How to Speak Jamaican

Step-by-Step Guide

1. 1

   Step 1: Learn the Jamaican alphabet.

   Jamaican Patois uses an English-based alphabet, but there are several minor differences worth noting.
   
   Unlike the 26-letter English alphabet, the Jamaican alphabet only has 24 letters.
   
   Most letter names are pronounced as they would be in English, but there are a few exceptions.
   
   The letters in the Jamaican alphabet are:
   A, a B, b Ch, ch D, d E, e F, f G, g H, h I, i J, j K, k L, l M, m N, n O, o P, p R, r S, s T, t U, u V, v W, w Y, y Z, z
2. 2

   Step 2: Know how to pronounce specific letters and letter combinations.

   Certain Jamaican letters sound the same as their English counterparts when you pronounce them within words, but others sound somewhat different.
   
   Knowing how to pronounce each one will make it easier to speak the language.
   
   This is how you pronounce each Jamaican letter: a, a~ə b, b ch, tʃ d, d e, ɛ f, f g, g/ʤ h, h i, i j, ʤ k, k l, l/ɬ m, m n, n o, ɔ~o p, p r, r~ɹ s, s t, t u, u v, v w, w y, y z, z Certain letter combinations have their own pronunciation rules.
   
   These are the combinations you must be aware of: aa, a: ai, aǐ er, ɜɹ ie, iɛ ier,
   -iəɹ ii, i: oo, o: sh, ʃ uo, ȗɔ uor,
   -ȗɔɹ , The most basic way to say "hello" in Jamaican would be "wah gwan." Like most languages, however, there are many different ways to greet someone.
   
   Each varies depending on the time of day and the overall context.
   
   Some common examples include:"Gud mawnin," meaning "Good morning" "Gud evening," meaning "Good evening" "Hail up," meaning "Hi" "Pssst," meaning "Hey there" "Wat a guh dung," meaning "What's happening?" "Weh yuh ah seh," meaning "How are you doing?" Literally, however, it means "What are you saying?" "How yuh stay," meaning "How are you?" Literally, it means "What's your status?" "Howdeedo," meaning "How are you?" This phrase is usually used by older generations. , One of the simplest ways to say "goodbye" in Jamaican is "mi gaan," which literally translates into "I'm gone." Like greetings, though, there are also multiple ways to part ways with someone.
   
   A few more common options are: "Likkle more," meaning "goodbye" "Inna di morrows," meaning "see you tomorrow." Literally translated, this phrase means "in the tomorrows." "Walk good," meaning "take care."
   
   While Jamaican culture isn't overly concerned with etiquette, it's still a good idea to learn several polite phrases.
   
   Using them at the appropriate time will create a positive impression.
   
   Common phrases include:"A Beg Yuh," meaning "please" or "can you please?" "Jus a word," meaning "excuse me." "Beg yuh pass," meaning "can I pass?" "Tanks," meaning "thank you." Additionally, you should also know how to respond when someone asks how you're feeling or doing.
   
   Several phrases that express contentment include: "Everything criss," meaning "Everything is okay." "Everything is everything" and "everyting cook an curry" both mean "everything is just fine." "All fruits ripe" means "everything is just great."
   
   When you're interacting with native Jamaicans, it's important to know how to ask for things you need.
   
   Questions worth learning include: "Weh ah de bawtroom," meaning "Where is the bathroom?" “Weh ah de hospital,” meaning “Where is the hospital?” “Weh ah de Babylon,” meaning “Where are the police?” "Do yuh speak english," meaning "Do you speak English?"
   
   When discussing other people, you'll need to know which terms to use when describing them.
   
   Some important examples include:"Brethren," meaning "relatives." "Chile" or "pickney," both meaning "child." "Fahda," meaning "father." "Madda," meaning "mother." "Ginnal" or "samfy man," both meaning "con artist." "Criss ting," meaning "good looking girl." "Youthman," meaning "young man" or "young woman."
   
   Compound words are fairly common in Jamaican Patois, especially when referring to parts of the body.
   
   Some common compound words include: "Hand miggle," meaning "hand middle" or "palm." "Hiez-ole," meaning "ear hole" or "the inner ear." "Foot battam," meaning "foot bottom" or "sole." "Nose-ole," meaning "nose hole" or "nostril." "Yeye-wata," meaning "eye water" or "tears." "Yeye-ball," meaning "eyeball" or "eye."
   
   Aside from the basic words, phrases, and expressions already noted, there are many Jamaican slang expressions you should learn if you want to master the language.
   
   Several common phrases include:"Blouse an skirt" or "rawtid," both meaning "wow." "Out a Road," an expression meant to describe something new or upcoming. "Cut out," meaning "to leave somewhere." "Too nuff," meaning "nosy." "Hush yuh mouth," meaning "be quiet." "Link mi," meaning "come see me." "Back a yard," which refers to one's hometown or country. "Bleach," an expression indicating that one goes without sleep, typically because of some fun activity. , Like English sentences, Jamaican sentences include subjects, verbs, and objects.
   
   The verb does not change with the subject, however, like it would in English.Example:
   In English, the verb "speak" changes based on who speaks:
   I speak, you speak, he speaks, we speak, you all speak, they speak In Jamaican, the verb "speak" does not change with the subject:
   Mi speak, yu speak, im speak, wi speak, unu speak, dem speak , In Jamaican, adding "s" or "es" to a verb does not make it plural as it does in English.
   
   Instead, you'll need to use "dem, "nuff," or an actual number.
   
   Place "dem" at the end of the word: "baby dem" in Jamaican would be "babies" in English Place "nuff" at the beginning of a word to indicate that there are many of something: "nuff plate" in Jamaican would be "many plates" in English.
   
   Place a number before a word to specify a specific amount: "ten book" in Jamaican would be "ten books" in English. , Pronouns in Jamaican Patois do not change based on gender, nor do they change depending on whether they're positioned as the subject or object.
   
   Additionally, there are no possessive pronouns in Jamaican.
   
   The pronouns are: "Mi" means "I," "me," and "my." "Yu" means "you" and "yours" (singular). "Im" means "him," "her," "he," "she," "his," and "hers." "Wi" means "we," "us," and "ours." "Unu" means "you" and "yours" (plural). "Dem" means "they," "them," and "theirs."
   
   The copula or linking verb in Jamaican is the letter "a." The same letter is also used as a particle in Jamaican.
   
   As a linking verb: "Mi a run" means "I am running," with the "a" taking the place of "am." As a particle: "Yu a teacha" means "You are a teacher," with the "a" taking the place of "are a."
   
   Jamaican Patois frequently uses the repetition of words to emphasize an idea, increase intensity, or express character traits.
   
   For instance, if you were to describe how big a child has grown, you might say something like: "Im big-big," meaning, "He is very big." Similarly, if you want to express how true something is, you could do so by saying: "A tru-tru," meaning, "It's true true" or "It is very true." Duplication is often used when describing negative character traits, such as "greedy" (nyami-nyami), "untidy" (Chakka-chakka), or "weak" (fenkeh-fenkeh). , Double negatives are not allowed when speaking standard English, but many Jamaican sentences use double negatives.
   
   For example, saying "Mi nuh have nun" in Jamaican literally means "I don't have none" in English.
   
   Even though this would be incorrect in English, it's still correct in Jamaican. , Verbs do not change based on tense.
   
   To indicate a change in tense, you would need to add a new word to the front of the verb.
   
   More specifically, to make a word past tense, you would need to place "en," "ben," or "did" before the verb.
   
   For instance, the Jamaican word "guh" is the present tense version of the English word "go." Saying "a guh" changes it to "is going." Saying "did guh" changes it to "went."
3. 3

   Step 3: Greet someone.

4. 4

   Step 4: Bid farewell.

5. 5

   Step 5: Learn some polite phrases.

6. 6

   Step 6: Ask important questions.

7. 7

   Step 7: Refer to other people.

8. 8

   Step 8: Describe certain terms with compound words.

9. 9

   Step 9: Note several common expressions.

10. 10

    Step 10: Skip subject-verb agreements.

11. 11

    Step 11: Form plurals with the "dem" or "nuff."

12. 12

    Step 12: Simplify your pronouns.

13. 13

    Step 13: Link words with "a."

14. 14

    Step 14: Use repetition for emphasis.

15. 15

    Step 15: Accept double negatives.

16. 16

    Step 16: Do not change verb tense.

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