (Singular/Plural) in Patois versus Standard English:

Singular

1st person (Patois):  mi, I                                                                     1st person (English): I or me

2nd person (Patois): yu/yuh                                                               2nd person (English): you

3rd person (Patois): im, shi, har/her, i’, it, hit                              3rd person (English): he, she, him, her, it

Plural

1st person (Patois): wi                                                                          1st person (English): we, us

2nd person(Patois): yu/yuh, uno/unu                                             2nd person (English): you, you all

3rd person (Patois): dem                                                                      3rd person (English): they, them

Okay, so now that you have this very academic breakdown of some of the personal pronouns, you might be asking yourself how to use them. Well, here are a few examples to help you better understand using these pronouns in your day to day Jamaican Patois conversations.

Examples:

Mi cyan explain  di problem. = I cannot explain the problem.

Unu neva come pon ma yaad. = You all never come to my house.

Yu haffi drink a likkle wata. = You have to drink a little water.

Hopefully, that makes things clear, but there is one more element you need to know…the Rasta way of using personal pronouns, but in order to do that an explanation must follow each phrase. Now go out and practice some Jamaican Patois with yuh bredren!

While you are studying these lessons, drink some ginger beer and listen to this classic Gregory Isaacs!

Gregory Isaacs - My Number One

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In order to speak Jamaican Patois properly, you have to disregard some of the rules of standard English. One of the main differences between standard English and Jamaican Patois is the practice of using the third person plural pronoun after a noun  to indicate the plural. Huh?? Okay, here is an example

Standard English:  The boys are coming.

Jamaican Patois: Di bwoy dem a come.

Notice how it isn’t “di bwoys a come”. Basically, you need to add a “dem” after each singular noun to make the noun plural. Here are few additional examples to make this even clearer.

1) Di ooman dem call im Charles. = The women call him Charles.

2) Di yout dem a wuk wit mi bredda. = The youth work with my brother.

3) Yuh see dem pickney? = Did you see those kids?

In example three “dem” was placed in front of pickney which implies the plural. Basically, you need to remember to use “dem” in front or after a singular noun. And remember, there are no official rules to Jamaican Patois, but if you are striving for the most authentic patois, this will be essential. Likkle more!

Right now in Jamaica, the ban on “daggarin” is a big issue. For people living “a foreign” (abroad/overseas) this is probably news to you. But before we get into the details, don’t you want to know what is “DAGGARIN?”

No, daggering is not some insane stabbing done by Jamaicans. And no it is not a Jamaican form of sword fighting …pause. The Jamaican Broadcasting Commission, who banned “daggarin” in the first place defines it as “a colloquial term used in dancehall culture as a reference to hardcore sex or what is popularly referred to as dry sex, or the activities of persons engaged in the public simulation of various sexual acts and positions”.

The truth is, I can try to tell you about daggering or you can actually witness it with your own eyes. Here is a video of “daggarin”  done by emerging dancehall artist, Aidonia.

By clicking below you can see the sequel to this video where Mystic Davis, a friend of a friend (Big Up Spliffy!!), talks about daggering and dancing in Jamaica.We are hoping to interview Mystic in the coming months, so stay tuned. Also, pay attention to her Jamaican Patois…real ting dat!

Jamaica Originates: Mystic Talks About Daggering

We’d like to hear your comments on “daggarin”. Should it be banned??? Click here to read more on the ban on “daggarin”.

Here is a video of Mystic doing her thing, just as a bonus!

From the get go, I gotta say, DJ Serg is talented! The music really does all of the talking, but I needed to put it out there. 

Showtime - Dancehall Mix Volume 5 is the most recent release from the Bay Area selecta and it does not disappoint. Serg brings out all of the latest riddims and only plays the best songs on each riddim. If you haven’t stayed up on your dancehall in 2009, this mix is the perfect refresher. One thing that Serg does, and maybe without realizing it, is do some Gaza (Portmore) vs. Gullyside (Cassavapiece).  Gaza vs. Gullyside is a big deal in Jamaica right now, so by listening to this mix you will get exposed to some of the music that each side is putting out. 

As far as the DJing, it’s good. This isn’t some mix where a bunch of songs are just played one after the next. Each track is mixed in and the track selection is great. Equally important, you could play this mix in Jamaica or in Iceland and people are going to shake their “battys!” Basically, download this mix and get ready for the summer. This is the perfect vibe for the summertime and Serg does not disappoint.

P.S. - Almost all the songs are great for learning Jamaican Patois!!! Highly Recommended.

Download the Mix HERE

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Tracklisting for Showtime - Dancehall Mix Volume 5

1. Beetlejuice Intro

2. Busy Signal - All About My Money (SINGLE)

3. Demarco - Hustlin Forever (SINGLE)

OUTLAW RIDDIM

4. T.O.K. - Push It

5. Leftside a.k.a Mr Evil - Hardcore

6. Rymzo de Gusto - Can’t Underestimate 

7. Determine - Blast It

BOASTY RIDDIM

8. Chino - Boasty

9. Beenie Man - Pop Off

10. Bramma - Every Man To A Gyal

11. Elephant Man - Horny Wine

ATM RIDDIM

12. Busy Signal - Blaze Up The Herb

13. Bling Dawg - Jamaica Jamaica 

14. Assailant - Dirty Money

15. Busy Signal - Blaze Up The Herb pt.2

16. Assassin - Stimulus Package (SINGLE)

BADDAZ RIDDIM

17. Busy Signal - Hustlin

18. Beenie Man - Ghetto Yutes

19. Elephant Man - Dance

20. Vybz Kartel - Selassie I Luv We

GOOD LIFE RIDDIM

21. Movado - High Under

22. Serani - Badmind

23. Elephant Man - Liv It Up

24. Mr. Vegas - Blessings

25. Vybz Kartel - Hustle Money

CLEAN SWEEP RIDDIM

26. Elephant Man - Please

27. Sizzla - Education Is  The Key

28. Demarco - Ghetto Life Hard

29. Wayne Marshall - Look Ahead

RAIN FOREST RIDDIM

30. Capeton - Stamping Flat

31. Sizzla - U A De Boss

32. Collie Buddz - Par Wid I Mon

33. Beenie Man - Walkout Mi Gal

34. Munga - Change Position 

DALLAZ RIDDIM

35. Elephant Man - Elephant Man

36. Vybz Kartel - Dallaz

37. Munga - Gangsta Sumu

38. Sustain - No Talk Eh Talk

39. Movado - So Blessed (SINGLE)

VELOCITY RIDDIM

40. ZumJay - Been Dere Did It

41. Bling Dawn - Some Times

42. Tornado - Bun Bad Mind

43. Assassin - Smooth Operator 

CASINO RIDDIM

44. Vybz Kartel - Money

45. Beenie Man - Pum Pum Power

46. Anthony B - Ganja Blaze

47. Wayne Mashall - Badness Outta Style

MIGHTY ODAY RIDDIM

48. Bounty Killer & Demarco - Gal Dem Want

49. Frisco Kid - Real Ruff Rider

50. Mad Cobra - Good Fah

51. Vybz Kartel - Watch Your Appetite 

SWAGGA DAGGA RIDDIM

52. Elephant Man - Tip Up

53. T.O.K. - Upinayah 

54. Aidonia - I Like Her

10 POUNDS OF KUSH

55. Sean Paul - Sweat

56. Beenie Man - Jiggle Up

57. Munga - Ride It

58. Demarco & Konshens - Paper Chasing (SINGLE)

COLLIE MONSTER RIDDIM

59. Turbulence - Overcome 

60. Mykal Roze feat Cali P - Mr Collie

61. Vybz Kartel - Mi Talk With Gunshot 

62. John Wayne - The Real John Wayne

63. Sizzla - World Leader In Problem

64. Buju Banton - Sensimilla (Remix)

65. Demarco - Life As A Juvenille (SINGLE)

NYC RIDDIM

66. Beenie Man - Badman

67. Demarco - Dem A Fool

68. Erup & Mr. Peppa - Survival

69. T.O.K. - Hustlers 

70. Demarco feat Tarrus Riley - Over and Over (SINGLE)

Here is a pretty old video clip of Miss Lou (Louise Simone Bennett-Coverly), one of the biggest advocates of Jamaican Patois, schooling people on Jamaican Patois in Jamaican Schools. Enjoy!!

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!!!”

Here is a new video that my man Scally Ranks recently worked on in effort to show people how to speak Jamaican….and it does a pretty good job. Check it out. More goodies like this on the way!!!

A few weeks ago I did a post on Buju Banton. If you didn’t read that post, please click here to get caught up to speed. In the post I mentioned that Buju was one of the most controversial Jamaican artists and with good reason, he has made some songs that bothered people. One of the first songs he recorded that really got people mad, especially women, was “Love Me Browning” off of his 1992 album Mr. Mention (definitely a classic and worth getting…the “Love Me Browning” single came out in 1991 though). You see, in Jamaican Patois a Brownin‘  is a light-skinned woman and the song is describing Buju’s love for lighter skinned women, but anyone who is familiar with Jamaica knows that the majority of the people are darker in complexion. Darker-skinned women took offense to the hit song and Buju moved quickly to create a song dedicated to the darker women of Jamaica appropriately called “Love Black Woman”.

Although, this song casued controversy in Jamaica in the early 90s, the roots of the controversy date back to slavery. More often than not, lighter-skinned people of African descent fared better in Jamaica and other parts of the New World. Many were able to move between the world of the slave and the slave master. As time went on and the slave masters left Jamaica, many of these lighter-skinned people became the island elite. This might be shocking to some, but this can be seen today in Jamaica and other post-emancipation societies. If you want to see this for yourself, head to Kingston and visit Downtown and then Uptown. This is a complex topic, but it is important to understand the roots of the controversy of Buju’s song. Not surprisingly,  this incident would certainly not be the last time Buju Banton released a controversial song, but that is another blog post for another day.

One of the great things about both of “Love Me Browning” and “Love Black Woman”, is that they are great songs to learn Jamaican Slang/Patois. The whole Mr. Mention album is a Jamaican Slang Classic.  The album has so many classic riddims, essential patois grammar and vocabulary and just hit track after hit track. Buju was on “fyah” at this point in his career, kind of like Mavado is now, even though their lyrics are so different.

If you want to learn more about Buju and Jamaican Patois, head over to www.jamaican-slang.com and pick up a copy of the Rastaman Vibration. The book is a wealth of knowledge and has a section about Buju in the book.

What? You thought I was going to leave you hangin’ without posting those classic Buju songs, not this time! Here they are:

Buju Banton - Love Me Browning

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Buju Banton - Love Black Woman

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I was super excited when I came across these 19 Jamaican Patois Expressions and they definitely changed my life…at least as far as Jamaican Patois/Slang goes. Some of the expressions, I knew, but others were new. It just goes to show you that you learn something everyday. I wish I could take credit for compiling this list, but no. So BIG UP to Jamaican Princess. Read, Re-Read and Study this list… it will definitely help you the next time you are in Jamaica or need to speak with Jamaicans.

If yu caan ketch tief, yu ketch him shut ( shirt) - If someone does you bad and you cannot get revenge, you take revenge on someone close to them

Wow! I just finished watching “Runaway Slave” and it was the truth…”natural ting”. This is the kind of documentary that students of Jamaican Culture, Jamaican Slang and Rastafari MUST watch. It is especially insightful for those wanting to understand the relationship between Africa and Jamaica. If you do not know, Repatriation is a very important word to rastas. Basically it means returning to the homeland or in this case, Africa/Ethiopia. Interestingly enough, the documentary starts of in Botswana,Southern Africa. Jesse Jendah (Congo Jesse) travels from Southern Africa to Bobo Hill in St. Thomas, Jamaica, showing the various living conditions of Rastafarians. The documentary provides a window into the ghettos of Cape Town, the cosmopolitan Market Street in Botswana, and Bobo Shanti in Jamaica.

What is really powerful about this documentary is the strength that Rastafari has around the world. It truly is amazing that people in Botswana are maintaining the same way of life as those in Jamaica. There really isn’t a ton of dialogue during the South Africa portion of the film, but there are some great shots of how people are living in Cape Town and other towns. The real heat comes when Congo Jesse makes it to Bobo Hill in St. Thomas, Jamaica.

For starters, the Jamaican Slang was taken to a different extreme! If you get a chance to watch any portion of this documentary, this is the part to watch. You hear plenty of Jamaican Slang/Patois and Rasta Lingo, overstand? Jesse interviews two Bobo Shanti priests about rasta in their lives and the state of African people around the world. Their feedback is consistent with the teachings of Rastafari, but the story of Priest Harold is the most interesting one. Before finding Rastafari, he was a “Badman” (Gangster). He cites Rastafari as his salvation. I really do not want to spoil the film, but I highly recommend this film. I plan to do a more thorough review of the documentary soon.

Until then…Blessed Love