Patwa

Meaning

The everyday language of Jamaica itself — the English-based creole spoken across the island and throughout its diaspora, which linguists call Jamaican Creole. To 'chat patwa' is to speak it, and it is the mother tongue and the heart-language of the Jamaican people, used in the yard, the street, the song, and the story. Crucially, patwa is a full language with its own consistent grammar, vocabulary, and sound system, not 'broken English' — a point of growing pride — and it is the very tongue this dictionary sets out to record.

Examples

• Mi chat patwa an English.

  I speak Patois and English.

• Him nuh understand di patwa.

  He doesn't understand the Patois.

• Patwa a fi wi language.

  Patois is our language.

Origin

From French 'patois' (a regional or non-standard dialect), taken into Jamaican to name the local creole. Speakers spell it 'patwa' or 'patwah' to reflect its own pronunciation.

How it’s used

Some prefer 'Jamaican' or 'Jamaican Creole' as more respectful names, since 'patois' once carried a dismissive tone. In everyday use 'patwa' is worn with pride.