Meaning
A teacher — the Patois pronunciation of 'teacher'. Teachers are figures of great respect in a society that prizes education as the road out of hardship, and 'Teacha' is used as a respectful title, the schoolteacher a pillar of the district alongside the pastor. The word does the plain work of naming the one who teaches, in the worn-down, r-less form Jamaican speech gives it, and it lives on, too, as a well-known nickname of the dancehall artist Vybz Kartel, 'di Teacha', playing on his lyrical influence over younger artists.
Examples
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Di teacha teach wi maths an English.
The teacher teaches us maths and English.
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Good mawnin, Teacha.
Good morning, Teacher.
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Respect di teacha, dem shape di future.
Respect the teachers, they shape the future.
Origin
The Patois pronunciation of 'teacher' (final 'r' vocalised); a respected community title.
How it’s used
A respectful title for a teacher; also the dancehall nickname of Vybz Kartel ('di Teacha'). See [[gaza]].