Why talk in patois when not brought up that way?

[Bobo Ngus]

Surely, you are not buying into the cheapening of your own culture by believing that Patois is "broken" or "bad" English. or just some accent or slang. Patois is a beautiful and independent LANGUAGE. So the reason is the same as the reason one might want to learn Portuguese to understand Brazilian music or have a deeper connection with Brazilian people and culture. To reject people that are trying to learn the language that you speak is kind of eleitist, in my opinion there is no place in the world (and especially in the African Diaspora) for further seperation of black people. instead of calling these people "Jafaican" you should be trying to connect with them the way they, obviously want to connect with you!

[Dave K]

Are you equally as upset at Jamaicans speaking "proper English" when they were brought up learning patois?

How about new Greek Immigrants learning English? Should they speak in English when they are not brought up that way?

It's a very slippery slope........

[I-Lion Tafari]

Like to see those white German sound system kids. Maybe 18 to 25 years old. Borrowing mum´s small shopping car to reach their show. Chatting German Jamaican into the mike. And when it comes to toasting they mess up cause of limited vocabulary. In this certain case they gloss over with loud shouting like someone is tortured. Or you can hear them repeating one and the same phrase. How enbarrasing. If I was a fuse in their amplifier I would melt away.

[vtov]

Just read through the thread, and two great comments must be repeated. Youthman Deh right near the start:

Words do not come without connotations. Connotations, in turn, play a big part in determining the meaning of a certain word, which in turn affects the circumstances where the word can be used effectively (or on the contrary, less effectively).

Talking about Jamaican music with Jamaican terms - often invented solely for that purpose - seems to me perfectly logical, because naturally those words suit that purpose best, and carry the most fruitful connotations considering the topic of discussion. Which makes the discussion obviously more fluent and, yet again, more fruitful. And perhaps the patois words even carry a uniting feeling amongst fellow reggae listeners, it is like an own language, or professional slang, if you will.

In any case, I see many reasons for the use Jamaican patois, but not so many against it, nor any reasons whatsoever for ridiculing people who do use it. Some kind of elitism might be one explanation, but luckily I (& I) know not of such things.

and on page 6 Nilo82 says its fun:

Author : =Nilo82=
Date : September 5, 2007 19:19
You see, my mother language isn't patois (it's not even english). Still i use some patois phrases sometimes. Not to be cool or because i want to be a jamaican. Quite happy with being german. Why use patois than? Well, i use it to cite . Citing is a lot of fun - of course only, if others can get it. You won't see me going to the bakery shoutin out "whaa gwan star?" to the grandpa sellin bread. But talkin to friends, knowing they listen to reggae a lot as well, it's fun talking some patois sometimes (not all the time though).

As long as you don't take it serious but a little ironic..

Bless!

---------------

If you listen enough to this music, then some words and terms will enter your vocabulary. Also from spending time with friends from the JA communities all around the world.

The patois is still considered a cool accent by youth and people all over. Kids born and schooled a foreign speak it. Even hip-hoppers with no JA roots use it - they love language. Sometimes it's also a secret code that certain people can't understand.

[sean]

As I wrote before, I was ashamed to see the embarrassing photofit of a drugged up white haired kid, with hipster jeans, bandy legs and ugly face, wanted by Huddersfield police for assault on a train conductor. The boy talked with a fake Jamaican accent and pranced down the train in an exaggerated way, the police poster claimed. Dont let these louts disfigure public perceptions of reggae or Jamaica. Reggae lovers are humane and intelligent, not louts.

[hot milk]

http://www.hulu.com/watch/40968/saturda ... -ras-trent

sorry, it's just begging for this.

i too use the occasional patois catch phrase, for emphasis or just goofing. in jamaica i'll even drop a few words from time to time, the right times, to share in it. but most important, especially down there, it's most important to be yourself. they'll see right through the fake stuff and pull your card.

[cheap seats]

just be yourself everything will work out

[Funky Punk]

As I wrote before, I was ashamed to see the embarrassing photofit of a drugged up white haired kid, with hipster jeans, bandy legs and ugly face, wanted by Huddersfield police for assault on a train conductor. The boy talked with a fake Jamaican accent and pranced down the train in an exaggerated way, the police poster claimed. Dont let these louts disfigure public perceptions of reggae or Jamaica. Reggae lovers are humane and intelligent, not louts.

Yeah, there are loads of fools like that around here. Wannabe street toughs who usually only start trouble when they outnumber someone five-to-one. It's a predominantly white area here and I doubt that most of these kids have even left the *county* in their lives - yet here they are, talking like full-on yardie gangstas.

A lot of these guys also seem to be *violently racist* against non-whites. Go figure. Sometimes you've just got to shake your head in bemusement...