Today, I will be going over some Jamaican phrases and proverbs which I found on this website: http://www.ddg.com/LIS/InfoDesignF97/malyce/phrases.htm So here goes!
Phrases:
"Dat is fe mi bredda" = That is for my brother.
"Galang bout yuh business" = Go along about you business.
"Coo pon dat bwoy!" = Look at that boy!
"Me bleach hard lass night" = I partied hard last night.
"You too red eye" = You're too envious. あなたは羨まし過ぎる。
"Tan tedy" = Stand steady, which means: hold still.
"Unnu can come wid mi" = You can all come with me.
"Choble nuh nice" = Trouble's not nice.
"Yuh ina big choble" = You're in big trouble.
"Did yuh see dat?" = Did you see that
?"A who dat?" = Who is that?
" Yuh no dun yet?" = You're not done yet? meaning, You haven't finished yet?
" Is the dutty duppy man dweet" = The dirty ghost did it.
Proverbs:
"Mi come here fi drink milk, mi noh come here fi count cow."
I came here to drink milk, I didn't come to count cows.
This is a reminder to do business in a straightforward manner. Do what you say what you will do, don't just talk about it.
"What sweet nanny goat a go run him belly."
What tastes good to a goat will ruin his belly.
This is a Jamaican proverb which is used to warn people. It means that, the things that seem good to you now, can hurt you later...
"I no come to hear about how horse dead an' cow fat."
I didn't come to hear about how the horse is dead and the cow is fat.
This is used when you want to tell someone to stop giving you useless details. Just tell me the important stuff~!
As you can see, Jamaican Patois is a very rich and complex dialect of English. If you are interested in learning more check out these websites:
Jamaicans.com Speak Jamaican
http://www.jamaicans.com/speakja/
Jamaican Dictionary
http://www.ddg.com/LIS/InfoDesignF97/malyce/dict.htm
Have a nice day,
Phil
