BETA
Chapter 1
The linguistic mystery of a universal word
Chapter 2
The historical evolution from joint to jawn
Chapter 3
The unwritten rules of using jawn
Chapter 4
How jawn went mainstream in popular culture
YOUR GOAL
Master of The Philadelphia word jawn
Ch 2 · The historical evolution from joint to jawn
marcus Trace the word's journey to learn how New York's joint became Philly's famous jawn.
marcus 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.
marcus The unique Philadelphia accent naturally transformed the oy sound in joint into a aw sound.
marcus The 1981 song Spoonin' Rap by Spoonie Gee played a pivotal role in bringing the precursor word to Philadelphia.
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?