Word of the Day: Patois

by Daniel Scocco

A patois is a regional dialect, which is different from the standard or literary language. A synonym of patois is jargon. It comes from the French patois, which means local speech.

I asked for a few words in patois. Mr. Gex said that words for the same thing can differ not only from one valley to the next but even from one village to another within the same valley, though each can understand the other. (NY Times)

Plans to translate the Bible into patois — Jamaica’s unofficial language — have ignited a fiery debate that stretches beyond the shores of this island nation. (USA Today)

Got Your Free eBook?


  • Subscribe to Daily Writing Tips and you will be able to download our free ebook: Basic English Grammar.
  • You will also get all our grammar, spelling, punctuation and writing tips.
  • The download link will go along with the first email (you might need to wait up to 24 hours).

Related Articles

  • No related posts

Subscribe

Got something to say?





Recent Articles