# Have you ever made up your own language? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 14, 2017, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-made-up-your-own-language/796293 "2017-09-14T05:08:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2017, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-made-up-your-own-language/796293/1 "2017-09-14T05:08:35Z")
A local newspaper’s web site has a daily poll you can participate in that is often interesting. It generates a bar graph, just like here. Of course, after you make your choice, you have to answer another question or two about consumer goods, politics, etc. Today’s poll was the title. The choices were: \_\_ Yes \_\_ No \_\_ I can’t recall They should have gone with: \_\_ Yes \_\_ No \_\_ I can’t recall \_\_ Zri scanispel ito. Glick! Dennis ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2017, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-made-up-your-own-language/796293/2 "2017-09-14T11:44:07Z")
Yes, I did create the bare bones of a language when I was about 13, just for fun. But what you are citing is more “making up nonsense words in real time.” There’s a word for this – I can’t remember the word right now\* – that’s at least used when it’s a neurological condition. When I was 17, I had two friends who were good at this (especially when stoned) – it sounded like they were having a normal conversation (intonations, etc.), without a single real English word. I still remember one word they used (made it into the high school yearbook, even): _rehebusnirt_. \*though I’m tempted to make one up! ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2017, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-made-up-your-own-language/796293/3 "2017-09-14T12:56:19Z")
It’s “neologistic paraphasia.” No, I didn’t just make that up! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2017, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-made-up-your-own-language/796293/4 "2017-09-14T12:59:11Z")
Here’s a generator of [such gibberish](https://libraryofbabel.info), based on a story by Borges, but it doesn’t have the sound patterns of English, the way you or I would make up words. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2017, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-made-up-your-own-language/796293/5 "2017-09-14T13:38:41Z")
No, but I made a symbol that represented me 40 years before Prince. And what is really weird about that, is the one he made has striking similarities to mine. See for yourself. Go find my Junior High text books. It’s all over them. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2017, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-made-up-your-own-language/796293/6 "2017-09-14T13:45:24Z")
My wife and I have what we call “code sounds” like “geg” for “lets get out of here” and about a dozen like that but nothing like a complete language. Now back in my college days I helped a Professor develop a course to teach teachers how we learn math. It used Greek symbols for the written numbers and operated in base five. A few folks, after stumbling and frustrating themselves through basic addition and all really clicked to the whole thing and by the end of the semester were doing calc and trig in it. I don’t know if he ever published anything but the class title became “Mathematics as a foreign language”. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2017, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-made-up-your-own-language/796293/7 "2017-09-14T15:24:15Z")
Sure did. Doesn’t every true nerd do that in high school? You’re at the age where you know just enough to get something passable, but not enough to make it realistic. Mine had an attempt to use consistent, non-English grammar and sentence structure. I still have a couple bits of the written version somewhere, but I’m sure I can no longer read it! ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2017, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-made-up-your-own-language/796293/8 "2017-09-14T15:51:49Z")
Not so much making up a language from scratch … but I do twist and torque the Englishing language until she screams in agony and defeat … does that countate? ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2017, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-made-up-your-own-language/796293/9 "2017-09-14T17:37:57Z")
No, but I do make up my own entertainment - like betting myself that, within 3 posts, someone would reply in gibberish. Alas, again I lost. I have to do all my chores for me for a week now. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2017, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-made-up-your-own-language/796293/10 "2017-09-14T18:31:10Z")
My daughter did. I don’t think it was anything like a complete language. One word I recall was “gulamorg” for “good morning”. She styled herself “The founder of Uffala” and the language was Uffalese. ---
**Author:** ![Soylent\_Juicy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@Soylent\_Juicy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soylent_Juicy)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2017, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-made-up-your-own-language/796293/11 "2017-09-14T20:44:29Z")
Not a made-up language of our own, but in Grade 7 one girl taught us all a language that her mom taught her - it was called “giddy-gee” (hard g sounds.) You pretty much inserted “dda” in between syllables of a word - for instance my user name would be pronounced “s-odda-goy-lidda-gee-edda-gent.” A bunch of us girls were fluent and to this day I can still speak it. ---
**Author:** ![whitetho](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whitetho/32/1059_2.png) [@whitetho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whitetho)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2017, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-made-up-your-own-language/796293/12 "2017-09-14T21:40:11Z")
Discussions of this sort always call for a link to [Prisencolinensinainciusol](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VsmF9m_Nt8) by Adriano Celentano (1972). ---
**Author:** ![TimeWinder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@TimeWinder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TimeWinder)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2017, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-made-up-your-own-language/796293/13 "2017-09-14T21:47:06Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > But what you are citing is more “making up nonsense words in real time.” There’s a word for this – I can’t remember the word right now\* – that’s at least used when it’s a neurological condition. > [@JKellyMap](#): > > It’s “neologistic paraphasia.” When it’s intentional, it’s Glossolalia, aka the grand religious tradition of “speaking in tongues.” ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2017, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-made-up-your-own-language/796293/14 "2017-09-15T01:15:43Z")
> [@whitetho](#): > > Discussions of this sort always call for a link to [Prisencolinensinainciusol](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VsmF9m_Nt8) by Adriano Celentano (1972). Love it! Funk-ayyy pseudo-English by Italians. ---
**Author:** ![Lightray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightray/32/391_2.png) [@Lightray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightray)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2017, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-made-up-your-own-language/796293/15 "2017-09-15T13:23:17Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Sure did. Doesn’t every true nerd do that in high school? > > You’re at the age where you know just enough to get something passable, but not enough to make it realistic. > > Mine had an attempt to use consistent, non-English grammar and sentence structure. I still have a couple bits of the written version somewhere, but I’m sure I can no longer read it! And many nerds continue on to creating [Conlangs](https://conlang.org/) as a hobby. When the topic has come up before, I recall there are a few Dopers into it. (There seems to be an overlap with Tolkien aficionados.) ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2017, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-made-up-your-own-language/796293/16 "2017-09-15T14:37:41Z")
Growing up, until the age of four, I had a language that only my brother and I understood. Would not speak English, I would look at my brother and say something like “una gotte bitey doh”, whereupon people would look at Jim and he would say “he wants more milk”. Did this until the day I learned to read - my first sentence in English was in Daytona Beach when, driving down the road with the fam, I blurted out “H O T E L… what do dat spell?” People fucking _lost_ it and my Dad almost got into an accident. Good times. I pretty much never spoke the language after that and have largely forgotten it except for some basic phrases. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2017, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-made-up-your-own-language/796293/17 "2017-09-15T15:41:18Z")
No complete languages but I’ve done some words for the _Finish the Sci-Fi Story_ threads and the _Finish the Sword & Sorcery Story_ thread. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2017, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-made-up-your-own-language/796293/18 "2017-09-16T02:01:05Z")
I write (or attempt to write) sf and fantasy stories, and so I’ve made up a lot of “alien” and “magical” words. It’s quite a lot of fun! ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2017, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-made-up-your-own-language/796293/19 "2017-09-16T23:46:34Z")
Made up an alphabet, with symbols for some digraphs like th and ch. Brian ---
**Author:** ![Mangosteen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Mangosteen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangosteen)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2017, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-made-up-your-own-language/796293/20 "2017-09-17T02:40:36Z")
Not saying we made it up, but in junior high school my friends and I would put an “ib” in front of every “audio” vowel in the words we used in conversation. “Do you understand me?” became “Dibo yibou ibundiberstiband mibe?” Even individual words were incomprehensible to “outsiders”. “When” became “whiben”, where - whibere, who-whibo, etc. We became quite fluent in it much to the chagrin of our parents and teachers. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-made-up-your-own-language/796293.md?page=2)