[Elamur Dictionary](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/patois/)

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# patois

noun (patois — same form for plural; uncountable as a language)

«patois» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. A patois is a form of a language spoken by ordinary people in a particular area, different from the standard language. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/patois/#m1)
2. (Jamaica, UK) Patois (often spelled «Patwa») is the everyday language of Jamaica, based on English with West African influences, also heard among many Black British and Caribbean people. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/patois/#m2)
3. A patois can also be the special talk or jargon of a group. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/patois/#m3)

### In the lessons

In language lessons, patois shows that languages have many local forms; Jamaican Patois words like «wah gwaan» (what's going on) are heard in UK slang. It is a full way of speaking with its own rules, not «bad English». In stories, a character speaking patois shows where they are from. Common phrases: «Jamaican Patois», «speak patois», «local patois».

### Examples

- Grandma speaks Jamaican Patois with her sisters. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/patois/#x1)
- «Wah gwaan» is a greeting in Jamaican Patois. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/patois/#x2)
- The villagers spoke a patois the visitors could not understand. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/patois/#x3)
- Many words in London slang come from Patois. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/patois/#x4)
- The poem was written in Caribbean patois. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/patois/#x5)
- Every trade has its own patois of special words. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/patois/#x6)

### Note

Say PAT-wah (the s is silent). The plural is also spelled «patois» but said PAT-wahz. It comes from French. Respect: a patois is a real way of speaking, not broken or wrong language.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «patois» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/patois/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«patois» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/patois.html) on Mova free.