WIKSHINERI
A Wikimedia project

Jumiekan Wikipidia
Jamaican Wikipedia

Websta hAnlain Dikshineri - Jumiekan Ingglish
Webster's Online Dictionary - Jamaican English

Jumiekan Languij Yuunit
Dipaatment a Languij, Lingguistik & Filasafi
Yuniversiti a di Wes Indiz
JAMAICAN LANGUAGE UNIT
Department of Language, Linguistics & Philosophy
University of the West Indies

Sasayati fi Kiaribiyan Lingguistik
Society for Caribbean Linguistics

Languij Varayati
Yuniversiti a Nyuu hIngglant
Language Varieties
University of New England

UsingEnglish.com
hIngglish Languij Laanin Anlain
English Language Learning Online
ESL / EFL / TESL / TEFL / TESOL / ESOL

Updated

hOpdiet

A B Ch D E F G H I J K L M N O P R S T U V W Y Z

Tel nou, Jumieka Taak a honggl wah huoral languij, paas dong an tu an, chuu wod-a-mout. Di fyuu piipl we chrai fi raiti raiti aal difrah kaina wie so no kaman aatagrafi no de tel ebribadi dis kankluud sei aad fi riid ah rait ah dis no bada widi. So wi no gat no badi a lichicha fi luk pan muo dah fi Klaad Makie ah Luwiiz Benit puoyim an fyuu Nansi tuori ah refrans buk. Kiasidi ah LiPiej, Jamaica Talk, ah Kiasidi, Dictionary of Jamaican English a di habvios exepshan. Wi a-chrai wid dis fi bil pah wa deh du aredi ah opdiet di rekaad wid nyuu wod ah yuusij we hinchajuus sens dem poblish.

Nuot pah di haatagrafi

Di haatagrafi yuuz ya a di Kiasidi-LiPiej sistim, wid slait madifikieshan. Di muos nuotobl dipaacha a di hinchadokshan a h fi riprizent di fainal, saaf niezal soun ina wod laka deh, ih, soh. Far bikaazn Jumieka piipl no taak wan wie bot sebral, frah di Kwiin Ingglish, ar wa wi kaal piiki-puoki, tu braad Patua, som tingz kiah se op tu aal faib difrah wie. Wi chais di muos exchriim voerjan, Jumiekan3, di wan we de di foris frah tandad Ingglish fi rait pah da sait ya. Wi hadap di hinishal "h" soun bifuo vowildem siem wie laka ef smadi ben a-kot di Patua a yaad.

Kraitiiria fi silekshan

Di woddem ingkluud fi dem yuniiknis tu di Jumiekan languij ar fi deh potikila miinin we difrah frah hIngglish. Sens disaya a wah hopin-en prajek, muo wod wi galang had.

Heretofore, Jamaican has been an oral language, passed on by word-of-mouth. The few people that have tried to write it, have used differing systems, with no common orthography. The conclusion has been then that it is difficult to read, so most do not attempt to either write or read it. So we have no body of literature to speak of beyond Louise Bennett, some Anansi stories and a few reference books. Cassidy and LePage's, Jamaica Talk, and Cassidy's, Dictionary of Jamaican English are the obvious exceptions. This then is an attempt to build on what they have done and update the record with new words and usages introduced since they were published.

Note on the orthography

The orthography used here is the Cassidy-LePage system, with slight modifications. The most notable departure is the introduction of h to represent the final, nasalized sound in words like deh, ih, soh. Since Jamaicans have several modes of speaking, from the Queen's English, or what is referred to as "speaky-spoky", to broad patois, some things can be said in up to five different ways. We have chosen the most extreme version, Jumiekan3, the one furthest from standard English in which to write this site. The initial "h" sound before the vowels has been adopted, in the manner of someone speaking patois at home.

Criteria for selection

Words are included for there uniqueness to the Jamaican language or for their particular meaning differing from English. Since this is an open-ended project, more words will be added continuously.