How To Speak Patois
Curiosity is not always a good thing. Sometimes, it can make you waste a lot of your time on useless things. There are things that you shouldn’t even try to learn about, and therefore, you should try to push down your curiosity about them. However, at other times, it can be a really great thing and help you in learning new subjects. If people weren’t born with curiosity, the world would have been a very dark place. Whenever you quickly turn the page of a book because you want to know what happens next, you are letting your curiosity take over. But this is only a small-scale example.
All the progress we have made in the field of science and medicine has only been possible because of curiosity. People also start learning about different cultures because of it. They study history to figure out how we got to the current point in time and what struggles our ancestors had to endure. Another thing that has been inspired by curiosity is the study of languages. It is the wish of experts to figure out the differences between various tongues that motivated them to continue studying complex aspects of the linguistic world. A lot of us cannot understand the complex rules that define a language and its system, but it is the linguists whose expertise makes it easier for us to learn new tongues.
Jamaican Language:
The Patois definition explains that it is an English-based creole. It came into being when the African slaves were forced to learn English by their British rulers. They combined elements of their African tongues with English and created a unique vernacular. This is the reason why Patois sounds so familiar to English speakers. It also has elements of other vernaculars. Some people call it French Patois because of the influence of French on it. The similarities with English have made plenty of language enthusiasts curious, and they wish to learn more about this tongue.
How to Speak Patois?
There are many reasons why someone would want to learn this vernacular. Some have Jamaicans friends or relatives that they wish to speak within the absence of a language barrier. There are those too who want to learn the language so they can understand Jamaican music easily. The music of the country is very famous globally, and the fans of it want to be able to understand the words sang by their favorite singers effortlessly.
But learning Patois isn’t something you will accomplish overnight. The pronunciation is different from English, which can be a problem for you. However, here are a few points that can help you speak it with some accuracy:
- The “r” at the end of words often gets dropped. For instance, a Jamaican will call “water” as “wata.” Another example of this is when “dollar” becomes “dolla.” This may sound like an accent issue, but it is how Patois is written, too, so the differences aren’t restricted to the spoken version.
- Another exciting feature of this tongue is that an English word with double t will end up with double k instead. For example, “bottle” will become “bokkle.” The same rule will change little into likkle. However, the vocabulary isn’t always this simple, and not all words in Patois have English origins.
- “Wha’appen?” may sound like “what happened?” to an English speaker, but it actually means “what’s up?” and is used as a form of greeting when one meets one’s friends.
- Walk good is used in place of goodbye or safe travels. Words in Jamaican language mostly have a double meaning, but you won’t have a problem with that if you learn to use them at the right time.
- Nuff is a word used to describe volume. For instance, it can be added before things to mean “many.” But it is mostly used when you wish to refer to multiple quantities of something. The word is also used to refer to an overbearing personality.
Translation of Patois:
Sometimes, English to Patois translation is required by people. After all, it is the best way to connect with the three million people of Jamaica. Businesses use this linguistic service to communicate with their target audience. They hire a professional expert for the task and assign their documents or advertising material to them. However, it isn’t always simple to find a translator for a language like this one. It isn’t easy to find an agency that hires native Jamaican experts for the job. And unfortunately, non-natives translators cannot be as good as their job as a native. Therefore, it is necessary for companies and individuals to find an agency that only hires natives.
Companies can look up names of agencies and then go through their reviews to make sure they are offering quality services. Once they are sure of it, they can hire the agency for handling their business documents. If a person wishes to immigrate to Jamaica, they will also need the translation of their papers. Entertainment content produced in other vernaculars is also translated for the people of this country. All of this is only done by highly qualified professionals. They know their job very well and don’t mess up at any point. They practice regularly to make sure they can continue to provide quality work to their clients. They are the names you should trust, whether you need linguistic assistance for yourself or your business.
