Jawn

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The word Jawn in graffiti style text

Jawn is a slang term local to Philadelphia and its metropolitan area. Jawn is a context-dependent substitute noun, meaning it is a noun that substitutes for any other noun.[1] Jawn can be singular or plural.[2]

Jawn is believed to be derived from the word "joint".[3][4] Historically, the majority of the Black demographic migrated to the northern part of the city from Alabama, Georgia, and the Carolinas, bringing with them a Southern dialect that over time accentuated certain words, 'joint' being one of them.

In popular 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 2 (2002), when 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), which is a collaboration between MF DOOM and Gorillaz, the line: “That said, Nah, fo'real, 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.[5]
  • Skate Jawn is a skateboard magazine, founded in 2010 in Philadelphia, PA.[6] The original name of the magazine was Skate Jawn Mag Jawn.[7]
  • 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.[8]
  • 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.[9]

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. ^ "Some Jawn About 'Jawn'". Merriam-Webster. October 4, 2017.
  4. ^ "Merriam-Webster analyzes 'jawn,' the Wawa of words". The Philadelphia Inquirer. October 5, 2017.
  5. ^ "The Brilliance of the Cheesesteak Scene in 'Creed'". The Ringer. February 15, 2018.
  6. ^ "Skate Jawn Interviews". Maine Skateboarding. Retrieved November 16, 2019 – via blogspot.com.
  7. ^ "Skate Jawn on zines, scenes, and DIY content". www.thegreenzine.co.uk. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  8. ^ "Routine, Wale, Featuring Rick Ross & Meek Mill Lyrics". Genius.com.
  9. ^ Hulu (July 2, 2021). "What is Jawn". Hulu. Retrieved July 3, 2021.

External links[]

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