This book functions as both a translation dictionary and a thesaurus. With 3,781 entries and 14,000 translations and synonyms, it is not only the first translation dictionary to go from English to Jamaican Creole (Patois), but also the first book that can function as a Jamaican thesaurus. The Jamaicasaurus is thus an essential resource for anyone interested in Jamaican culture and language, whether local or foreigner, as it marks a new milestone for this dialect of increasing global interest while also serving native speakers searching for alternate words and expressions, recent slang, and old terms from the past. To use this book as a thesaurus, simply look up the English equivalent of the Jamaican word or phrase you have in mind to see the various Jamaican synonyms listed. The appendix at the back of the book additionally features lists of Jamaican expletives and exclamations, from mild to vulgar; odd curiosities; and the local Jamaican names for 278 important species of plants and trees used in Jamaica for food, medicine, and cultural purposes (listed by scientific name first). Furthermore, and quite importantly, Jamaicasaurus bridges the gap between the common English-based way of spelling Jamaican words and the Cassidy-JLU (or 'Jamiekan') system developed by Jamaican linguists. This version of the book displays words in the an English-based spelling format, but it also uses the Jamiekan format for sample sentences where they occur. A 'Jamiekan Spellings Version', featuring exclusively the Cassidy-JLU format, is also available. It has a light blue cover.

With 3,278 entries and over 13,500 translations and synonyms, the Jamaicasaurus functions as both the only thesaurus of the Jamaican "Patois" dialect and also as the only English-to-Jamaican translation dictionary. It is thus an essential resource for anyone interested in Jamaican culture and language, whether local or foreigner, as it marks a new milestone for Jamaican as a language of increasing global interest while also serving native speakers searching for alternate words and expressions, recent slang, and older terms. Each English entry in the Jamaicasaurus gives as many Jamaican translations as possible. Therefore, to use this book as a thesaurus, simply look up the English equivalent of the Jamaican word or phrase you have in mind and you will see the various Jamaican synonyms for it listed there. The appendix at the back of the book additionally features extensive lists of Jamaican expletives and exclamations; odd curiosities; and the Jamaican names for 278 important species of plants and trees used in Jamaica for food, medicine, and cultural purposes (listed by scientific name first). Also quite importantly, Jamaicasaurus bridges the gap between the common English-based way of spelling Jamaican words and the Cassidy-JLU system being preferred by linguists and many others. This edition of the book displays Jamaican words in the common English-based spelling format, but it also incorporates the Cassidy-JLU format for sample sentences where they occur. A "Jamiekan Edition" featuring exclusively the Cassidy-JLU spelling format is also available.

With 3,278 entries and over 13,500 translations and synonyms, the Jamaicasaurus functions as both the only thesaurus of the Jamaican dialect (Patois, Patwa) and the only translation dictionary to go from English to Jamaican. As such, it is an essential resource for anyone interested in Jamaican culture and language, local or foreigner, as it marks a new milestone for Jamaican Patois as a language of increasing global interest while also serving native speakers searching for alternate words and expressions, recent slang, and older terms. For each entry, as many Jamaican translations as possible are given. Therefore, to use this book as a thesaurus, simply look up the English equivalent of the Jamaican word or phrase you have in mind, and there you will see listed all the Jamaican synonyms for that Jamaican word or phrase. The appendix at the back of the book additionally features extensive lists of Patwa expletives and exclamations; odd curiosities; and the Jamaican names for 278 important species of plants and trees used in Jamaica for food, medicine, etc (listed by scientific name first). Finally, and quite importantly, Jamaicasaurus bridges the gap between the common English-based way of spelling Jamaican words and the increasingly popular Cassidy-JLU system preferred by linguists. This edition of the book (the "Jamiekan Spellings Edition") displays Jamaican words in that latter format in order to more consistently represent their true pronunciation. A "Common Jamaican Spellings Edition" favoring the type of English-based spelling still used by most Jamaicans is also available.

This book functions as both a translation dictionary and a thesaurus. With 3,781 entries and 14,000 translations and synonyms, it is not only the first translation dictionary to go from English to Jamaican Creole (Patois), but also the first book that can function as a Jamaican thesaurus. The Jamaicasaurus is thus an essential resource for anyone interested in Jamaican culture and language, whether local or foreigner, as it marks a new milestone for this dialect of increasing global interest while also serving native speakers searching for alternate words and expressions, recent slang, and old terms from the past. To use this book as a thesaurus, simply look up the English equivalent of the Jamaican word or phrase you have in mind to see the various Jamaican synonyms listed. The appendix at the back of the book additionally features lists of Jamaican expletives and exclamations, from mild to vulgar; odd curiosities; and the local Jamaican names for 278 important species of plants and trees used in Jamaica for food, medicine, and cultural purposes (listed by scientific name first). Furthermore, and quite importantly, the Jamaicasaurus bridges the gap between the common English-based way of writing Patois words and the Cassidy-JLU (or 'Jamiekan') system developed by Jamaican linguists to more consistently and accurately represent how those words really sound. This version of the book uses that latter format, the Jamiekan format. It's easy to learn and worth trying. Another edition of the Jamaicasaurus, featuring common English-based spellings, is also available. It has a black cover.

The method and plan of this dictionary of Jamaican English are basically the same as those of the Oxford English Dictionary, but oral sources have been extensively tapped in addition to detailed coverage of literature published in or about Jamaica since 1655. It contains information about the Caribbean and its dialects, and about Creole languages and general linguistic processes. Entries give the pronounciation, part-of-speach and usage of labels, spelling variants, etymologies and dated citations, as well as definitions. Systematic indexing indicates the extent to which the lexis is shared with other Caribbean countries.

One of the Wall Street Journal's Top 10 Books of the Year Winner, 2020 Sheikh Zayed Book Award, Translation Category Shortlist, 2021 National Translation Award Finalist, 2021 PROSE Award, Literature Category Fifty rogue’s tales translated fifty ways An itinerant con man. A gullible eyewitness narrator. Voices spanning continents and centuries. These elements come together in Impostures, a groundbreaking new translation of a celebrated work of Arabic literature. Impostures follows the roguish Abū Zayd al-Sarūjī in his adventures around the medieval Middle East—we encounter him impersonating a preacher, pretending to be blind, and lying to a judge. In every escapade he shows himself to be a brilliant and persuasive wordsmith, composing poetry, palindromes, and riddles on the spot. Award-winning translator Michael Cooperson transforms Arabic wordplay into English wordplay of his own, using fifty different registers of English, from the distinctive literary styles of authors such as Geoffrey Chaucer, Mark Twain, and Virginia Woolf, to global varieties of English including Cockney rhyming slang, Nigerian English, and Singaporean English. Featuring picaresque adventures and linguistic acrobatics, Impostures brings the spirit of this masterpiece of Arabic literature into English in a dazzling display of translation. An English-only edition.

After it was known that Jamaican natives failed interviews that were conducted in patois, the writer decided that it was time to awaken Patois. This book was written to inform readers that Patois is a written language which can be learned and spoken like any other language. The words and phrases in this book, originated from English, African, and Creole, and can be heard wherever Jamaican natives reside.