Lesson 38 of 47 · Clarendon
Double up words fi paint character (fool-fool, so-so, one-one) an crank up adjectives wid sweet yu see!, gaan a bed, cyaan done.
Patois love fi double up word — a African sinting dat, an i sweet di language cyaan done. When yu seh a word two time, yu mek i stronga, or yu tun i eena habit or character. Fool-fool no mean 'two fool' — i mean di smadi STAY foolish: 'Di bwoy fool-fool, im lef di gate open again' (the boy is silly). Chati-chati = talks too much: 'Mi aunty chati-chati, shi know everybody business.' Licky-licky = greedy: 'No gi im di whole pot — im too licky-licky.' Picky-picky = choosy; fraidi-fraidi = timid; chaka-chaka = messy: 'Yu room chaka-chaka, go fix i up!' Two special ones from di farm: so-so mean 'nothing but' — 'A so-so wuk mi a wuk from maanin' (nothing but work). One-one mean 'one at a time' — 'One-one coco full baskit'; di proverb self teach yu di grammar. An dege-dege mean measly: 'Im gi mi one dege-dege piece a yam.' Now di intensifier dem. Patois no really seh 'very' — i have sweeter tool: (1) well + adjective: 'Mi well hungry' (very hungry). (2) ...yu see! pon di end: 'Di mango sweet yu see!' (so sweet!). (3) ...gaan a bed: 'Grani love yu gaan a bed' (loves you to the utmost). (4) ...cyaan done: 'Money deh a Clarendon cyaan done' (endlessly). (5) ...so till: 'Di pot hot so till!' Learner errors fi watch: (1) No seh 'very fool-fool' — di doubling already strong; if yu waan more, seh 'im fool-fool bad'. (2) No double up any an any word — yu cyaan seh 'happy-happy' fi 'very happy'; learn di set forms dem. (3) 'Sweet yu see' no mean 'you see the sweet' — a one fixed tag, keep i whole. When yu slip, mi naa lecture yu — mi wi jus seh i back di right way, an yu talk i ova afta mi.
| Patois | Cassidy-JLU | English |
|---|---|---|
| fool-fool | fuul-fuul | silly, foolish |
| chati-chati | chati-chati | talks too much |
| licky-licky | liki-liki | greedy (for food) |
| picky-picky | piki-piki | choosy, finicky |
| fraidi-fraidi | friedi-friedi | timid |
| chaka-chaka | chaka-chaka | messy, disorderly |
| so-so | so-so | only, nothing but |
| one-one | wan-wan | one at a time |
| dege-dege | dege-dege | measly, tiny |
| boonoonoonous | buunuunuunos | wonderful, delightful |
| well | wel | very (well hungry = very hungry) |
| ...yu see! | ...yu si! | emphatic tag: so!, really! |
| ...gaan a bed | ...gaan a bed | to the utmost, superlatively |
| ...cyaan done | ...kyaahn don | endlessly, no end to it |
The intensifying force of reduplication this lesson teaches is described here and at p. 72.
The description of the grammar is checked against the published work above. The lesson, the examples and the wording are mine.
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