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“In fact, in a male dominated domain such as that, in casual conversation amongst friends, such language is normal and would not be considered obscene,” wrote Mr. Devonish.

The professor is one of very few researchers to have published a scholarly paper in Jamaican Creole, and has been a strong advocate for having the Caribbean dialect recognized as an official language.

In the one-minute cameraphone video of Mr. Ford’s rant, Mr. Devonish identified four separate expressions that were “identifiably Jamaican.”

The first — and most repeated expression — is the expletive “bomba klaat.” As the linguist explained, the word is a combination of “bomba” (vulva) and “klaat” (cloth), which combine to form an obscene term for menstrual cloth.

The second is when Mr. Ford is expressing frustration that Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair failed to meet his budget-cutting targets. The mayor says “nuo moni, no moni, cha!” It means, obviously enough, “no money, no money, + expression of annoyance,” wrote Mr. Devonish.

The third is the most complex. Mr. Ford says “yu nuo wa di raas klaat,” which translates roughly to “you know what, asswipe?” Said Mr. Devonish, “raas” means “buttocks, and together with “klaat” is an expletive meaning “cloth used to wipe the buttocks.”

Mr. Devonish also heard “so it go,” which he translated as “that’s the way things are/ that’s the way it is.”