Many people are surprised to find out just how much the Jamaican Patois (also called Patwa) and the Gullah language of the southeastern United States have in common. While these languages come from different regions — Jamaica and the Sea Islands of the U.S. South — they share deep historical and linguistic roots. Both were born out of the transatlantic slave trade and carry strong West African influences blended with English. And when you listen closely, the similarities are undeniable.
Shared History, Shared Language Roots
Gullah is spoken by the Gullah Geechee people who live in coastal South Carolina, Georgia, and parts of Florida. Jamaican Patois is widely spoken in Jamaica and by Jamaican communities across the world. Both languages developed as a way for enslaved Africans to communicate — both with each other and with their English-speaking enslavers.
Linguists trace these similarities to an early West African Creole English carried by enslaved Africans from regions such as Sierra Leone, Ghana, and Nigeria. This early creole is considered the ancestor of several English-based creoles on both sides of the Atlantic, including Sierra Leone Krio, Nigerian Pidgin, Guyanese Creole, and Belizean Creole. Linguist Ian Hancock refers to these as the “English-based Atlantic Creoles.”
Over time, both Gullah and Jamaican Patois evolved into what linguists call “English-based creoles.” This means they use mostly English vocabulary, but they have their own grammar rules and many African words mixed in. Even though these communities were separated by distance, they developed some of the same words, structures, and speech patterns.
Words That Sound Very Familiar
Many expressions in Gullah and Jamaican Patois are either identical or so close in sound and meaning that they are instantly recognisable to speakers of both.
Greetings and Expressions
- Wha goin on/wah gwaan? – How are you?
- Look ya – Look here / Listen up
- Beenya – Someone who has been in a place for a long time; similar to Jamaican “Wi deh yah” or “Wi bin yah”
- Comeya – Someone new to an area: the exact word in Jamaican means come here
- Kumbayah – Come by here or pass by here
Common Words
- Ooman – Woman
- Buckrah – White man
- Dem – Plural marker, e.g., “Di chair dem”
- Nyam / Nam – Eat
Descriptive and Action Words
- Hawt – Hot
- Chupid – Stupid
- Tie yuh mout/Kibba yuh mout – Be quiet
- Gwine – Going
- Baa’k – Bark
Both languages also use repetition for emphasis — “sweet sweet” in Jamaican Patois and “swit swit” in Gullah.
Linguistic Similarities
Lexical – Both languages share vocabulary related to daily life, food, and cultural practices, with many terms tracing back to West African languages such as Krio, Yoruba, and Igbo. For instance, the Gullah nam and Jamaican nyam (to eat) originate from the Wolof language of Senegal, while buckra (meaning “white man”) comes from the Efik and Ibibio languages of Nigeria.
Phonological – Similar sound patterns and pronunciations often differ from standard English, reflecting African language influences.
Grammatical
- Uninflected verbs – Verbs remain the same regardless of tense or subject.
Example: In both, nyam means “eat” for “I eat,” “she eats,” and “they eat,” with words like bin or deh added to indicate past or present.
- No possessive ‘s’ – Possession is shown by word order rather than adding ’s.
Example: Instead of saying “the man’s book,” both Jamaican Patois and Gullah use a structure like di man book. The relationship is shown by word order, not by adding ’s.
- Tense marking – Words like “bin” or “deh” indicate tense or aspect, similar to auxiliary verbs in English.
- Pronouns – Pronoun structures retain African influences.
Why These Similarities Matter
Both Gullah and Jamaican Patois were long dismissed as “broken English,” yet linguists recognise them as fully developed languages with distinct rules and cultural significance.
Miss Lou (Louise Bennett-Coverley) is one of Jamaica’s most famous poets who helped bring respect to Jamaican Patois through her writings and performances. Similarly, the Gullah community has been working hard to keep their language alive through media, education, and translations such as the Gullah New Testament.
A Living Link to the Past
Far from being just everyday speech, these languages hold the memory of migration, survival, and cultural pride. They connect Gullah and Jamaican Patois speakers to Africa, to their history, and to each other, reminding us that the ties between the Caribbean, the Americas, and the African continent run deep.
Do you know other Jamaican Patois words that sound like Gullah? Share them in the comments and help keep the connection alive.
Cover photo: Gullah Fourth of July celebration. St. Helena Island, 1939 via Wiki Commons
