Asking Directions in the Jamaican Language

In the Jamaican dialect there are ways of asking forNow, let's look at the example of “ah whe ee
directions and there are separate ways of givingdeh” which can only be used for asking
directions. This article will explore the various ways ofquestions. The first two words in this phrase 'ah whe'
doing this. We will also look at the popular phrase 'ahliterally mean 'a where' which means that you are
whe' and how to turn it from a question into aasking a question. Therefore, if we want to change 'a
statement. Much of this will take some rotewhe ee deh' from a question into a statement you
memorization. Ok, let's begin.would have to replace 'a whe'. Here are some
Asking Directions:ah whe ee deh? – where is it?examples with 'a whe' being replaced and other
Ee deh deh? - is it there?words being inserted in its place to change the
Desso ee deh? – it is there?yasso ee deh? –sentence from a question into a statement. Take a
it is right here?ee deh ova deh? – is it overlook atthe examples below.
there?Ee deh deh – it is thereee deh ponni – it is on
In the above examples, you ask a question byitee deh sydah di – it is beside theee deh nex di
changing your intonation and by having a questioning– it is next to the
tone. With the exception of “ah whe eeLearning a new language can be fun and at times
deh” all the above examples can be convertedchallenging. A site like has audio lessons of how to
from questions (asking directions) to statementstalk Jamaican. Learning a new language and the word
(which give directions). Examples of this are shownorder of that language is somewhat similar to doing
below.word puzzles because you are learning new
Giving Directions:vocabulary and arranging words appropriately.
Ee deh deh – it is theredesso ee deh – it isFurthermore, when learning a new language you are
thereyasso ee deh – it is right hereee deh ovautilizing your mind and memorization skills.
deh – it is over thereI write about culture, language and seeing new places.