The Philadelphia word jawn
Chapter 1
The linguistic mystery of a universal word
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Chapter 2
The historical evolution from joint to jawn
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Chapter 3
The unwritten rules of using jawn
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Chapter 4
How jawn went mainstream in popular culture
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YOUR GOAL
Master of The Philadelphia word jawn
Ch 2 · The historical evolution from joint to jawn
marc From Joint to Jawn
That New York hip-hop joint went down to Philly town, And changed its sound to jawn to be the local noun.
Fun Fact
Phonetic spelling: The spelling of 'jawn' reflects the Philadelphia 'hoagie mouth' accent, which rounds 'o' sounds into 'aw' sounds.
Glossary
joint (noun)
A place where two or more parts are joined together. In 1981, linguist William Labov recorded a Philadelphia resident using this word to mean multiple unrelated objects.
A place where two or more parts are joined together. In 1981, linguist William Labov recorded a Philadelphia resident using this word to mean multiple unrelated objects.
Quiz
When did linguists find the first written records of the Philadelphia word 'jawn' in print and online forums?
Quiz
Which music genre is credited with carrying the precursor of 'jawn' from New York to Philadelphia?
Quiz
What is the nickname for the traditional Philadelphia accent that shaped the pronunciation of 'jawn'?
Quiz
Which 1981 rap song by Spoonie Gee popularized the word 'joint' among early Philadelphia hip-hop fans?
Quiz
What phonetic change did Philadelphia speakers make to turn 'joint' into the word 'jawn'?
Quiz
Around which decade did the spoken word 'jawn' first cement itself in Philadelphia culture?