Is 'jamp' a word?

Yes I've heard it. And cringed.

But it'll probably be in the dictionary soon.

Since "jamp" isn't in any of my US dictionaries, I went to the online Urban Dictionary (not always the most reliable of sources), which had all sorts of entries from rare colloquial Scottish for past tense of jump to a made-up word for a thing (like widget) to the acronym for "just-ate-must-poop."

I don't know if a word popular in a fifth grade class is exactly "viral," but as fifth graders, we used lots of cute foreign words to confuse and confound those around us.

I've never seen it used before this post.

I have encountered it in Angus (in Sotland), but as a local dialect thing. Would be accepted in a book written in dialect, but I am pretty sure an English teacher would correct a student trying to use it in everyday writing.

Does your community happen to have particularly strong Sottish roots?

whacko said:

Yes I've heard it. And cringed.

But it'll probably be in the dictionary soon.

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It depends on what you mean by soon, and by dictionary:
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=jamp

(ETA: I see Chase already found that)

I read through the first two definitions and thought OMG, could this be a perfectly clean entry? Then I read the last one. At least it's probably acceptable for an 11 year old (the acronym ends in poop so they'll love it), though it either indicates remarkably fast digestion or food poisoning.

But then since his classmates are using the word, I'd not show that to him, so at least it will put off a year or two of them finding it on their own.

But yeah, people invent new words all the time, often the same meaning like the Scottish usage. Such words often don't go anywhere, but sometimes they catch on hella fast.

According to my 11yo, 'jamp' is the past tense of 'jump'.

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I'm going to start using it. I think it's the prettiest thing. Thank your 11-year-old for me

The one thing I stetted after the copyeditor had been through Old Novel was my eight-year-old mc's use of "furtherest". Okay, it's not a word - but it should be.

I think its slang for Jewish Vamp. Not sure if vamp is short for vampire or a female vixen though.

I could be wrong...

When I saw it, I thought of it as an alteration of champ/chomp, much like what jam is.

I have never heard of "jamp" especially being the past tense of "jump."

And I do not want to hear it again.

maestrowork said:

I have never heard of "jamp" especially being the past tense of "jump."

And I do not want to hear it again.

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Purist.

It can be if a character in your story
uses it (and it's explained, at some point).

It's not a word, and an example of why so many kids are growing up only semi-literate.

Kids always screw up words, tense, and everything else. Their future depends on whether adults around them know better, and correct them.

BenPanced said:

I've never seen it used before this post.

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Me either

Jamesaritchie said:

It's not a word, and an example of why so many kids are growing up only semi-literate.

Kids always screw up words, tense, and everything else. Their future depends on whether adults around them know better, and correct them.

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Word.

And if we aren't at least a little strict on enforcing and teaching the rules, the English language is going to continue to degrade to the point where slang is the norm.

I know I come off sounding a little like a purist here. I don't mean to. I think new words have a definite place in the dictionary, but it should be new words like "blog", and not aberrations of words we already have. The past tense of "jump" is "jumped". There was no real word for what a "blog" was, or how one "blogged", and so there is a place for that type of word in the dictionary.

It's a small distinction, sure, but an essential one.

It's a dialectical back-formation used in Northern dialects for a very brief period; last attested in print in 1767.

It is not standard today, even in Scots.

Jamesaritchie said:

It's not a word, and an example of why so many kids are growing up only semi-literate.

Kids always screw up words, tense, and everything else. Their future depends on whether adults around them know better, and correct them.

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Overstating, much? I think it's a pretty word: it has its tiny place in linguistic history and it's a terrific opening for a discussion about how languages change and develop. Bad grammar is one thing, but I think a rich language like English should celebrate the little lost and hidden words. New ones are constantly arriving - it's good to be able to find some of the old ones reappearing from time to time.

I think it's quite common in south west Scotland - I've heard it used quite often in Ayrshire, which is Burns country no less.

Regards

Whacko

Medievalist said:

It's a dialectical back-formation used in Northern dialects for a very brief period; last attested in print in 1767.

It is not standard today, even in Scots.

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Yup.

It might be common in some parts of Scotland, but those would be the parts populated by illiterate knuckle-draggers.

I think it's just they decided to take jump and try and make it past tense like some other words (think swam), instead of making it the real past tense. Kids do stuff like this.

Yikes, it makes my teeth curl...

A friend of mine (all grown up, not a kid) told me he 'tret' himself to an ice-cream. 'Tret' being the past tense of 'treat', of course.

I nearly 'bet' him about the head.

"Put your keys in a safe place so you don't loss them," makes me want to kill people.

I hate people sometimes. Actually, make that all the time.

I wouldn't bother, mate. It's too easy.