Jamaican Patois

Also known as Patois, Patwah, Jamaican Creole, Jamaican Creole English, Jamaican Patwa, Jamaican, Jumiekan Patwa

English-based creole spoken in and around Jamaica; it additionally takes influence from various African languages, particularly Akan

AI overview

Jamaican Patois is an English-based creole language spoken in Jamaica that also incorporates influences from various African languages, especially Akan. It represents an important part of Jamaican cultural identity and reflects the island's complex history of colonization and African heritage.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Article

Female patois speaker saying two sentences A Jamaican Patois speaker discussing the usage of the language

Jamaican Patois (/ˈpætwɑː/; locally rendered Jamaican Patwah and called Jamaican Creole by linguists) is an English-based creole language mixed heavily with West African languages, Arawak, Spanish, French and other languages, spoken primarily in Jamaica and among the Jamaican diaspora. Words or slang from Jamaican Patois can be heard in other Caribbean countries, the United Kingdom (especially in London, where it has heavily influenced Multicultural London English), New York City and Miami in the United States, and Toronto, Canada. It is spoken by most Jamaicans as their first language.