A Wah Yuh Nah Seh? - Patwa

Mi nuh tink seh unno really undastand how curropt English really set up. Mi nah lie, mi neva get it eda but tru Ms. Parham class, an d tings we read inna class , mi get ih. First of all, English was set up by a bunch a white foriegnas . A nuh group ah white ppl mi a talk bout eda . Bout tree ar 4 come togeda an seh “ we ago mek one language dat French an Latin cah compete wid”. Dem did wah a language more “ pretigous” den dem language deh. Dis did all start inna England doh. Den as time go on, ppl mek up variations ah English. Dats why ppl inna Zimbabwe speak a different English den d ppl dem inna India. But even inna America , dere is Black – English. D type a English were African Americans dih create. It did sepret from d English d white ppl dida chat in farin. Words like beat box, ain’t an bling; look dem up inna one dictionary and mi bet seh yuh neva woulds find dem.  Yuh wan know why? Cah dem ppl who mek d dictionary , mek sure dem language nuh inna ih. Dem mussi tink seh dem words, some how ago degrade English, mek ih unprestigous, make ih less worthy, mek it ordinary like any oda language.

So yuh eva wonda why when yuh deh a uptown st. Andrew some ppl act stoosh wid dem propa English, why some teacha neva wouldla answa yuh question if yuh nuh asks “properly”, why people look pon u like seh dem and u neva go ah di same school when yuh start twang inna  government place like d bank? English set up dat way. Set up fi mek everyone, every language , every word oda den Standard English  inferior. Mi nuh know why sum ppl ah fight ppl inna JA when a likkle pickey a talk dat raw bawn patwa compared to an uptown gyal which a talk like seh she did live a America all har life when boat ah dem raise inna di sam parish, inna d same ghetto an d same hardships. People really as use patwa to furda mek social class distinctions and oppresss dem owna ppl.

 Believe it or not, mi neva start chat patwa until 2011 (Thanks to a special someone). Yes, imma Jamaican -America but I love patwa. The attitude behin ih , the words ,acrynoms for simple tings and di rhtym of d language. Like wen mi mada deh a market an a sell sum tings from farin, who would tink seh di word “ ray ray “ cah describe simple clothing. Even when sum likkle pickney a fool round wid each other and scream out “ ahhh bayyyy”!!. Ar when a guy approach yuh wid a lean an whisper lyrics inna yuh ear,” mi luv how yuh roun up an nice, mi caah get a minute a yuh time?”. All dem tings deh jus mek me happy inside and mi not even bawn a Jamrock. Mi a  jus an outsider lookin in and admiring d language. (Talkin bout language, yuh kno seh it surprise me dat patwa is not an official language because some lingolist seh so. A foolishness dat doh, cah dat nah stop mi from tell di world mi a bi-lingual) .

People really a figet wah Jamaica did guh tru and even doh d parliament mash up, world boss deh a jail and roads cah neva seem fi fix, wi all can undastand an liberate inna one ting.Patwa. Doh let dem English ppl tell yuh seh yuh accent is vulgar , is illegitimate, is obscure. Tell dem seh dere language is vulgar, illegitimate , is obsure cah dem language only come from ppl who mek ih up, patwa is a living language from strugglers for freedom. To chat patwa allows mi to  connect wid oda Jamaicans, to be included in d culture and be “ one out of many people”, even doh mi bawn a foreign. So imagine wah ih coulda do if all people could liberate inna it. Mi jus hope dat many odas coulda feel dis way. Feel just as proud, happy and liberated to chat patwa and not look down pon ih . cah when yuh look down pan patwa like seh it a one unintelligent language, u a tek side wid d same white man dat look down pon yuh ancestors and tell dem seh dem not even human. Tink bout dat.

( For those struggling to understand my thesis here, it was that Jamaican Patwa ,which is a dialect of English, and other dialects of English should embrace their languages and  not use it to differentiate social classes in countries.  Someone who doesn’t speak Standard English should not be seen as unintelligent and deficient because they are speaking the language of their culture. When one looks down on their own language because it is not the “prestigious” Standard English, you are taking sides with the same white man that may have looked down on your ancestors and told them they weren’t even human.)

Thank you.

-Gena Gordon

Born In America, taken to Jamaica every Summer ( ah nuh hotel life mi ah talk bout neda)

Parents from Trelawny and St. Ann Jamaica