Jumieka Languij

UOM
Home
AATAGRAFI
Orthography
DIKSHINERI
Dictionary
VOKIABILERI
Vocabulary
IDIAM
Idioms
PACHIZ
Passages
ISCHRI
History
BOUT
About
Piipl widoutn nalij a dem paas ischri, harijin ah kolcha kom iin laka chrii widoutn ruut.
~ Maakos Gyaavi, 1887-1940 ~
NYUU!
UORAL PRAKTIS fiicha
NEW! Oral Practice feature
GAID TU PRONONGXIESHAN & PELIN
Guide to Pronunciation & Spelling
UOM
Home
AATAGRAFI
Orthography
DIKSHINERI
Dictionary
VOKIABILERI
Vocabulary
IDIAM
Idioms
PACHIZ
Passages
ISCHRI
History
BOUT
About
KANTAK
Webmaasa
Contact Webmaster
WA DEM A-SE
What they're saying
WA YU A-SE?
Jumieka Mechiz

Anlain Fuorom
What are you saying?
JAMAICA MESSAGE Online Forum
AARKAIV
Archives
SOH LINGK
Some Links

Jumiekan Wikipidia luogo
Jumiekan Wikipidia
Jamaican Wikipedia

Jumiekan Languij Yuunit
Dipaatment a Languij, Linggwistik & Filasafi
Yuniversiti a di Wes Indiz

JAMAICAN LANGUAGE UNIT
Department of Language, Linguistics & Philosophy
University of the West Indies

Jumiekan Languij Kompini
fi promuot braadkyaas ina Jumiekan Languij

JAMAICAN LANGUAGE COMPANY
promoting broadcasting in the Jamaican language

Society for Caribbean Linguistics logo
Sasayati fi Kiaribiyan Linggwistik

Society for Caribbean Linguistics

Languij Varayati
Yuniversiti a Nyuu hIngglant

Language Varieties
University of New England

UsingEnglish.com
hIngglish Languij Laanin Anlain

English Language Learning Online
ESL / EFL / TESL / TEFL / TESOL / ESOL

Updated

Opdiet

 

 

 

 

GRAMA
Grammar

Sens Ingglish, sebntiin senchri hIngglish at dat, a di ruut languij fi Jumiekan, dehn rispektib grama ago kanchraas. Da wie, di distingtib fiichadem wa mek Jumiekan wah libn languij wi ailait. Fi di siem riizn se ibies pah hIngglish lexikan, ikiah habzaab eni nyuu wod fi kipi vokiabileri ah kansep we ikiah hexpres op-tu-diet. Di grama wi muor ar les tan siem wie laka ou idu fi chrii senchri.
Since English, seventeenth century English at that, is the root language for Jamaican, their respective grammars will be contrasted. That way, the distinctive features that make Jamaican a living language will be highlighted. For the same reason that it is English lexicon based, it can absorb any new words to keep its vocabulary and the concepts it can express up-to-date. The grammar will more or less remain the same as it has been for three centuries.

PRUONOUN
Pronouns
POZESHAN
Possession
DITOERMINA
Determiners
INTARAGATIB
Interrogatives
VOERBAL
Verbals
NEGITIB
Negatives
PRUONOUN
Pronouns
Akrolek Miizolek Bazilek
I
you
he/she/it
we
you
they
ai/a
yuu
im/shi/hit
wi
unu
de(m)
mi
yu
ih/ih/i
wi
unu
deh

I sit

you eat too much

they run quickly

a sit

yuu hiit tu moch

de ron kuik

mi sidong

unu niam tomoch

deh ron kuik-kuik

me
you
him/her/it
us
you
them
mi
yu
im/ar/it
os
yu
dem
mi
yu
im/im/i
wi
unu
dem

he likes us

they carry her with them

ii laik os

de(m) kiari har wid dem

ih laik wi

deh kyaa im wid dem

POZESHAN
Possession
Akrolek Miizolek Bazilek
my - mine
your - yours
his/her - hers/its
our - ours
your - yours
their - theirs
mai - mainz
yo - yorz
iz/er - oerz/it
howa - howaz
yuor - yorz
dier - dierz
mi - fimi
yu - fiyu
ih/ar/i - fiim/fiar/fiit
fiwi - fiwi
unu - fiunu
fidem - fidem

the red is mine and the blue are yours

did she give you her number?

the truck is his but the cars are theirs

it is John's computer

saddle Barry's father's horse

what is Keteisha's baby's father's name?

di red iz mainz an di bluu a yorz

shi did giv yu ar nomba?

di chrok iz iz bot di kyaarz ar dierz

hiz Jan kompyuuta

sagl Bari faada haas

wat Kitiisha beebi faada niem?

di red a fimi ah di bluu a fiyu

ih gi yu ih nomba?

di chok a fiim bot di kiaardem a fidem

a fi Jan kompyuuta

saglop fi Bari pupa aas

a-wa Kitiisha biebi faada niem?

DITOERMINA
Determiners
Akrolek Miizolek Bazilek
a
the
this
that
these
those
some
any
every
all
none
a
di
dis
dat
diiz
dooz/duoz
soh/som
eni
evri
aul
non
wah
di
dis/disya
daa/daade
demaya
demde
som
heni
hebri
haal
non
INTARAGATIB
Interrogatives
Akrolek Miizolek Bazilek
who
whose
what
which
when
why
where
how
uu
fi uu
wat
wish
wen
wai
we
ou
a-uu
a-fuu/a-uufa
a-wa/a-wara
a-hush
a-wen
a-wa mek/siek a-wa
a-we/we paat/hush paat
a-ou
VOERBAL
Voerbdem no hinflek; deh no chienj askaadn tu nomba, kies ah tens, no laka Ingglish ah hada hels languij. Di kantex wi yuujal indikiet awa. Adawaiz, soh haagzileri voerb ar paatikl de fi maak tens.
Verbals
Verbs are not inflected; they do not change according to number, case and tense, unlike English and other languages. The context usually indicates what they are. Otherwise, there are some auxiliary verbs or particles to mark tense.
positive mi taak I talk
I talked
negative mi no taak I do not talk
I did not talk
a-
continuous aspect marker - positive
mi a-taak I am talking
naa-
continuous aspect marker - negative
mi naa-taak I am not talking
(b/w)ena-
continuous past aspect marker - positive
mi ena-taak I was talking
nehna-
continuous past aspect marker - negative
mi nehna-taak I was not talking
(b/w)eh-
remote past aspect marker - positive
mi eh-taak I had talked
neh-
remote past aspect marker - negative
mi neh-taak I had not talked
don-
perfect aspect marker - positive
mi don-taak I have talked
neba-
perfect aspect marker - negative
mi neba-taak I have not talked
ago-
future aspect marker - positive
mi ago-taak I will talk
naago-
future aspect marker - negative
mi naago-taak I will not talk
gwaih-/gweih-
future intent - positive
mi gwaih-taak I am going to talk
nogwaih-
future intent - negative
mi nogwaih-taak I am not going to talk
de-/strong>
state or location marker
mi de-taak I am/was (in the process of) talking
(b/w)ehnde-
state or location marker
mi (b/w)ehnde-taak I have/had been (in the process of) talking
agode-
future state or location marker
mi agode-taak I will be (in the process of) talking
de
state or location marker

i de de
Soh spiika madifai dis tu/Some speakers modify this to di de

deh de ya

ih de bout

Paal de a farin

dopi de

it is there

 

they are here

he is around

Paul is abroad

ghosts exist

fi
obligation marker

ih fi dwii

yu fi nuo bout

mi fi go luk fa

Kiati fi du beta ah dat

he should do it

you should be informed

I should go look for it

Kathy should do better than that

afi
neccessity marker

mi afi gwaan siem wie

yu afi manij widout im

deh gweih afi yuuz di nex wan

Tamsn no bada afi dwiit agen

I have to continue the same way

you have to manage without him

they are going to have to use the other one

Thompson does not have to do it again

gofi
inceptive marker

mi dis gofi kaal yu

yu gofi mek di siem mistiek

ih gofi hopn di leta

Biechis nieli gofi gii we

I was just about to call you

you are about to make the same mistake

he was about to open the letter

Beatrice nearly gave it away

gofigo
purposive marker

mi gofigo kaal yu bot mi laas di nomba

ih gofigo marid tu ar tel ih fain out se shi ab man

deh gofigo chaaj im bot deh hiiz im op

Delrai gofigo kot aaf di lait bot deh mikies pie di bil

I intended to call you but I lost the number

he planned to marry her until he found out she had a man

they were going to charge him but they let him off

Delroy intended to turn off the electricity but they quickly paid the bill

Nuot pah a ah de
Demaya a di wod we yuuz fi hindikiet biin. hIngglish ab wan infinitib, to be, bot Panish ab tuu: ser fi hexpres biin iina stiet ar kandishan; ah estar fi biin iina plies. Jumiekan com iin laka Panish yaso, bot widoutn inflekshan. Wi ago-komparisn dem.
Note on a and de
These are the words used to indicate being. In English there is one infinitive, to be, but Spanish has two: ser to express being in a state or condition; and estar for being in a place. Jamaican is like Spanish in this regard, but without inflections. We will compare them.
Ingglish Panish Jumiekan

I am a boy

he is the same

Della is in Ochi

they are here

yo soy un muchacho

el es mismo

Della esta en Ochi

ellos estan aqui

mi a bwai

im a di siem

Dela de a Uochi

deh de ya

Voerbal flexibiliti
Wan a distingtibis voerbal mikianizam a Jumiekan a ou di spiika lou fi yuuz wan paat a piich fi aneda. So ih kiah ton ajitiv ah noun ina voerb ah voerb ina noun ah hebribadi andastan sieh wie wa im a-se.
Adjectives and nouns as verbs
One of the most distinctive verbal mechanisms of Jamaican is that the speaker is allowed to use one part of speech for another. Thus, one can turn adjectives and nouns into verbs and verbs into nouns without loss of comprehension.
Bies
Base
Madifaya
Modifier
Nyuu yuusij
New usage

priti
pretty

doti
dirty

naasii
nasty

kaul
cold

nof
many

laivli
lively

red doert
red dirt

+ op

priti-op
to make pretty

doti-op
to soil, make dirty

naasi-op
to make filthy

kaul-op
to make cold

nof-op
to expand, enlarge

laivli-op
to excite, enthuse

red-doert-op
to soil with red dirt

priich
preach

juok
joke

ramp
play

+ ifai

priichifai
pompous

juokifai
given to making jokes

rampifai
playful

Noun
Noun
Yuuz az voerb
Used as verb

intenshan
intention

advantij
advantage

kompolshan
compulsion

samanz
summons

komparisn
comparison

im intenshan fi bai di prapati ah bil ous
he intends to buy the property and build a house

di laaya advantij mi yuuz mi dipazit fi ihself
the lawyer took advantage of me using my deposit for himself

mi kompolshan go a toun laas wiik
i was compelled to go to town last week

deh samanz im fi go a kuot nex mont
they summoned him to attend court next month

wen yu komparisn dem yu si se da wan ya beta
when you compare them you see this one is better

NEGITIB
Negatives
No laka hIngglish bot laka nof ada hels languij, dobl negitib yuuz fi hexpres nigieshan. Dis a fi hemfasis.
Unlike English but like many other languages, a double negative is used to express negation. This is for emphasis.

mi naa-du notn
I'm not doing anything

ih naa-go nowe
he's not going anywhere

non no di de
there is none there

nobadi no nuo notn
chripl negitib/triple negative
nobody knows anything

* hExepshan nof Exception *

nof neh di de
not much was there

nof smadi no kom
many people did not come

Doblop
Waneda retarikal divais a fi doblop di wod fi madifai di hifek: diskripta get chrangga, hintensifai; hakshan get jragout, kyaah tap.
Doubling up
Another rhetorical device is to repeat a word to modify the effect: descriptors are stronger, intensified; action becomes continuous, relentless.
Bies
Base
Doblop
Doubling
Ingkriis Ifek
Increased Effect

priti
pretty

kaul
cold

nof
many

likl
little

red

priti-priti

kaul-kaul

nof-nof

likl-likl
sumaal-likl

red-red

very pretty, decorative, attractive

extremely cold, freezing

great amount, whole lot

very small, diminutive

intense red

chaa
chew

waak
walk

lingga
linger

fala
follow

chaa-chaa

waak-waak

lingga-lingga

fala-fala

chew relentlessly, gnaw to bits

walking all about, wandering aimlessly

lingering longer, dawdling, foot-dragging

following doggedly

 

 
UOM
Home
AATAGRAFI
Orthography
DIKSHINERI
Dictionary
VOKIABILERI
Vocabulary
IDIAM
Idioms
PACHIZ
Passages
ISCHRI
History
BOUT
About
Di wol fos bailinggual ah muos kampriensiv Jumiekan/Ingglish websait
The world's first bilingual and most comprehensive Jamaican/English website

Bakgrong himij adap frah / Background image adapted from
Adolphe Duperly, Cornwall Street, Falmouth, dagerotaip/daguerrotype

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 License.