Word for the Travel Wise (02/07/06)

Seems as if a certain word from the West Indies has infiltrated its way into the Tampa Tribune's Sunday edition this past weekend causing a big brouhaha by my friends who usually shout it loud and use it to describe, imply or say multiple things. While the word is commonly used in London, Jamaica and on other islands, (I'm sure) it's funny to see it catch on in the Tampa Bay area. They embrace like it's new and while yes, it may be new to those who haven't traveled or spent a weekend in sun-splashed Montego Bay or on the floors of gritty Kingston dancehalls, it has been a part of island slang or Patois for a long time.

Today's word is a Patois word from Jamaica:

gwaan - go on

Now I could be wrong about the spelling. My friends who play in a local reggae band, Tribal Style like to stress the word by adding the letter 'a' more times than one, but may also be seen simply as 'gwan.' Similar words include 'galang' which means about the same and most popularized recently by M.I.A. 'Gwey' means go away and can be used as well to tell someone to scram or keep it moving.

You can expand your 'Rasta Patois' in several ways. The most rewarding way is straight from the horse's mouth, so you may wish to seek the knowledge from some West Indian folks in your neighborhood. If you can't learn anything that way due to the low number of West Indian peeps in your circle, try watching films. The Rockers is an awesome and entertaining starting point. The 25th anniversary edition DVD has great features, including a small Rasta Patois dictionary. A good source on the net is Jamaicans dot com and Jahworks seems decent.

Past Patois words: satta

Filed under: Learning