The word Jawn in graffiti style text

Jawn is a slang term local to Philadelphia and, by extension, the Delaware Valley that may refer to a thing, place, person, or event, substituting for a specific name. Jawn is a context-dependent substitute noun; a noun that substitutes for other nouns.[1] Jawn can be singular or plural. Examples include: "These jawns are expensive!",[2] “Pass me that jawn.”, "That new jawn.", “This jawn is packed.”[3]

Jawn is believed to be derived from the word "joint".[4][5] Historically, the city's black population migrated to the northern part of the city from Alabama, Georgia, and the Carolinas, bringing with them a Southern dialect that carried words such as 'joint'.[6]

Culture

  • "Da Jawn" (1996) is a song on Kollage, the debut album of Philadelphian rapper Bahamadia; it features fellow Philadelphian band The Roots.
  • In the song "It's All For You" (1997), Mr. Eon of the Philadelphia rap duo The High & Mighty says: "Somewhere in Philly, they call me 'the jawn'".
  • In the film Men in Black II (2002), while Agent J is explaining to Agent K that they replaced the car from the first movie, he refers to the car as "that old jawn."
  • In the song “November Has Come” (2005), a collaboration between MF DOOM and Gorillaz, the line: “That said, nah, fo'real-a, the Villain on a Gorilla jawn?” appears, where the word “jawn” is used in the place of “song” or “album.”
  • In a scene in the 2015 Philadelphia-based feature film Creed, the character Bianca explains to Adonis Creed the meaning of jawn.[7]
  • Skate Jawn is a skateboard magazine, founded in 2010 in Philadelphia, PA.[8] The original name of the magazine was Skate Jawn Mag Jawn.[9]
  • In the song "Routine" by Wale, Akintimehin states, "Philly women really chillin' with me / Now I really can't stop sayin' jawn." which references his time spent in Philadelphia.[10]
  • The documentary Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised), is referred to in the opening credits as "A Questlove Jawn". Questlove originated from Philadelphia.[11]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Language in the USA: Themes for the Twenty-first Century. Cambridge University Press. 2004. ISBN 9781139451338.
  2. ↑ "Philly-Original 'Jawn' Being Considered As Official Dictionary Word: Merriam-Webster". NBC Philadelphia. October 5, 2017.
  3. ↑ "JAWN: PHILADELPHIA'S MULTI-PURPOSE SLANG WORD, EXPLAINED". Allegiant Goods Co. September 15, 2021.
  4. ↑ "Some Jawn About 'Jawn'". Merriam-Webster. October 4, 2017.
  5. ↑ "Merriam-Webster analyzes 'jawn,' the Wawa of words". The Philadelphia Inquirer. October 5, 2017.
  6. ↑ https://goinnorth.org
  7. ↑ "The Brilliance of the Cheesesteak Scene in 'Creed'". The Ringer. February 15, 2018.
  8. ↑ "Skate Jawn Interviews". Maine Skateboarding. Retrieved November 16, 2019 – via blogspot.com.
  9. ↑ "Skate Jawn on zines, scenes, and DIY content". www.thegreenzine.co.uk. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  10. ↑ "Routine, Wale, Featuring Rick Ross & Meek Mill Lyrics". Genius.com.
  11. ↑ Hulu (July 2, 2021). "What is Jawn". Hulu. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
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