patois
3
9.9
- noun
- /ˈpætwɑː/
:
patois
- Basil, turning away from me, said a few words to him in patois.
- local patois
It was a web series called Tui Fuen, which was like patois, like a Haitian language for Killpoint.
- It was a web series called Tui Fuen, which was like patois, like a Haitian language for Killpoint.
- You speak what's called patois, pigeon, English, a combination of Dutch, French, English, Creole, Portuguese, all kind of mishmashed together.
- You speak at what's called patois, pigeon English, a combination of Dutch, French, English, Creole, Portuguese, all kind of mishmashed together.
- You speak at what's called patois, pigeon, English, a combination of Dutch, French, English, Creole, Portuguese, all kind of mishmash together.
Examples
-
Diglossia is the use of two variants of the same grammar, like "standard" English and patois in Jamaica, or "standard" Portuguese and Kriolu in Cape Verde.
Academic text (2018) -
The judge is hard to understand; his patois is thicker, and his pretensions are fewer.
Fiction book (1998) -
When I was your age I used a patois... a kind of simple English.
-
Dominica speaks French and English, as well as a patois formed from both.
Academic text (1990) -
Jamaicans are known for their patois and very unique ways of labeling people, places, or things.
Blog text (20) -
People were rushing toward the door, whispering in fast, urgent patois.
Fiction book (1996) -
The latter speak English also, but the lower class speak Acadian French mixed with Creole patois and a little English.
Academic text (2000) -
Fortunately, the children, in this manner, learned patois and the idealized magnificence of their Neo-Creole culture.
Fiction book (1997) -
The locals often use a unique patois that blends words from different languages.
-
In Jamaica, he learned to appreciate the musical rhythm of the local patois spoken by the community.
Synonyms
63
4.8
A form of language used in one area or group with its own words, grammar, and sounds
20
6.8
The everyday language that ordinary people in a particular place speak
1
7.4
A way of speaking used by people in one area
A way of speaking a language in one place that is different from other places
How Nonstandard
- Slang
49
7.9
3
9.9
20
6.8
1
7.4
63
4.8
1
3.7
Surface Forms
Etymology
Patois comes from the French word patois, which meant 'local speech' or a less formal way of talking. A helpful way to remember it is to think of a local 'patter' — a style of speaking that sounds different from the standard language — so patois means a regional or social form of speech.