THE EDITOR, Sir:

I respond to Karis Chin-Quee's letter titled, 'African roots of patois' (Sunday, May 4).

I would agree that, a little research makes the origin of many Jamaican words obvious to one or more specific African languages.

The verb "nyam" is a case in point. In numerous and geogra-phically diverse African languages variations on a common root (nyama, djambi, nyambi, njam, iniam,eniam, etc) mean "to eat" or relate strongly to food.These examples in parentheses come from west, east and southern Africa.

Specific instances include

Wolof (Senegal): ñam means 'food' or 'to eat'.

Dinka (Sudan): niam niam refers to a person who eats anything/everything.

Xhosa (S. Africa): "Ngon-yama", means 'eater of meat'.

Another interesting one is "Hu" which, basically, means 'to see' in the Akan languages of Ghana. This may not seem relevant to patois until someone is told "Ku ya" or "Ku-deh". The list goes on but Jamaica is an island.

What I believe is of equal importance to African origins in Jamaica's patois, is the pan-Caribbean nature of African ideas carried on linguistically, regardless of which language slaves were forced to use.

For example, which Jamaican wouldn't recognise the following from French creole: koupé zié [to] cut [your] eye [at somebody] and zwèy-li wèd: his ears [are] hard.

I am, etc.,

KEVIN GAYLE

gaylmail.comekevin@hot

Youssef El Sahabi Street

Hegaz, Heliopolis

Cairo, Egypt

Via Go-Jamaica