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Jamaican, or Jamaican Creole, is spoken by the majority of Jamaica’s 2.7 million inhabitants. It is also widely used in Jamaican diaspora communities, particularly in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Despite its widespread use, the Jamaican language has long been underrepresented and under-resourced in its homeland, even though it plays a crucial role in shaping “Brand Jamaica” internationally.
Here are ten interesting facts about the Jamaican language that will make you rethink and better appreciate the important role the language plays in our identity as a people and culture.
1. The Official Name of the Language
Jamaica’s native tongue is officially known as Jamaican or Jamaican Creole, an English-based creole language. Although it is commonly referred to as Patwa, its formal recognition and name highlight its significance as a distinct language rather than a mere dialect of English.
2. The Writing System
Jamaican is written using the Cassidy/JLU orthography, a phonetic system developed by linguist Frederic Cassidy and later refined by the Jamaican Language Unit (JLU). This system differs from standard English spelling and is designed to closely represent the sounds of Jamaican speech. The Cassidy/JLU orthography has been pivotal in promoting the standardisation and proper documentation of Jamaican Patwa, allowing it to be better understood and studied.
3. The Role of the Jamaican Language Unit (JLU)
The JLU, a Unit in the Department of Language, Linguistics, and Philosophy at the University of the West Indies (UWI), was established in 2002 and is the official body responsible for researching, standardising, translating, and teaching the Jamaican language. Its formation followed a recommendation made to the Jamaican Parliament to include language rights in the nation’s Charter of Rights.
The JLU’s mandate is to ensure that non-English-speaking Jamaicans receive fair access to government services, as English is often the default language for state services, excluding many Jamaicans who are more fluent in Patwa.
4. Jamaican Not Broken English
Jamaican Creole is often mistakenly considered a “broken” version of English. However, it is a distinct language with its own unique grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation. For example, while in English plurality is mostly marked with the suffix -s (e.g., “books”), in Jamaican there are many ways to express plurality, such as dem (e.g., “Di bwoy dem”), some (e.g., “som buk”), or even reduplication (e.g., “nuff nuff”). These salient structural distinctions are what linguists say establish Jamaican as a language in its own right.
5. Most Jamaicans are Bilingual
Jamaica is officially a monolingual English-speaking country, but in reality, most Jamaicans are bilingual. Results from the Language Attitude Survey conducted in 2005 by the Jamaican Language Unit showed that 78.6% of Jamaicans consider themselves speakers of both Jamaican and English. This bilingual nature spans all age groups, with 85.6% of 18-30 year-olds identifying as bilingual, alongside 78.1% of those aged 31-50 and 71.9% of the 51-80+ age group. Only a small percentage—around 10.9%—speak exclusively English or Jamaican.
6. The Term ‘Patois’ Was Borrowed From Haiti
The word ‘Patois’ (or Patwa) was borrowed from Haitian Creole. Haiti’s language history bears similarities to that of Jamaica, as both languages emerged from a forced union between European and African languages. In Jamaica’s case, the lexifier was English, while in Haiti’s, it was French. As a result, both languages share a structural resemblance, making ‘Patwa’ a fitting term to describe the Jamaican language.
7. Jamaican is Not Taught in Schools
Like many other Creole-speaking nations, Jamaica does not formally teach Creole in its schools. Consequently, while most Jamaicans are fluent speakers of Patwa, many lack literacy skills in their native language. Recently, some Caribbean nations like St. Lucia have started to recognise the value of the language as part of their culture and identity and have moved to include their version of Creole called Kwéyòl language in their school curricula, but Jamaica has yet to take this step.
8. The Language We Talk, We Can’t Write
While most Jamaicans are monolingual Jamaican Creole speakers, meaning they are fluent speakers of the native Creole language, a majority of the population is functionally illiterate when it comes to reading and writing in the language. “The language we speak, we can’t write; and the language we write, we can’t talk,” says the poet Mutabaruka.
9. Claude McKay First Jamaican to Publish in Jamaican Creole
Claude McKay, a Jamaican writer and poet, became the first person to publish poetry in Jamaican Creole with his first book of poems Songs of Jamaica in 1912. McKay was encouraged by his mentor philosophe and follorist Walter Jekyll, a white Englishman residing in Jamaica McKay to embrace his native dialect and write in Patois. With the support of Jekyll Songs of Jamaica became the first collection of poems written in Jamaican patois.
“You tas’e petater an’ you say it sweet, But you no know how hard we wuk fe it; You want a basketful fe quattiewut, ‘Cause you no know how ‘tiff de bush fe cut.” – “Quashie to Buccra” (excerpt) by Claude McKay
10. Jamaican Should Be Official Language
While the primary spoken language in Jamaica is Jamaican, the official language is Jamaican English, which is “used in all domains of public life,” including the government, the legal system, the media, and education. However, according to the results of the 2005 Language Attitude Survey, a majority of Jamaicans believe that Jamaican should become an official language alongside English, as it is “…a form of speech, which can be used to communicate anything people want it to.”
Jamaican a Unique Language
The Jamaican language is more than just a means of communication—it’s a cultural symbol that embodies the resilience, creativity, and uniqueness of the Jamaican people. As efforts to promote and preserve this language continue, recognising its distinctiveness and incorporating it more fully into Jamaican society could help secure its place for future generations.
If you are interested in learning how to rait Jamiekan (write Jamaican), the Jamaica Language Unit will be hosting a free workshop this Thursday October 10, 2024, click here to register.
Ms. Shyrel-Ann Dean, an instructor in the Department of Language, Linguistics, and Philosophy at the University of the West Indies and an Executive Board Member of the Society for Caribbean Linguistics, generously assisted and guided the development of this article.
Cover Image credit: Eric Lafforgue/Art in All of Us/Corbis via Getty Images
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