Jawn

Jawn is a slang term local to Philadelphia and its metropolitan area. The word is also known to be used in Baltimore. 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]

The word Jawn in graffiti style text

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 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 an underground east coast skate zine that began distribution in 2010.[6]
  • 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.[7]
  • "Da Jawn" is a song on Kollage, the debut album of Philadelphian rapper Bahamadia; it features fellow Philadelphian band The Roots.
  • In 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."

See also

References
  1. Language in the USA: Themes for the Twenty-first Century. Cambridge University Press. 2004.
  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. "Routine, Wale, Featuring Rick Ross & Meek Mill Lyrics". Genius.com.
  • The dictionary definition of jawn at Wiktionary
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