English
is the official language of Jamaica. It has been spoken nationally for
more than 300 years. Also known as Jamaican Standard English, the
language is a subtle blend of American and British English, spoken in
an Irish accent. The usual practice however, is to use British
spellings instead of the American ones.
The
de facto national language of Jamaica is Jamaican Patois, also commonly
referred to as Jamaican. From the linguistic point of view, Jamaican
Patois is a very interesting language. It is a Creole language, which
means that it is a combination of two parent languages viz., English
and West African. Today, it has about 6.2 million native speakers,
which makes it the most widely spoken language in Jamaica.
Added
to the two major languages mentioned above, there also exists a
'created English dialect' called Iyaric. This is spoken by members of
the Rastafari movement, who consider English as a language imposed upon
them by the colonizers. So, in order to get rid of colonial English,
this new dialect has been created.
Moreover,
the Jamaicans are known to make up their own words to suit the topic
they are speaking about. So, don't be too shocked if you hear a new
word every now and then.
