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I suspect this is a variant of the word 'stalwart'
talawah aslo means little but sexy
> I suspect this is a variant of the word 'stalwart' <br /><br /> this is the most credible interpretation I've found of this hard-to-pinpoint term.<br /> I thougght initially it was or indian origin, but "stalwart" seems far more plausible<br /> good flair !
The actual meaning on the island of JA has long been "rough, tough," etc., never sexy. However, a compliment on the island may be "She little, but she talawah!"
It means strong/courageous or successful for his/her size. I figure it to be a mash up of "tall or wuh". Eg She small but she "tall or wuh".
Any body fram Jamaica kno seh dis iz commonly said of wi island & peeps. " WI LIIKKL BUT WI TALAWAH " . Talawah also can mean strength/strong/powerful, for person's small or " bini " as wi seh inna Ja! Dwl
I belive word can be traced back to the akan language of South Africa. Yea mon nuh tru!
Akan isa blanket term used to refer to the Akan language spoken in south central, Ashanti Province; Akuapem are southeast, north of Accra; Fante are south central, between Winneba, Takoradi, and obuasi
Really
Akan language spoken in (Ghana/Ivory Coast) which is in West Africa.
adj. sturdy, strong, fearless, physically capable. From Ewe talala
The word I guess has its origin coming from the Tamil (South Indian Language) word Thalaiva meaning leader or stalwart. Indentured servants from India who spoke the language might have naturalized the word.
may be
From research I have done, the likeliest derivation is from the English word "stalwart" of which it is a corruption. As someone else has noted, there is a very well known phrase going back over a century - "Him lickle bit but him talawah."
I thing that word talawah is derived from tamil language word thalaiva. In tamil language thalaiva means leader, king etc...
Reggae big, reggae little, reggae talawah....fever talawah...Steel Pulse forever....
Thalaiva means in tamil slang is thalaivar
Unlike "Tallawah", Tamill thalaiva is unrelated to Stalwart. http://www.encyclo.co.uk/meaning-of-Senaithalaivar
I always thought it was an arawak word
It is a Arawak word. Meaning stronge in proportion to size.