dis
In Jamaican, the English phrase 'this' is expressed as dis.
dis is a pronoun used to indicate the specific thing, item.
Meaning: the thing, item, etc. being indicated (pron)
Did you know?
- Depending on the tone, dis can be used in a rhetorical way to express disbelief or skepticism about a claim.
- Even though dis originates from the English 'this', it functions within a grammatical system that is uniquely Jamaican, rather than just being 'broken English'.
- The word dis is a linguistic sibling to 'this' used in other Atlantic creoles, such as Nigerian Pidgin, showing how English has been transformed across the globe.
Examples in context
- Dis food taste good.This food tastes good.
- Who buy dis?Who bought this?
- Dis a mi favorite song.This is my favorite song.
Example conversation
Ricardo is showing Shanice a new shirt he bought.
- ShaniceDi shirt look nice, Ricardo.The shirt looks nice, Ricardo.
- RicardoThanks, mi get dis yesterday.Thanks, I got this yesterday.
- ShaniceHow much dis cost you?How much did this cost you?
- RicardoIt neva cost mi much.It didn't cost me much.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries dis, CC BY-SA 4.0.
