A language game (also called a
cant, secret language, ludling, or argot) is a system of manipulating spoken words to render them incomprehensible to an untrained listener. Language games are used primarily by groups attempting to conceal their conversations from others. Some common examples are
Pig Latin; the
Gibberish family, prevalent in the United States and Sweden; and
Verlan, spoken in France.
A common difficulty with language games is that they are usually passed down orally; while written translations can be made, they are often imperfect, thus spelling can vary widely.
Some factions argue that words in these spoken tongues should simply be written the way they are pronounced, while others insist that the purity of language demands that the transformation remain visible when the words are imparted to paper.
Use
Some language games such as Pig Latin are so widely known that privacy is virtually impossible, as most people have a passable understanding of how it works and the words can sound very similar to their English counterpart. Although language games are not usually used in everyday conversation, some words from language games have made their way into normal speech, such as ''
ixnay'' in English (from Pig Latin), and ''loufoque'' in French (derived from ''fou'' according to the rules of
Louchébem)
Classification
One way in which language games could be organized is by language. For example,
Pig Latin,
Ubbi Dubbi, and
Tutnese could all be in the "English" category, and Jeringonza could be in the "Spanish", ("Portuguese", or "Italian") category.
An alternate method of classifying language games is by their function. For example, Ubbi Dubbi, Bicycle, and all work by inserting a code syllable before the vowel in each syllable. Therefore, these could be classified in the Gibberish family. Also, Double Talk,
Língua do Pê, Jeringonza, and B-Sprache all work by adding a consonant after the vowel in each syllable, and then repeating the vowel. Thus, these could be classified in the Double Talk family. Another common type of language game is the
spoonerism, in which the onsets of two words are exchanged. Using a standard word for each transformation gives another type, for example, the Finnish "kontinkieli", where ''kontti'' is added after each word, and spoonerism applied (kondäntti koonerismspontti koppliedäntti).
List of common language games
Additionally, Auflinger described some types of speech disguise in some languages near the city of
Madang in
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea, officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is an island country in Oceania that comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and offshore islands in Melanesia, a region of the southwestern Pacific Ocean n ...
.
[
Auflinger, Albert. 1949. Secret languages of small islands near Madang II. ''South Pacific'' 3.5: 113-119.]
See also
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Word game
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Word play
Word play or wordplay (also: play-on-words) is a literary technique and a form of wit in which words used become the main subject of the work, primarily for the purpose of intended effect or amusement. Examples of word play include puns, ph ...
*
Cant (language)
A cant is the jargon or language of a group, often employed to exclude or mislead people outside the group.McArthur, T. (ed.) ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (1992) Oxford University Press It may also be called a cryptolect, argo ...
References
External links
English Grammar GameFind Verb, Noun.
Language GamesA long summary on language games, including descriptions of many games, and an extensive bibliography.
Language Games - Part 2A follow-up summary with additional descriptions and bibliography.
— a language game used by
J. R. R. Tolkien
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (, 3 January 1892 – 2 September 1973) was an English writer and philologist. He was the author of the high fantasy works ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings''.
From 1925 to 1945, Tolkien was the Rawlinson ...
, the inventor of
Quenya and
Sindarin Elvish, as a child.
English-language post on Jeringonza— a language game equivalent of Pig Latin used in some Romance Languages.
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Word play