Rastafarian words and phrases are a combination of English dialect and Jamaican Patois spoken primarily by Rastafarians. The Rastafarian language is actually much easier to learn than Jamaican Patois because it’s mostly a play on English words (e.g. “overstand” for “understand”,“downpress” for “oppress”,“ I-ditate” for “meditate” etc…) rather than being an entirely separate dialect as with Jamaican Patois.

Wah gwaan -English Translation - What’s going on or what’s up - Definition Pronounced as “waa gwaan”, the literal translation is “what’s going on” but when used as a greeting, it can also mean “What’s up”. Different variation of “Wah gwaan” may be used but they all have the same meaning. These include; wah deh gwaan, whatta gwaan or waguan (pronounced wa-goo-ahn)

English : Hi Suzie! It’s been a long time since I have seen you girl. Patois : But wait! Suzie? Gal yuh nuh dead yet? (But wait! Suzie? Girl, I thought you’d be dead by now). English : He is not too bright. Patois : Geesas Christ! What a bwoy Dunce. (Jesus Christ! This boy is a dunce)

As with any other language, there are multiple ways of saying goodbye in Jamaican Patois. Some expressions are used in a formal setting while others are used in a more informal atmosphere. In a formal situation, Standard English goodbye expressions such as “goodbye” or “see you later” are acceptable. When conversing in an informal situation, more creative Jamaican Patois phrases such as the ones listed below are normally used.

In this lesson we will be discussing the different types of responses to various Jamaican Greetings. If you haven’t already, please view the previous lesson on Jamaican Greetings before continuing. A few of the greetings responses I’ve listed below might have different meanings when not used in a greeting context so I’ve also listed their literal translation when they are not being used as a greeting.

In Jamaica, as with any other country, knowing how to greet someone is very important. In this lesson, I’ll introduce you to the different ways of greeting people like a Jamaican. As I had stated before, Jamaicans do in fact speak English, so a simple “Hello” or “How are you doing” is ok and will easily be understood. However, greeting a Jamaican in Jamaican Patois will usually make your conversation a lot smoother.