Is jawn a black word?

It's a cultural one. Jawn was a Black Philly thing before it was a Philly thing. Though jawn has become part of our region's shared culture, it will always carry a deeper meaning to the Black community. That's because jawn is more than just a person, place or thing – it's got history.

Where did the word jawn originate?

According to linguists, jawn comes ultimately from the word joint via New York City. Joint is an old word: it dates back to the 1200s and referred initially to the point where two bones meet.

What is jawn slang for?

What does jawn mean? Jawn is Philadelphia slang for anything … literally anything. Jawn is used as an all encompassing substitute for any person, place, or thing. Like this definition, an informative jawn.

Do they say jawn in Philly?

Jawn is a slang term that may refer to a thing, place, person, or event, substituting for a specific name. It is local to Philadelphia and the broader Delaware Valley metropolitan area. Jawn is a context-dependent substitute noun; a noun that substitutes for other nouns. Jawn can be singular or plural.

Why do they say jawn in Philly?

Simply answered, jawn is a stand-in for, but not limited to, objects, places, people, and events. Jawn can mean nothing and everything. It's similar to the word 'thing' in use but carries more local flair.

Slang 101 - Jawn

Who started saying jawn?

“Jawn” seems to have developed as a Philadelphia variant of “joint” sometime in the 1980s, after the release of a hip-hop song called “That's the Joint” by a group from the Bronx, Funky Four Plus One. Through more semantic bleaching, “joint” became less a place and more a thing.

Do they say jawn in New York?

When I moved from North Carolina to Philadelphia a few years ago to teach at Gwynedd-Mercy College, I noticed a lot of things that were unique to the city. The way natives say “wooder ice,” the devotion to pretzels and cheesesteaks, and … “jawn.”

When did Philly start saying jawn?

At some point in the 1970s, Philadelphia coined the all-encompassing noun “jawn.” The word has remained a treasure in the city's black lexicon and natives have long stamped it as an integral part of their vocabulary.

What is a Philly accent called?

Unlike New York City English, however, most speakers of Philadelphia English have always used a rhotic accent (meaning that the r sound is never "dropped").

Does jawn mean girl?

Just hearing that jawn is a pronoun might suggest that a jawn could be any person, but in Philadelphia, it's rarely used for men. And depending on the context, calling a woman or femme-presenting person a jawn could resonate with a range of connotations, from affectionate, to invisibilizing, to stigmatizing.

Is jawn cultural appropriation?

Jawn is more original and Philly-specific, allowing it greater customization. But at a certain point, its usage becomes cultural appropriation. Yes, even if you live within a culture, you can still misappropriate it.

What are some Philly slang words?

Is jawn slang for joint?

A brief history of jawn

I hate to break it to you, Philly, but linguists agree that jawn actually comes from New York City and is derived from the word “joint,” which is deeply rooted in African American Vernacular English (AAVE), but its history goes back to around the time of emancipation.

What does Boul mean in Philly slang?

But words that haven't been branded get all sorts of spellings. Philadelphia has no shortage of residents who insist that the way they spell “boul” — a Philly word for "boy" — is the only way that's true.

How do you say water in Philly?

Water is pronounced "wooder". If someone says "Do you want ice in your wooder?" they're asking if you want ice in your H2O.

Is Philly mostly Italian?

By 2010, the U.S. Census identified the Philadelphia metropolitan region as home to the second-largest Italian-American population in the United States with about 3,100 Italian immigrants living in the city and more than 142,000 residents identifying as having Italian ancestry.

How do you say hello in Philadelphia?

Yo. Yes, “yo” is said just about everywhere in the country, but it's almost exclusively how we say “hello” in Philly. The greeting of “yo” can vary in meaning, though, depending on intonation.

What does 215 mean in Philly?

Area codes 215, 267, and 445 are the North American telephone area codes for Philadelphia and adjacent portions of Bucks and Montgomery counties in Pennsylvania. The original area code is 215, which was established in 1947, while 267 and 445 are overlay codes for the same numbering plan area (NPA).

How do people from Philly talk?

The Philadelphia accent today is “rhotic” or r-pronouncing. There are some instances of non-rhoticity possibly found in South Philadelphia. But generally, all r's are pronounced.

What does DH mean in Philly?

If the DH is moved to another position, his team forfeits the role of the designated hitter, and the pitcher or another player (the latter possible only in case of a multiple substitution) would bat in the spot of the position player replaced by the former DH.

What does Bub mean in Philly?

A young brother; a little boy; a familiar term of address for a small boy.

Is jawn copyrighted?

All materials, including photos, music, illustrations, designs, videos, and written material displayed on this site are copyrights, trademarks and intellectual properties of Jawn Clothing Co. and its subsidiaries/affiliates unless otherwise noted.

Is there a Philly accent?

The Philadelphia accent has got quite the reputation. The New York Times called it “arguably the most distinctive, and least imitable, accent in North America.” A 2013 University of Pennsylvania study analyzed the shifts of the accent; the eldest of the voices were born more than 100 years ago.