Jamaican English Creole

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A language of Jamaica

ISO 639-3
jam
Alternate Names
Bongo Talk, Jamaican Patois, Jimiekn, Jimiekn Langwij, Jumieka Kruyol, Jumieka Languij, Jumieka Langwij, Jumieka Taak, Jumiekan, Jumiekan Kriol, Jumiekan languij, Langui Jumieka, Patois, Patua, Patwa, Patwah, Southwestern Caribbean English Creole, “Quashie Talk” (pej.)
Autonym
Jamiekan
User Population

2,670,000 in Jamaica (2001). Total users in all countries: 3,043,280.

Location

Widespread.

Language Maps
Language Status

5* (Developing). De facto language of national identity.

Classification
Creole, English based, Atlantic, Western
Dialects

None known. The basilect and standard English mutually inherently unintelligible (Voegelin and Voegelin 1977, LePage 1960, Adler 1977). May be partly intelligible to speakers of Cameroon Pidgin [wes] and Krio [kri] of Sierra Leone, spoken by descendants of Jamaicans repatriated between 1787 and 1860. Inherently intelligible to creole speakers in Panama and Costa Rica. Reportedly very similar to Belize Creole [bzj], similar to Grenada, Saint Vincent, different from Tobago, very different from Guyana, Barbados, Leeward and Windward islands.

Language Use

Vigorous. Dominant language and gaining in prestige. Post-Creole continuum from distinct Creole to provincial English of town dwellers. Not widely accepted as a literary language. Positive attitudes. Most consider that they speak standard English [eng]. Also use English [eng]. Used as L2 by Konchri Sain [jcs].

Language Development

Literacy rate in L2: High in English. Literature. Dictionary. Grammar. NT: 2012.

Language Resources
OLAC resources in and about Jamaican English Creole
Writing

Latin script [Latn].

Other Comments

There is a continuum of variation from basilectal Creole to acrolectal English of the educated. Linguistic influences from Akan [aka] languages in Ghana and Bantu languages (Hancock 1988).

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