7/28/2019 The Pig Latins of 11 Other Languages
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The Pig Latins of 11 other languagesEnglish speakers aren't the
only ones who can make a pseudo-language
ByArika Okrent| April 24, 2013
Do you speak German? How about the pig-latin version,
Loffelsprache?
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Pig Latin.Ig-pay atin-lay. It is not really a different
language, but an encoded version of English based on a
very simple transformation rule. Move the first sound to the end
of the word and add "ay." Linguists call this
kind of thing a language game, and lots of languages have them.
Language games may be used as a secret
code, a way to avoid saying taboo words, or just for fun. The
transformation rules in language games can
vary. For example, in Pig Latin words that start with vowels may
take a way,hey, oryay ending. Rules
of language games in other languages may also vary, but here are
some general guidelines for fun in 11
different languages.
1. RVARSPRKETSWEDISHRvarsprket means "robber language" in
Swedish, and it was made popular in a series of boy detective
books by Astrid Lindgren. You double every consonant and put an
o between them, so Ikea, for example,
would be Ikokea, while the new Swedish coinage ogooglebar
(ungoogleable), would beogogoogoglolebobaror. These words can get
pretty long, so it's a good thing someone madeRvarsprket
generator.
2. LFFELSPRACHE GERMANIn German Lffelsprache, or "spoon
language," a "lew," "lef," or "lev" is inserted between
duplicated
vowels. Guten Morgen! becomes Gulewutelewen Moleworgelewen! Got
it? Now try it on one of those
famously long German compound wordssay,
Wirtschaftsingenieurwesen (industrial engineering). On
second thought, you might have to actually be an industrial
engineer to do that
3. JERIGONZASPANISH
A language game played in Spanish-speaking countries, Jerigonza,
meaning "gibberish," involves doublingvowels and inserting p's
between them. Hola becomes hopolapa. Gracias becomes grapacipiapas.
Do you
like jerigonza? Te gusta la jerigonza? Or rather, tepe gupustapa
lapa jeperipigoponzapa?
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