Any way to learn patois other than moving to Jamaica? I'd love to learn the language.
Any way to learn patois other than moving to Jamaica? I'd love to learn the language.
July 1993*, Feb 2003, Aug 2005, April 2007, Feb 2008, Feb 2009, April 2010, Nov 2010, Nov 2011, Nov 2012, March 2013*, Nov 2013, Nov 2014, March 2015*, Nov 2015*, April 2016*, Oct 2016, Nov 2017*, May 2018*, Nov 2018*, Oct/Nov 2019*, Dec 2020*, Dec 2021*, May 2022* (Portland), Dec 2022* (Irish Town/Strawberry Hill), Dec 2023*, Dec 2024*, Dec 2025*
What a coincidence, I just realized I'd like to learn patois too. Haven't done much, but noticed One Stop Jamaica has a vocabulary list posted on their website. I have no idea if the list is accurate. Started listening carefully to music and reading lyrics on Damien Marley's YouTube videos. Practice singing a long. Listening to different accents, soaking in the sounds, rhythm and tone. I'm impressed by the musical quality. Some of the expressions are beautiful. A Jamaican friend tried to teach me a few expressions.
Watch movies with sub titles...Shottas is the only one I can think of right nowOriginally Posted by gregandkelly63
Be careful with that way, many of the subtitles miss the point by a mile. Shottas is a perfect example....if I don't cover up the subtitles I curse worse than a Jamaican that they are mashing up the translation.
I "learned" what I knew by dating a lady that grew up in JA but moved to the UK, staying up in the hills for days or weeks at a time with locals that saw no need to speak the Queen's English, listening to the music and then having someone break it down for me....prolly other ways that I now forgot. But....now I'm lazy with Negril trips and no real need to speak it so it drifts away. Plus I get more of a kick out of not speaking it except for people are conversing about me thinking I can't understand and all of a sudden I rant on in Patois about the rudeness of them talking about me...try it!
To understand Patois is very different than speaking it.
Linston's Zion Hill Taxi
Captain Dave
Jamaicans will likely understand your English better than any potios you'll learn. I'll also second captaind's comment.
Blue Cave Castle '12, '13 '14 '15 '16 Catcha Falling Star '13 Boardwalk Village '14 '15
I like to read the editorial and more salacious sections of a couple of the online Jamaican news papers. While I think I have gotten a basic understanding (often simply by context) of Patois on a written level, I can not understand 1/10th of what is being said after multiple trips, and would only make a fool of myself were I to try and communicate that way. Once in a while I turn the Jamaican radio stations on with the iPad. Callers who really get going on some of those shows may as well be speaking Martian for all of my supposed understanding. I think it is one of those things where either growing up with it, or nothing short of a total immersion into the language will serve to understand.
On the flip side I was having a typical English-speaking conversation with a 10-yr old Jamaican girl I've known a long time about a topic she knew of but had very little actual knowledge. I went too far too fast and she said "I don't understand a word you are saying, it is like you are speaking Chinese."
The language here is SOOOOOO creative, I love it! It is more than words; often what you hear is a clever version of what is meant. Ingest a variety of print, radio and tv, especially the commercials. Listen to conversations and try to follow the thread. In conversation start using some of the word styles and phrases you hear that are different from yours. Listen to DJ's and dancehall recordings. Ask for translations. I've learned a lot from the bits that people share in their trip reports. Eventually it starts to come together. Thus far I don't speak it but I use phrases and can understand a lot if I can hear it well enough.
There is a simplicity in the language. Also, it is very visual. "One love" is a more beautiful way of talking about community unity.
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