# gabagi gabaga language **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 23, 2000, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gabagi-gabaga-language/30469 "2000-08-23T17:35:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![curwin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@curwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curwin)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2000, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gabagi-gabaga-language/30469/1 "2000-08-23T17:35:33Z")
When I was in around 7th Grade, some of the girls used to speak some sort of language that enabled them to communicate between themselves, in a similar way to pig-latin, just much harder to decipher. It always sounded to me like “gabagi gabaga” or something like that. Anyone ever heard it or have any idea how it works? ---
**Author:** ![Phobos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Phobos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phobos)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2000, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gabagi-gabaga-language/30469/2 "2000-08-23T18:21:58Z")
Perhaps it was the “Ubby Dubby” language (or something like that) from the “Zoom” kids’ television program on PBS? I never figured that one out totally, but I think you just add b’s after every syllable. ---
**Author:** ![Meephead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b782af/32.png) [@Meephead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meephead)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2000, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gabagi-gabaga-language/30469/3 "2000-08-23T18:26:38Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Phobos \* > \*\*Perhaps it was the “Ubby Dubby” language (or something like that) from the “Zoom” kids’ television program on PBS? > > I never figured that one out totally, but I think you just add b’s after every syllable. \*\* That was the first thing that popped into my head whe I saw the title, too. ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2000, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gabagi-gabaga-language/30469/4 "2000-08-23T18:43:08Z")
AT my school there was a language called “ob”, which sounds very similar to what your talking about. Basically you just put an ob after every syllable(or maybe every consonant, it has been a long while) I’m sure people had variations of it with nearly every nonsense syllable imaginable so it wouldn’t be surprising if someplaces used “ag” or “ab” ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2000, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gabagi-gabaga-language/30469/5 "2000-08-23T18:49:36Z")
“That” becomes “thubat”, “was” becomes “wubas”. You insert “ub” before each vowel sound. Pretty complex, eh? They would often ask “Cuban yubou spubeak ubbubbubby dubbubbubby?” The fact that I can still speak this fluently is something that fills me with awe and trembling. Of all the languages I could have learned to speak as a youth, I end up with one spoken by the tail end of the baby boomer generation from the greater Boston area. Heck of a life skill. ---
**Author:** ![Olentzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90ced4/32.png) [@Olentzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Olentzero)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2000, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gabagi-gabaga-language/30469/6 "2000-08-23T20:15:27Z")
Uboh, ubI dubon’t knubow ubabubout thubat. Ubit’s uba gubood pubarty trubick tubo cubonfubuse thube hubell ubout ubof thube ubothuber drubunk bubastubards ubarubound thube hubouse. :sings: Boston Mass oh two one three four… ---
**Author:** ![Phobos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Phobos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phobos)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2000, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gabagi-gabaga-language/30469/7 "2000-08-23T21:19:25Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Telemark \* > \*\*“That” becomes “thubat”, “was” becomes “wubas”. You insert “ub” before each vowel sound. Pretty complex, eh? > > …Heck of a life skill. > \*\* That’s it! I was close. But hey, Telemark, it came in handy here! > [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Olentzero_ > :sings: Boston Mass oh two one three four… That was recently a question on Who Wants to be a Millionaire? (What was the zip code from the show Zoom?) ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2000, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gabagi-gabaga-language/30469/8 "2000-08-23T21:30:46Z")
For an extreme example of a secret language, check out the movie _Slums Of Beverly Hills_. The language is more extreme than Ubby Dubby, in that “can” becomes something like “cadagan”. Subtitles are provided, so you can sorta tune your ear in to the funky-speak pretty quickly. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2000, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gabagi-gabaga-language/30469/9 "2000-08-23T22:30:22Z")
Write ZOOM ‘Z’ double ‘O’ ‘M’ Box 3 5 0 Boston Mass 0 2 1 3 4 Send it to ZOOM! The curse of memory…