List of Jamaican Patois words of African origin
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The List of African words in Jamaican Patois notes down as many loan words in Jamaican Patois that can be traced back to specific African languages. Most of these African words have arrived in Jamaica through the African slaves that were transported there in the era of the Atlantic slave trade.
Contents |
Akan language [edit]
- Accompong
- from Onyankõmpõŋ, "supreme being"[1]
- ackee, akee
- from ánkyẽ, "a type of food/fruit", "cashew fruits"[1]
- adopi
- from adópé, a ghost [2]
- adrue
- from adúru and Ewe adrú, "powder, medicine, drug"[2]
- afasia, afasayah
- from afaséw and Ewe afaséɛ, "inferior wild yam"[2]
- afu
- from afúw, "plantation"[3]
- yam
- from a type of food, "plantation"[3]
- ahpetti
- from o-peyi, a certain amulet[4]
- akam
- a wild and inferior yam[4]
- anansi
- "spider", also from Ewe[5]
- adru
- a medicinal herb[6]
- bafan
- a chid that did not lean to walk between ages 2 and 7[7]
- cashaw
- from kasɛ́ and English acacia, "thorn"[8]
- dopi, dupi
- "ghost"[9]
- doti
- "ground"[10]
- cocobay
- from kokobé, "leprosy"[5][11]
- kongkos
- "gossip"[5]
- mumu
- "dumb", "stupid", also from Ewe and Mende[5][12]
- nana
- "grandparent"[13]
- odum
- a kind of tree[14]
- poto-poto
- "mud", "muddy", also from Igbo,[5] Kongo and Yoruba[15]
- se
- "quote follows", also from Igbo sị and English say.[16]
Efik language [edit]
Ewe language [edit]
- afasia, afasayah
- from afaséɛ and Akan afaséw, "inferior wild yam"[2]
- akara
- type of food, also from Igbo and Yoruba[5]
- anansi
- "spider", also from Akan[5]
- mumu
- "dumb", also from Akan and Mende[5]
Fula language [edit]
Igbo language [edit]
- Chukwu
- from Aro god "Chukwu", a traditional god of adjudication in Arochukwu, to whom many Igbo peole went to for adjudication. Note that Arochukwu is located far away from Igbo heartland. So, going to Chukwu was usually a far trip then (prior to the advent of automobile).
- akara
- from àkàrà, type of food, also from Ewe and Yoruba[20]
- attoo
- from átú, "chewing stick"[21]
- awo, awoh
- from ewo, ewoh, an expression.
- big-eye
- via Gullah "big eye" from Igbo "anya ukwu", "greedy"[22][23][24]
- country Ibo
- from Ibo, Igbo, Pluchea odorata[25]
- de, deh
- from dị, [with adverbial] "is" (to be)[26][27]
- himba
- from mba, "yam root", a type of yam, Rajania cordata[6][28]
- obeah
- from ọbiạ, "doctoring", "mysticism"[29]
- okra
- from ọkwurụ, a vegetable[5]
- poto-poto
- from mkpọtọ-mkpọtọ, "mud", "muddy", also from Akan[5]
- red Ibo, Eboe
- from Igbo, a person with a light skin colour and African features[30]
- se
- from sị, "quote follows", also from Akan se and English say[16]
- soso
- from sọsọ "only"[5][31]
- unu
- from únù, "you (plural)"[32]
Kongo language [edit]
- dingki
- funeral ceremony[6]
- djumbi
- "ghost"[5]
- pinda
- "peanut"[5]
- poto-poto
- "mud", "muddy", also from Akan, Igbo[5] and Yoruba[15]
Mende language [edit]
Wolof language [edit]
Yoruba language [edit]
- akara
- type of food, also from Ewe and Igbo[5]
- poto-poto
- "mud", "muddy", also from Akan, Igbo[5] and Kongo[15]
References [edit]
- ^ a b Cassidy (2002:3)
- ^ a b c d Cassidy (2002:4)
- ^ a b Cassidy (2002:5)
- ^ a b Cassidy (2002:6)
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s McWhorter (2000:77)
- ^ a b c Graddol, Leith & Swann (1996:210)
- ^ Cassidy (2002:20)
- ^ Cassidy (2002:93)
- ^ Bartens (2003:145)
- ^ Institute of Jamaica (2000:42)
- ^ Cassidy (2002:112)
- ^ a b Mittelsdorf (1978:34)
- ^ Cassidy (2002:315)
- ^ Cassidy (2002:328)
- ^ a b c Bartens (2003:163)
- ^ a b Menz (2008:12)
- ^ Cassidy (2002:18)
- ^ Cassidy (2002:153)
- ^ Watson (1991:10)
- ^ Cassidy (2002:4)
- ^ Cassidy (2002:14)
- ^ Cassidy (2002:41)
- ^ Holloway (2005:94)
- ^ Bartens (2003:150)
- ^ Cassidy (2002:124)
- ^ McWhorter (2000:128)
- ^ Rickford, Romain & Sato (1999:137)
- ^ Lewis (1996:24)
- ^ Eltis (1997:88)
- ^ Cassidy (2002:378)
- ^ Huber & Parkvall (1999:47)
- ^ Cassidy (2002:457)
- ^ Sheller (2003:219)
Bibliography [edit]
- McWhorter, John H. (2000). The Missing Spanish Creoles: Recovering the Birth of Plantation Contact Languages. University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-21999-6.
- Graddol, David; Leith, Dick; Swann, Joan (1996). English: history, diversity, and change. Routledge. ISBN 0-415-13117-0.
- Bartens, Ángela (2003). A contrastive grammar: Islander - Caribbean Standard English - Spanish. Finnish Academy of Science and Letters. ISBN 951-41-0940-6.
- Institute of Jamaica (2000). Jamaica journal (Institute of Jamaica). 27—28.
- Cassidy, Frederic Gomes; Robert Brock Le Page (2002). A Dictionary of Jamaican English (2nd ed.). University of the West Indies Press. ISBN 976-640-127-6.
- Mittelsdorf, Sibylle (1978). African retentions in Jamaican Creole: a reassessment. Northwestern University.
- Menz, Jessica (2008). London Jamaican-Jamaican Creole in London. GRIN Verlag. ISBN 3-638-94849-8.
- Watson, G. Llewellyn (1991). Jamaican sayings: with notes on folklore, aesthetics, and social control. University Press of Florida. ISBN 0-8130-1053-5.
- Holloway, Joseph E. (2005). Africanisms in American culture. Indiana University Press. ISBN 0-253-21749-0.
- Rickford, John R.; Romaine, Suzanne; Sato, Charlene J. (1999). Creole genesis, attitudes and discourse: studies celebrating Charlene J. Sato. John Benjamins Publishing Company. ISBN 90-272-5242-4.
- Lewis, Maureen Warner (1996). African continuities in the linguistic heritage of Jamaica. African Caribbean Institute of Jamaica.
- Eltis, David; Richardson, David (1997). Routes to slavery: direction, ethnicity, and mortality in the transatlantic slave trade. Routledge. ISBN 0-7146-4820-5.
- Huber, Magnus; Parkvall, Mikael (1999). Spreading the word: the issue of diffusion among the Atlantic Creoles. University of Westminster Press. ISBN 1-85919-093-6.
- Sheller, Mimi (2003). Consuming the Caribbean: from Arawaks to zombies. Routledge. ISBN 0-415-25760-3.
