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PATOIS and RAS TAFARI

1 - 1011 - 19
Time Zone: EST (New York, Toronto)
Messenger: zionI Sent: 1/30/2006 9:07:02 PM
Reply

Greetings bredren and sistren.

I man am a Rasta brought into this world through the grace of the Almighty Jah in the Middle East.

That means that Jamaican Patois is not my birth language nor can I speak it with any proficiency.

In His Iternal wisdom, Jah chose JA as a source of many powerful Iditations on Ras Tafari in its appointed Time and Place through music and the works and words of such noble bredren as Marcus Garvey and Leonard P. Howell...and Ithers (of course brother Bob's fame played its part in it too).

Through this, parts of JA Patois have been adopted as means of communications amongst Rasta bredren and sistren.

WORD SOUND POWER- it stands to reason that if the old ways of Babylon are to end...there must be a revolution in Babylon language. Thus the Ras Speak.

i.e. the use of words with the constant pre-fix: 'I' referring to and reminding one of unity- oneness- and of course King Selassi the first 'I'.

Let us not therefor make the language of the Rasta (Ras Speak) a language only for a few...understood by the few...but a language for the many.

Remeber, Selassie I- who InI as Rasta claim as InI King and Saviour, was never heard to speak in Patois.

Iman love and respect PATOIS and give thanks that Jah in His wisdonm chose it to play a part in this WAY.

Let it Unite InI and not seperate InI.

Humbly and with gratitude.

One Love

I


Messenger: Empress Nzingha Sent: 1/30/2006 9:54:35 PM
Reply

Bredren, patois is not Ras Speak. Patois is a West Indian language, although not exclusive to the Carribean. Although many concider it the language of JA it is in fact spoken by almost all West Indians, each island has their own name for it. It is a dialect of either French, Spanish or English that was created by the African slaves. If you wish to use Ras Speak that is fine but don't attempt to trivialise the culture of a peoples you do not belong to. It is disrespectful to those of us who have grown up on a Carribean island and therefore speak the language.


Messenger: zionI Sent: 1/30/2006 10:55:04 PM
Reply

Blessed Empress

I have no idea how the I took anything Iman reasoned as trivialization or an offence- in any case it was not so intended...

And in terms of belonging or not belonging to a people...sister, we are all one people- JAH people.

I man belong to JAH people...not here to fuss and fight with the I- here to reason with my bredren/sistren in Love and Respect...

Give Thanks for the I's itations.






Messenger: RAS B Sent: 1/31/2006 1:34:08 AM
Reply

HOLY MOSIS I

empress nzingha

Who taught ya dat patois a' wes' indiana language ?.Ya sightin' disrespec'fulness inna di use fah patois amon'st di chil'ren of
di island , seen ya doan kno' wha ya ta'kin bout. Pleese doan
divide IanI , fah we al' JAH chil'ren west indian , african eben Jamaican we one an' we lov' anada.

Jah arise an' let di wicketman scatta
Fya



Messenger: Nyah Jahphet Anbassa I Sent: 1/31/2006 9:31:12 AM
Reply

Blessed

I n I speech is called IYARIC. This is to bring positiveness into a language, mainly english, but I man happy to see it also in other languages. You can use Iyaric also in Patwa... but you can use it in any language.... if you talk clean and positive.... you bring Ightes. This is the purpose of Iyaric language. I n I nah get tricked by english(or whatever) language traps... I n I no DISScuss.... no appreciHATE.... UNDERstand.... this makes man aggressive and negative.... even if he doesn't realize it comes from the speech. Realize the WORD SOUND has POWER. If you always talk negative you will become negative....

Selah


Messenger: Empress Nzingha Sent: 1/31/2006 12:43:04 PM
Reply

"Patois is a West Indian language, although not exclusive to the Carribean."

I repeat, ALTHOUGH NOT EXCLUSIVE TO THE CARRIBEAN, meaning we speak patois in the Carribean but others also speak it elsewhere.


Messenger: prophecy Sent: 1/31/2006 10:40:45 PM
Reply

zion I, I sent the I an message, but not sure which one i sent it in. Link I if the I would like to reason, cause I am not reasoning in here anymore..I email is empress4iva@yahoo.com...give thanx..


prophecy


Messenger: zionI Sent: 1/31/2006 10:47:37 PM
Reply

Prophecy Iyah,

sistren dear.

The I's sentiments are worthy and important.
Part of Rasta way is to take many blows and not turn away.

Stay and continue the I's reasoning. Sometimes where it hurts to be is where you need to be..

Some may call you down but this site also has true Rastas who respect and value the I's reasoning.

Satta.

Love Tafari.


Messenger: dawi† Sent: 3/15/2006 5:11:51 PM
Reply

Love is the language, anything contrary is babylon-confusion.

WADADA


Messenger: Ras John C Sent: 3/15/2006 10:33:42 PM
Reply

I don't think it is proper to pay too much attention to dialects and things. In the city where I live (Toronto) patois heavily influences local 'ebonics' for lack of a better term. Lots of people, baldheads, use terms and phrases like 'bredren', 'mans dem', 'bumba/ras claat', all sorts of these typical terms because of the large West Indian population. So for I, I don't attribute this type of speak towards Rastafari in particular. There are specifically Rastafari terms which have been adapted into standard West Indian patois as you all know but this happens just because there is such a heavy Rastafari influence in the Islands. All of these things are fine and they make sense.

What does not make sense is people using patois who are merely copying a dialect that isn't their own. These people are playing games and getting themselves confused. Also what doesn't make sense to InI is intentionally misspelling and mispronouncing words which at the end of the day does nothing for you except weaken your credibility and confuse your audience.

In conversation I tend to stall and use lots of words that are hardly words like 'um'. I also sometimes don't annunciate properly. This is a weakness for I. This makes listeners not so keen on hearing what I have to say. It makes it hard for them to pay attention and to take me seriously when I say stuff like 'yo' and 'ya know' all the time.

Selassie I always makes an effort to speak so properly and clearly. This engaged the world to listen. Since we are Rastaman and Rastawoman here, we live life following the teachings of Rastafari, Selassie I. Therefore I don't see it as proper to take speech lessons from people like Burning Spear and Bob Marley, even though they are very wise, righteous, and gifted thinkers, singers, and songwriters. The words lose meaning when they are so hard to understand, and so when conversing with people who have problems understanding a foreign dialect, it is best to the speak proper, universal language which they can understand. Unless you want to stand there with an interpretter.

Peace love and understanding
RasTafari


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