Jawn

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 word/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.", "Slow it down, jawn.", "That new jawn.", "This jawn is packed.".^[3]

The word Jawn in graffiti style text

Jawn is believed to be derived from the word "joint" (as its proper pronunciation sounds more like "joiwn").^[4][5] Historically, the city's black population migrated to the northern part of the city from Alabama, Georgia, and the Carolinas/Virginia, bringing with them a Southern dialect that carried words such as 'joint'.^[6]

Popular culture

• 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 wasSkate Jawn Mag Jawn.^[8]
• Philadelphia-native Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson's documentary films Summer of Soul and Sly Lives! are each billed as "A Questlove Jawn."^[9][10]

See also

• Philadelphia English
• Da kine