but
The English phrase 'but' is translated as but in Jamaican.
The word is used as a conjunction meaning 'except'.
Meaning: except (conj)
Did you know?
- The use of but as 'except' is a linguistic survival from older forms of English and Scots that have largely disappeared from modern Standard English.
- In Jamaican speech, the word but can be placed at the very end of a sentence to act as an emotional punctuation mark.
- In certain contexts, but serves as a versatile filler word, filling pauses in speech similarly to how 'um' or 'like' is used in English.
Examples in context
- Him neva pass di test, but stil, him mek di teecha proud.He didn't pass the test, but still, he managed to impress the teacher.
- Di food cost nuff money, stil, it did taste good to rahtid.The food was expensive, still, it was delicious.
- A nuh nobody deh deh but mi.There is nobody there but me.
