---
title: patois — school dictionary · trees and pragmatics
description: «patois» in the school dictionary: A patois is a form of a language spoken by ordinary people in a particular area, different from the standard language. Every meaning for a pupil with its dependency tree and pragmatics.
---

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# patois

<!-- .vintro -->
**Who acts:** patois, Grandma, Wah, villagers, visitors, Many words · **What happens:** be, speak, spell, base, hear, not understand · **To what, where:** form, language, particular area, Patwa, everyday language, English · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
«patois» in the school dictionary: its 3 meanings for a pupil and its 6 examples, every sentence parsed by Mova itself — its syntax tree, a dependency tree in the style of Universal Dependencies, and its pragmatics clause by clause. The word in the dictionary, with its sense in the lessons: [patois in the school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/patois.md).

## Meaning 1 {#m1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A patois is a form of a language spoken by ordinary people in a particular area, different from the standard language.

<!-- fold The tree, 21 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:patois:m1:1
# text = A patois is a form of a language spoken by ordinary people in a particular area, different from the standard language.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	patois	patois	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	form	form	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
6	of	of	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	language	language	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nmod	_	_
9	spoken	speak	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	8	acl	_	_
10	by	by	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
11	ordinary	ordinary	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	12	amod	_	_
12	people	people	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	9	obl:agent	_	_
13	in	in	ADP	IN	_	16	case	_	_
14	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	16	det	_	_
15	particular	particular	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	16	amod	_	_
16	area	area	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	18	punct	_	_
18	different	different	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	16	amod	_	_
19	from	from	ADP	IN	_	22	case	_	_
20	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	22	det	_	_
21	standard	standard	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	22	amod	_	_
22	language	language	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	18	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
23	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | a patois | a form |  |  |  | of a language | tree rules |
| 2 | **speak** *speech: other* | participle |  | a language *not said here* |  | a particular area |  |  | vn talk-37.5 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

<!-- .note -->
One row per clause the reader finds. «not said here»: a role filled from the clause above. «roles by»: a VerbNet class and frame when one fits the verb, else the reader's rules on the tree.

## Meaning 2 {#m2}

<!-- .note -->
Usage: Jamaica, UK — kept apart, not parsed.

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
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.

<!-- fold The tree, 26 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:patois:m2:1
# text = 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.
1	Patois	patois	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	nsubj	_	_
2	(	(	PUNCT	-LRB-	_	4	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	often	often	ADV	RB	_	4	advmod	_	_
4	spelled	spell	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	1	acl	_	_
5	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	6	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	Patwa	Patwa	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	4	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	6	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	)	)	PUNCT	-RRB-	_	4	punct	_	_
9	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	12	cop	_	_
10	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
11	everyday	everyday	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	12	amod	_	_
12	language	language	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
13	of	of	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
14	Jamaica	Jamaica	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	12	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	16	punct	_	_
16	based	base	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	25	advcl	_	_
17	on	on	ADP	IN	_	18	case	_	_
18	English	English	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	16	obl	_	_
19	with	with	ADP	IN	_	22	case	_	_
20	West	West	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	22	compound	_	_
21	African	African	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	22	amod	_	_
22	influences	influence	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	16	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
23	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	25	punct	_	_
24	also	also	ADV	RB	_	25	advmod	_	_
25	heard	hear	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	12	parataxis	_	_
26	among	among	ADP	IN	_	32	case	_	_
27	many	many	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	32	amod	_	_
28	Black	black	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	32	amod	_	_
29	British	British	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	32	amod	_	_
30	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	31	cc	_	_
31	Caribbean	caribbean	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	29	conj	_	_
32	people	people	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	25	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
33	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	12	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **spell** | participle | Patois *not said here* | Patwa |  |  |  | often *property* | vn pronounce-29.3.1 «NP V NP ADVP»: agent=Agent patwa=Theme |
| 2 | **is a** | present | Patois | the everyday language |  |  |  | of Jamaica | tree rules |
| 3 | **base** | participle |  |  |  | English |  | with West African influences | vn base-97.1 «NP V NP PP.source»: agent=Agent on english=Source |
| 4 | **hear** | participle |  |  |  |  |  | among many Black British people | vn see-30.1-1-1 «NP V PP.stimulus»: agent=Experiencer |

## Meaning 3 {#m3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A patois can also be the special talk or jargon of a group.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:patois:m3:1
# text = A patois can also be the special talk or jargon of a group.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	patois	patois	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nsubj	_	_
3	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	8	aux	_	_
4	also	also	ADV	RB	_	8	advmod	_	_
5	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	8	cop	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
7	special	special	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	talk	talk	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
9	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	10	cc	_	_
10	jargon	jargon	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	conj	_	_
11	of	of	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
12	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	13	det	_	_
13	group	group	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	8	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | can | a patois | the special talk or jargon of a group |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

## Example 1 {#x1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Grandma speaks Jamaican Patois with her sisters.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:patois:x1:1
# text = Grandma speaks Jamaican Patois with her sisters.
1	Grandma	grandma	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nsubj	_	_
2	speaks	speak	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	Jamaican	Jamaican	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
4	Patois	Patois	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	3	flat	_	_
5	with	with	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	her	her	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	7	nmod:poss	_	_
7	sisters	sister	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **speak** *speech: other* | present | Grandma | Jamaican |  |  |  | with Grandma's sisters | tree rules |

## Example 2 {#x2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
«Wah gwaan» is a greeting in Jamaican Patois.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:patois:x2:1
# text = «Wah gwaan» is a greeting in Jamaican Patois.
1	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	2	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	Wah	Wah	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	7	nsubj	_	_
3	gwaan	gwaan	X	FW	Foreign=Yes	2	dep	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	3	punct	_	_
5	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	7	cop	_	_
6	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	greeting	greeting	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
8	in	in	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	Jamaican	Jamaican	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	10	amod	_	_
10	Patois	Patois	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	7	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	7	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | Wah | a greeting |  | Jamaican Patois |  |  | tree rules |

## Example 3 {#x3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The villagers spoke a patois the visitors could not understand.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:patois:x3:1
# text = The villagers spoke a patois the visitors could not understand.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	villagers	villager	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nsubj	_	_
3	spoke	speak	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	patois	patois	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	visitors	visitor	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	10	nsubj	_	_
8	could	could	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	10	aux	_	_
9	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	10	advmod	_	_
10	understand	understand	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	3	parataxis	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **speak** *speech: other* | past | the villagers | a patois |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **not** **understand** | could | the visitors |  |  |  |  |  | vn comprehend-87.2-1-1-1 «NP V»: agent=Experiencer |

## Example 4 {#x4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Many words in London slang come from Patois.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:patois:x4:1
# text = Many words in London slang come from Patois.
1	Many	many	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	words	word	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	nsubj	_	_
3	in	in	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	London	London	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	5	compound	_	_
5	slang	slang	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
6	come	come	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
7	from	from	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
8	Patois	Patois	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	6	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	6	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **come** | present | Many words in London slang |  |  | Patois |  |  | vn escape-51.1-1 «NP V PP.initial\_location»: agent=Theme from patois=Initial\_Location |

## Example 5 {#x5}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The poem was written in Caribbean patois.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:patois:x5:1
# text = The poem was written in Caribbean patois.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	poem	poem	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux:pass	_	_
4	written	write	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
5	in	in	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	Caribbean	caribbean	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	patois	patois	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **write** | past · passive |  | the poem |  | Caribbean patois |  |  | vn scribble-25.2-1 «NP V NP PP.destination»: subject=Theme in patois=Destination |

## Example 6 {#x6}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Every trade has its own patois of special words.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:patois:x6:1
# text = Every trade has its own patois of special words.
1	Every	every	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	2	det	_	_
2	trade	trade	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	has	have	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	6	nmod:poss	_	_
5	own	own	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	patois	patois	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
7	of	of	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	special	special	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
9	words	word	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **have** | present | every trade | trade's own patois of special words |  |  |  |  | vn birth-28.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent patois=Patient |

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**Text:** the school dictionary of Mova's schools (`world/data/dictionary-schools/`), written for Mova. **Trees:** Mova's own parse — the `en` model on the CPU, when the site is built — not checked by a teacher; they may be wrong. **Frames:** Mova's frames reader (`prag`), each meaning and example read on its own. Elamur Cosmic License.

<!-- /div -->

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