laughterWhen my brother and I would speak our best rendition of the Jamaican language—also known as Patwa, Jamaican Creole, or Patois—elders would frequently respond with this amid wild laughing.
Growing up in a Caribbean family in London, the home was filled with rich and lively smells like cooking rice and peas, Vibes FM radio, and occasional Patwa bursts. My parents identify as British-Jamaican, notwithstanding their Jamaican heritage. My grandma and great-grandfather both identify with Jamaican culture.
They are all proficient in both regular English and Patwa, an African language that developed among Africans held in slavery in the Caribbean during English colonial control.
Hearing visceral, playful Patwa terms like “raatid” and “jeezam” to convey surprise or frustration in a way that simply couldn’t be expressed in English always felt exhilarating. It’s similar to saying “amen” out loud. At home, I would frequently hear music that contained Pa.. Patwa was used in numerous songs that were sung by big crowds all over the world, according to my maternal grandfather Junior Marvin, who played lead guitar for Bob Marley and the Wailers.
However, other family members and elders swiftly interrupted my brother and me when we attempted to speak in Patwa, telling us to “speak proper English!”—that is, standard British English.
