Although now endangered, our Patois remains a living language in some communities and families. Patois is still spoken in Paramin, Cameron, Blanchisseuse, Toco, Arima, Valencia, Lopinot, Santa Cruz and Moruga, and a number of other communities, including wherever cocoa was grown.
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Do people in Trinidad speak Patois?
In the 19th century, Patois became the lingua franca of Trinidad, crossing every ethnolinguistic, social and geographic boundary, and facilitating communication among speakers of over 20 languages in the mid-19th century.
What Caribbean islands speak Patois?
| Jamaican Patois | |
|---|---|
| Native to | Jamaica, Panama, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Colombia (San Andrés y Providencia). |
| Native speakers | 3.2 million (2000–2001) |
| Language family | English creole Atlantic Western Jamaican Patois |
| Dialects | Limonese Creole Bocas del Toro Creole Miskito Coast Creole San Andrés–Providencia Creole |
Is Patois a dying language?
Macanese patois is now a UNESCO critically endangered language spoken by fewer than 50 people.
Do all Caribbeans speak Patois?
Spanish and English are important second languages: 24 million and 9 million speak them as second languages.
Demographics.
| Country/Territory | Jamaica |
|---|---|
| Population | 2,665,636 |
| Official language | English |
| Spoken languages | English, Jamaican Patois, Spanish, Caribbean Hindustani, Irish, Chinese, Portuguese, Arabic |
Where is patois spoken in Trinidad?
Patois is still spoken in Paramin, Cameron, Blanchisseuse, Toco, Arima, Valencia, Lopinot, Santa Cruz and Moruga, and a number of other communities, including wherever cocoa was grown.
Is patois broken English?
Often these patois are popularly considered “broken English” or slang, but cases such as Jamaican Patois are classified with more correctness as a Creole language; in fact, in the Francophone Caribbean the analogous term for local basilectal languages is créole (see also Jamaican English and Jamaican Creole).
Where do Jamaicans get their accent from?
With Jamaica being rich in exposure to other cultures due to the slave trade, Jamaicans learnt and adapted the accents of plantation owners and overseers. These ranged from English to Spanish to African and to a few other lesser populated ones. These combinations of accents naturally resulted in a mixture of accents.
Why do Jamaicans speak patois?
The speaking of patois is a reference to the time when most Jamaicans ancestors were taken from their homeland, and forced to speak English. Jamaicans as a people are very proud of the struggle that their ancestors have had to fight through and over come, making patois a staple of any true Jamaican.
Who owns Jamaica?
Jamaica was an English colony from 1655 (when it was captured by the English from Spain), and a British Colony from 1707 until 1962, when it became independent. Jamaica became a Crown colony in 1866.
Colony of Jamaica.
| Colony of Jamaica and Dependencies | |
|---|---|
| Common languages | English, Jamaican Patois, Spanish |
What is Jamaica’s first language?
Although English is the official language of Jamaica, the majority of the population speak Jamaican Patois. This is a creole language (See the lesson on creole on this web site) made up of an English superstrate and African substrate.
What continent is Jamaica in?
North America
How do Jamaicans say hello?
Hail up – Hi or Hello
Mostly used by Jamaican men especially those practicing the Rastafarian faith.
How do you say friend in Jamaican?
Below is a list of 18 Jamaican Patois phrases translated to English.
- I Will Be Right Back – Mi Soon Come.
- To Eat – Nyam.
- Jamaica – Jamrock, Jamdown, Yard.
- Jamaican – Yardie, Yard man.
- Friend – Bredren (male), Sistren (female)
- Well Done – Big up, Respect.
- Excellent – Sell off, Tun up, Wicked.
- What’s up?
Is Creole a bad word?
The word “creole” can be derogatory, but only in certain contexts. For a full explanation, may I again refer you to the “Dictionary of Caribbean English Usage” by Richard Allsopp (Oxford University Press).
What language does Guadeloupe speak?
French
What does ENT mean in Trinidad?
Ent? – “isn’t that so?” , “right?” (used at the end of a sentence for emphasis; is similar to Spanish “¿no?”)
What are Trinidadians mixed with?
‘ Since its colonization by Spain and then Britain, Trinidad has been the site of the mixing of peoples and cultures, including the original Carib inhabitants, Spanish, French, and British colonists, freed coloreds and African slaves, Chinese, Syrian, and Portuguese immigrants, and indentured laborers from India.
Are there white Trinidadians?
White Trinidadians and Tobagonians account for less than 1% of the population of Trinidad and Tobago. However, the classification is primarily a superficial description based on phenotypic description opposed to genotypical classification.
Was there slavery in Trinidad?
Under British rule, Trinidad’s development as a sugar colony continued, although in 1806–07 the slave trade was completely prohibited. Slavery was abolished in two stages between 1834 and 1838, and the sugarcane planters were unable to secure the steady, tractable, and cheap labour they wanted.
Is patois easy to learn?
It’s actually quite difficult to acquire the accent of a Jamaican, unless you’ve lived in Jamaica for many years, and even then, speaking patois fluently is not guaranteed. But with a little practice, you will be able to have at least a basic understanding of Jamaican Patois.
