Meaning
To talk or speak — but in Jamaican it very often carries the sharper sense of gossiping or speaking ill of someone behind their back. Context decides whether it's harmless conversation or 'chatting your business'.
Senses
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verb To talk, speak, or converse.
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Wi chat pon di phone fi hours.
We talked on the phone for hours.
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Him chat too much inna class.
He talks too much in class.
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verb To gossip about, or to speak badly of, someone.
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Dem a chat mi behind mi back.
They're gossiping about me behind my back.
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Nuh chat mi business.
Don't go telling people my private affairs.
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Origin
From English 'chat', but broadened so that 'chat somebody' specifically means to talk about them, usually unkindly.
How it’s used
'Chatty-chatty' describes a gossipy person, and 'chat bare foolishness' means to talk pure nonsense. Whether 'chat' is neutral or an accusation depends entirely on context.
Gloss adapted from A Learner's Glossary of Jamaican, Open Grammar Project, licensed under CC BY 4.0. View the source work · CC BY 4.0