Patois is a spoken form of a language used by people in a small area, different from the national or standard language. That is the dictionary picture: local talk, not the schoolbook kind.

Patois這個字 is a spoken form of a language指某種語言的口語形式，used by people in a small area是某個小地區的人在使用的，different from the national or standard language跟全國通用或標準語不同。That這 is the dictionary picture是字典上的定義：local talk地方腔調的說法，not the schoolbook kind而不是課本上教的那種。

The word is borrowed from French and in English it still feels a little specialist — linguists, travel writing, novels. Handle it with care.

The word這個字 is borrowed from French是從法文借來的，and in English它在英文裡 it still feels a little specialist還是帶點專業感，linguists, travel writing, novels常出現在語言學家的文章、旅遊寫作和小說裡。Handle it with care用這個字要小心一點。

Older speakers sometimes used it as if the local way of talking were 'not real language', only a rough leftover. That looking-down tone is part of the word's history, even when a writer does not mean to sneer. Though actually, what people call patois is often a full, rule-governed way of speaking.

Older speakers以前有些人 sometimes used it as if the local way of talking were 'not real language'會用這個字，好像在說地方的說話方式「不算真正的語言」，only a rough leftover只是某種粗糙的殘餘。That looking-down tone這種輕視的語氣 is part of the word's history是這個字歷史的一部分，even when a writer does not mean to sneer即使作者本來沒有要嘲諷的意思。Though actually不過其實，what people call patois人們稱為patois的東西 is often a full, rule-governed way of speaking通常是一套完整、有規則的說話方式。

In the Caribbean, Patois (especially Jamaican Patois) is the everyday name for a creole language, not 'broken English'. So the tidy definition ('a small-area dialect') is tidier than the world: sometimes it means a village dialect, and sometimes it is the name of a language with millions of speakers.

In the Caribbean在加勒比海地區，Patois (especially Jamaican Patois)Patois（尤其是牙買加Patois） is the everyday name for a creole language是一種克里奧爾語的日常稱呼，not 'broken English'而不是「講不好的英文」。So the tidy definition ('a small-area dialect')所以「小地區方言」這個工整的定義 is tidier than the world比現實世界更工整簡化：sometimes it means a village dialect有時候它指的是一個村莊的方言，and sometimes it is the name of a language with millions of speakers有時候它卻是一種擁有數百萬使用者的語言名稱。