Let's discuss this further and then look at some examples.
Phrases used to express happiness
Certain phrases are used in the Jamaican
language to
express surprise or happiness. A phrase which begins with the word
“wuhyoi” may be used to express surprise, happiness or even
grief. For example the phrase “wuhyoi, ah yuh bay fi gwaan” means
“wow, it's you who should have gone”. Depending on how the phrase
is used it could be used to expresses the speakers surprise that the
person he or she is speaking to did not go. Similarly, the same
phrase could be used to express grief or sorrow that the person being
spoken to did not go.
Phrases used to express
surprise
A word which often precedes an
expression of surprise is the word “jeezan”. For example the
phrase “jeezan! Cooh deh” means “WOW! Look at that.” Here
this word “jeezan” is used in the patois phrase to attract
attention to someone or something. Those familiar with Jamaican
patois would immediately realize that the speaker is either excited
or surprised about something or surprised at someone because the word
“jeezan” was used.
Phrases used in everyday
situations
In Jamaican Patois there are invariably
patois phrases which are used in everyday situations. For example:
“nuh” is a word which when used at the end of a sentence can show
that the speaker is being insistent or impatient. Here is an example
of the word “nuh” used in an everyday patois phrase: “jus
nyammi nuh.” This phrase means “just eat it, already” here we
used the word “already” as a loose translation of the word “nuh”
to show that the speaker is either being insistent or impatient with
whoever he or she is speaking to because whoever he or she is
speaking to “has not yet finished eating or has not yet started
eating.”
The Jamaican dialect is a rich and expressive one containing thousands upon thousands of patois phrases and expressions.
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