Jawn
Appearance
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a4/Jawn.jpg/220px-Jawn.jpg)
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 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", "that new jawn", "this jawn is packed".[3]
Jawn is believed to be derived from the word "joint".[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]
Culture
[edit]- 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 was Skate Jawn Mag Jawn.[8]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Language in the USA: Themes for the Twenty-first Century. Cambridge University Press. 2004. ISBN 978-1-139-45133-8.
- ^ "Philly-Original 'Jawn' Being Considered As Official Dictionary Word: Merriam-Webster". NBC Philadelphia. October 5, 2017.
- ^ "JAWN: PHILADELPHIA'S MULTI-PURPOSE SLANG WORD, EXPLAINED". Allegiant Goods Co. September 15, 2021.
- ^ "Some Jawn About 'Jawn'". Merriam-Webster. October 4, 2017.
- ^ "Merriam-Webster analyzes 'jawn,' the Wawa of words". The Philadelphia Inquirer. October 5, 2017.
- ^ https://goinnorth.org [bare URL]
- ^ "The Brilliance of the Cheesesteak Scene in 'Creed'". The Ringer. February 15, 2018.
- ^ a b "Skate Jawn on zines, scenes, and DIY content | The Green Zine". web.archive.org. March 12, 2016. Retrieved February 11, 2025.
External links
[edit]Look up jawn in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.