Lesson 42 of 48 · St. Catherine
Pull di right proverb at di right time — set i up, land i as di moral, an mek i do yu arguing fi yu.
Yu done learn nuff proverb pon dis journey. Now yu haffi learn fi USE dem — caa inna Jamaica, a proverb a di highes form a argument. Ole people no lecture yu; dem drop one proverb an done di talk. An memba: proverb always safe — yu can quote dem to anybody, any age, any station. Tree way fi land one: 1. Set i up wid a formula. Di bes ones: 'Yu know weh ole people seh...', 'A true weh dem seh...', 'Grani always seh...' Den di proverb: 'Yu know weh ole people seh — chicken merry, hawk deh near.' Di formula gi di lissener time fi ready dem ears. 2. Land i as di moral. Tell yu likkle story fus, den close wid di proverb an NOTHING afta i: '...So di whole a di money weh im win, gaan same way. Wha sweet nanny goat a go run im belly.' Stop deh-so. Di silence a part a di proverb. 3. Answer wid one. Smadi a complain seh dem new boss strict? 'New broom sweep clean, but ole broom know every corna.' Smadi lose sinting weh dem neva value? 'Cow no know di use a im tail til fly tek i.' Matching matter more dan quantity. Learn di situation each one fit: patience — 'one-one coco full baskit'; talk too much — 'cock mout kill cock'; show-off — 'di higher monkey climb, di more im expose'; loss — 'yu neva miss di wata til di well run dry'; comfort — 'wha fi yu cyaan be un-fi-yu'. Learner errors: (1) No explain di proverb afta yu seh i — dat kill i dead; trust i. (2) No stack two-tree proverb one time; one good one nuff. (3) Keep di wording exact — 'one-one coco full baskit', no 'one coco at a time full di baskit'. Di ole form a di power.
| Patois | Cassidy-JLU | English |
|---|---|---|
| ole people seh | uol piipl se | the old folks say (proverb opener) |
| a true weh dem seh | a chuu we dem se | it's true what they say |
| di moral | di maral | the moral, the lesson |
| drop one proverb | jrap wan provob | deliver a proverb |
| chicken merry, hawk deh near | chikin meri, aak de nier | in happiest times, stay watchful |
| cock mout kill cock | kak mout kil kak | your own talk destroys you |
| time longer dan rope | taim langga dan ruop | patience; time settles everything |
| trouble no set like rain | chobl no set laik rien | misfortune comes without warning |
| si an blin, hear an deaf | si an blain, ier an def | discretion; mind your own business |
| tek kin-teet kibba heart bun | tek kin-tiit kiba aat bon | a smile covers a burning heart |
| howdy an tanky no bruk no square | oudi an tangki no bruk no skwier | greetings and thanks cost nothing |
| who di cap fit, mek dem wear i | uu di kyap fit, mek dem wier i | if the cap fits, wear it |
Proverb use as rhetoric is not a Chapter Four topic; he quotes proverbs only as grammatical evidence.
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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