List of Jamaican Patois words of African origin

Last updated

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, the majority of which are Twi words. [1] [2] Most of these African words have arrived in Jamaica through the enslaved Africans that were transported there in the era of the Atlantic slave trade.

PatwaLanguageOriginal wordDescription
Accompong Town Akan Acheampong, an Asante name. The name of Nanny of the Maroons and her brother who founded the Maroon town of the same name.
Ackee, akeeeAkanÁnkyẽ"a type of food/fruit", "cashew fruits" [3]
Duppy, DopiAkan, Ga Language(an Akan loanword, Ga has many Akan loanwords and were at one point conquered by the much more powerful and numerous Akwamu-Akan)Adópé (Dwarf in Ga language, but borrowed from Twi like many Ga customs. In Akan culture, ghosts take the form of dwarves[Mmotia] and apes[aboatia or adopeh] [note the -tia as a Twi suffix to denote a small stature, ghosts in Akan culture and Jamaica are seen as shape-shifters, they can be very big or very small. But are commonly so small they would be microscopic. Akans are the only West Africans that have dwarves as spiritual entities, which are considered to be tricksters. The word is said among the Ga people but the Jamaican application of the word matches the now extinct and former Akan word. An Akan origin for Duppy is far more likely.)Demon, Ghost, often written in Jamaican English as "duppy" [1] [2]
Red EyeAkanAni bere"envious – direct translation from Akan into English"
AdrueAkan, Ewe(The Akwamu-Akan also conquered the Ewe and introduced to them concepts such as matrilineal inheritance, stools and of course Akan loanwords the Ewe were originally and still are patrilineal.)Adúru, adrú"powder, medicine, drug" [1]
Afasia, afasayahAkan, EweAfaséw, afaséɛ"inferior wild yam" [1]
AfuAkanAfúw"yam" or "plantation" [4]
AhpettiIgboO-peyiA certain amulet [5]
Akam-hand

Igbo nigeria

AkamA wild and inferior yam
AnansiAkanAnansi"Spider" [6] also name Akan folktale character.
BafanAkanBafana baby or toddler. A child that did not learn to walk between ages two and seven. [7]
BissyYorubaBeseKola Nut
Brownin'Akan Oburoni a white or near white person [7]
Butu dung(verb)

Urhobo/isoko Nigeria

Bututo stoop or squat
Burru to carry Igbo NigeriaIgbo nigeriaKete musicfrom the twi 'Aburukwa', the smallest drum in Kete music. Kete is a form of war drumming that originated with the Asante people, then spread to other Akans. In Jamaica. It is called Buru.
Buru (adj) to carryAkanBuru"Carry Igbo nigeria
CashaAsante-AkanKasɛ́Acacia or "thorn" [8]
DokunuFante-Akan Dɔkono (also known as blue draws or tie-a-leaf in Jamaica) food, a dessert item similar to bread pudding. [9]
CocobayAkanKokobé"leprosy" [6] [10]
Fufu yamAkanFufuo meaning white and referring to the Akan dish which is a pounded into a paste of white yam and cassava.white yam
GinalAkan (Ashanti Twi)Gyegyefuo, Gyegyeni.Someone that is not taken seriously, a stupid person. A con-man (in Jamaica only)
Kaba-kabaYoruba"unreliable, inferior, worthless" [11]
KeteAsante-AkanAburukwa"the smallest drum in Kete music"
come-seeNigeria pidginKonkonsa"gossip" [6]
MumuSouthern nigeria"dumb", "stupid" [6] [12]
OdumAkanOduma type of tree [13]
ObeahAkan (Ashanti Twi)Ɔbayi"witchcraft" [14]
OpeteUrhoboOpete; archaic but preserved by the maroons, now replaced by John Crow, a Fante slave trader named John Correntee (Kurentsir). Contemporary Jamaicans use the term John Crow to mean vulture and as an insult to mean a traitor or evil person."vulture" [7]
PakiAkanapakyicalabash [15]
PatuAkanPatu"owl" [7]
Printing ManAsante-AkanAprentengmana type of drum used in Kete and Buru music.
Poto-potoYorùbá, universally West African"mud", "muddy" [6]
BackraEfikMbakára"white man" [6] [16]
JukFulaJukka"poke", "spur" [17] [18]
AttooIgboátú"chewing stick" [19]
BreecheeIgboMbùríchì Nri-Igbo nobleman [20]
Chink, chinchIgbochị́nchị̀'bedbug' [21]
Country iboIgboỊ̀gbò Pluchea odorata or Ptisana purpurascens [22]
HimbaIgboMba"yam root", a type of yam, Rajania cordata [23] [24]
NyamFulaNyamto eat
Okra Igboọkwurụa type of vegetable [6] [25]
Red Ibo, EboeIgboỊ̀gbòa person with a light skin colour or a mulatto of mixed parentage [26]
UnuIgboúnù"you (plural)" [27]
DingkiKongofuneral ceremony [23]
DundusKongondundu"albino", "white person", "European" [10]
AbeAkanAbePalm coconut seed
PindaKongo"peanut" [6]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Cassidy & Page (2002 :4)
  2. 1 2 Allsopp, Richard (1996). Dictionary of Caribbean English Usage. UWI Press. p. 207. ISBN   978-976-640-145-0.
  3. ↑ Cassidy & Page (2002 :3)
  4. ↑ Cassidy & Page (2002 :5)
  5. ↑ Cassidy & Page (2002 :6)
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 McWhorter (2000 :77)
  7. 1 2 3 4 Cassidy & Page (2002 :20)
  8. ↑ Cassidy & Page (2002 :93)
  9. ↑ Cassidy & Page (2002 :155)
  10. 1 2 Cassidy & Page (2002 :112)
  11. ↑ Allsopp & Allsopp (2003 :323)
  12. ↑ Mittelsdorf (1978 :34)
  13. ↑ Cassidy & Page (2002 :328)
  14. ↑ Williams, Joseph John (1933). Voodoos and Obeahs: Phases of West India Witchcraft. Library of Alexandria. p. 90. ISBN   9781465516954.{{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
  15. ↑ Cassidy & Page (2002 :335)
  16. ↑ Cassidy & Page (2002 :18)
  17. ↑ Cassidy & Page (2002 :153)
  18. ↑ Watson (1991 :10)
  19. ↑ Cassidy & Page (2002 :14)
  20. ↑ Cassidy & Page (2002 :68)
  21. ↑ Allsopp & Allsopp (2003 :152)
  22. ↑ Cassidy & Page (2002 :124)
  23. 1 2 Graddol, Leith & Swann (1996 :210)
  24. ↑ Lewis (1996 :24)
  25. ↑ Eltis & Richardson (1997 :88)
  26. ↑ Cassidy & Page (2002 :378)
  27. ↑ Cassidy & Page (2002 :457)

Bibliography

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.