Jamaican Creole (Jimiekn/Patwa/Jamaican)

Jamaican Creole or Jamaican Patois is a creole based on English and languages of West and Central Africa. It developed during the 17th century and includes significant influences from various dialects of English, especially those of Scotland and Ireland. Over 4 million people speak Jamaican Creole, most of whom live in Jamaica. There are also many speakers in parts of the USA, Canada, Brazil, Costa Rica, Panama, Nicaragua and the UK.

Jamaican Creole is used mainly as a spoken language, though has been used to some extent as a literary language for over a century. While there is no standard spelling system, increased use of written Jamaican Creole in recent years has led to a partial standardisation.

Jamaican Creole alphabet

Jamaican Creole pronunciation

Information about the Jamaican Creole alphabet and pronunciation compiled by Wolfram Siegel

Sample text

Di habrij Jumiekan di taak wa dehn taak dehn kaali patwa, dehn kaali kriol, ar iivn bad hInglish, askaadn tu ou dehn fiil proud ar kaanful. Jumiekan dem uona hatitiuud divaid uoba di langwij di huol a dem taak di muos, likl muos aal di taim. Alduo hInglish a di hofishal langwij a di konchri, ahn dehn aal ab wa dehn kaal Jumiekan hInglish, a muosli bakra ahn tapanaaris yu hie widi iina hofishal serkl, anles smadi waahn himpres wid piiki-puoki. Kaman yuusij rienj frahn Jumiekan hInglish to braad patwa wid bout chrii digrii a separieshan, aafn iina di wan piika siem wan kanvasieshan.

Translation

The speech of the average Jamaican is variously described as a patois or creole, or even as bad English, depending on the degree of pride or disdain of the describer. Jamaicans' attitudes themselves are very divided over the language they all speak most, if not all, of the time. Although English is the official language of the country, and a variant known as Jamaican English is acknowledged, it is mostly heard only in formal situations, unless one wants to impress with "speaky-spoky." Common usage ranges from Jamaican English to broad patois with about three degrees of separation, often within a single speaker's conversation.

Source: www.jumieka.com

Links

Information about Jamaican Creole
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamaican_Patois
http://www.jumieka.com

Speak Jamaican
http://www.jamaicans.com/speakja/

Jamaican Creole Texts
http://privatewww.essex.ac.uk/~patrickp/JCtexts.html

Other creole languages

Aukaans/Ndjuká, Bislama, Cape Verdean Creole, Chavacano, Guadeloupean Creole, Haitian Creole, Jamaican Creole, Nagamese, Papiamento, Seychelles Creole, Tok Pisin

Other languages written with the Latin alphabet

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