Iyaric

Iyaric, Livalect, Dread-talk or I-talk is a created dialect of English in use among members of the Rastafari movement. African languages were lost among Africans when they were taken into captivity as part of the slave trade, and adherents of Rastafari teachings believe that English is an imposed colonial language. Their remedy for this situation has been the creation of a modified vocabulary and dialect, reflecting a desire to take language forward and to confront what they see as the confusion of a corrupt and decadent society they call Babylon. This is accomplished by avoiding words and syllables seen as negative, such as "back", and changing them to positive ones.

Some if not most Rastafarians choose not to use certain words in the English language as they have Babylonian and devil-like connotations, for example the word "Hello" is not used because it contains the word "hell" and "lo" referring to "low". Instead words such as 'Wa Gwaan', 'Yes I' 'Cool Nuh Iyah' are used because they are words that uplift people. If at a Rastafarian Church, they would use their formal church greetings. For instance, the Rastafarian branch known as the Twelve Tribes of Israel would say, "Greetings in the Divine Name of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who revealed Himself in the personality of His Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie the first"