Compiling a Jamaican dictionary
published: Sunday | April 27, 2003
THE EDITOR, Sir:
PLEASE PERMIT me space to seek the assistance of the wider public in an interesting project I am undertaking. I am in the process of putting together a dictionary of contemporary Jamaican language which should be a welcome update of Fredric Cassidy and Robert LePage's monumental 'Dictionary of Jamaican English' (DJE) which was first published in 1967.
I am interested in new words which have been added to the Jamaican language during the past 25 years or so or words which have changed meaning over the period. For example 'passa passa' which was defined in a more recent edition of the DJE as 'to pass [something] repeatedly', now means 'confusion/rumour/mix up'.
I would be most happy if persons out there could send me their new Jamaican words and their meanings so that they can be added to the dictionary. There is no restriction on the area in which the word is used, i.e. school, dancehall, gambling, cooking, farming, computing, folk medicine, etc. All contributors will be duly acknowledged.
The Gleaner played a significant role in the compilation of the DJE, which benefited from The Gleaner's decades of recording Jamaican language and also by a 'Jamaican Creole word competition' which was organised by The Gleaner.
