“Patois” refers to non-standard languages, including dialects, pidgin, and creole. It is not technically correct to use it for jargon or slang. The term originated from French and was used to refer to regional French dialects. Creole languages can also be referred to as patois. The definition of patois is not firmly defined and can depend on location and speech. It implies that the language is simpler than its native language and often integrates foreign words.
The term “patois” is used to refer to a variety of non-standard languages, including provincial dialects, pidgin languages, and creole languages. Some people also erroneously use the word to refer to jargon or specialized jargon; this is not technically correct, as slang or slang is part of a larger language. A well-known example is the variety of English spoken in Jamaica, known as Jamaican patois or simply patois.
This word entered the English language from the French original in 1643. It is believed to derive from patoier, meaning “to fit or handle awkwardly”, in reference to the fact that the language can sound very rough and imperfect. The French originally used the term to refer to native and later regional French dialects, such as that spoken in parts of Canada, differentiating them from the French spoken in France.
Many languages have large numbers of dialects, and some speakers consider some dialects to be purer than others. For example, American English and British English have diverged quite significantly since the 1600s, and some people consider British English to be the “pure” form of the language, dismissing American English as mere patois. In fact, evidence suggests that American English looks more like 1600s English than it does British English. Speakers of American or British English would probably consider pidgin English a patois, however, because pidgin is so markedly foreign to their ears.
In the case of creole languages, which are complex languages that evolved from the pidgin to be standardized, the term “patois” can also be used. Many creole languages evolved from pidgin versions of French, Spanish, and English, and are sometimes very difficult for native speakers of these languages to understand because they diverged so radically from their roots.
Patois is not firmly defined in linguistics and the definition sometimes depends on where one is and how one speaks. In all cases, the implication is usually that the language is simpler than its native language and that it is an awkward imitation of the original. It also often integrates foreign words, reflecting a meeting of cultures. Speakers of a patois may have heavy accents or ways of speaking that seem strange to others, especially in cases where the meanings of words evolve to refer to new concepts.
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