JAMAICASAURUS: The Official Jamaican Thesaurus & English-to-Patois Dictionary

By Larry Chang

With 3,278 entries and over 13,500 translations and synonyms, the Jamaicasaurus functions as both a thesaurus of the Jamaican "Patois" dialect and also as the only translation dictionary to go from English to Jamaican Patois. 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. The appendix at the back of the book additionally features 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, and quite importantly, the Jamaicasaurus bridges the gap between the common English-based way of spelling Jamaican words and the Cassidy-JLU ("Jamiekan") system developed by Jamaican linguists. This edition of the book displays Jamaican words in the common English-based spelling format, but it also incorporates the Jamiekan format for sample sentences where they occur. A "Jamiekan Edition" featuring only the Cassidy-JLU spelling format is also available. It has a light blue cover.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1980924589
• ISBN13: 9781980924586
• Release Date: June 2018
• Publisher: Independently published
• Length: 175 Pages
• Weight: 0.71 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.4" x 6.0"