# Pig Latin in Mexican Spanish

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pig-latin-in-mexican-spanish/251209>\
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\
**Created:** [June 19, 2004, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pig-latin-in-mexican-spanish/251209 "2004-06-19T17:20:51Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![mattguttentag](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@mattguttentag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mattguttentag)\
**Post date:** [June 19, 2004, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pig-latin-in-mexican-spanish/251209/1 "2004-06-19T17:20:51Z")

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Concerning the staff report article on Pig Latin [http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mpiglatin.html](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mpiglatin.html)

In Mexico, the kids use a sort of pig latin-type play on the language to confuse people. In this variant, they insert an “f” after every vowel and then repeat the vowel. Sounds easy, but it can really break up the words and make them hard to understand without a lot of concentration. For example, saying “como estás” turns into “cofomofo efestafas.” Does anyone know of any other languages’ equivalents to Pig Latin?

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**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\
**Post date:** [June 19, 2004, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pig-latin-in-mexican-spanish/251209/2 "2004-06-19T17:42:17Z")

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You don’t have to go outside English. There’s other children’s games like this in English, as well. Two which are similar to the thing you cite in Spanish are “oppish” or “alfalfa talk” which involve insertions following consonants instead of vowels - “op” or “alf”.

Yopou topalkop lopikop thopisop  
oralf lalfikalf thalfisalf

Again, children may practice this until they get quite good at doing it on the fly.

yopabopobop

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**Author:** ![KarlGrenze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dbc845/32.png) [@KarlGrenze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGrenze)\
**Post date:** [June 20, 2004, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pig-latin-in-mexican-spanish/251209/3 "2004-06-20T00:12:18Z")

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In Spanish it is also done with other consonants other than f, like p or t. And you can also add silly syllables, like “chi” before or after each syllable. It’s all called _jeringonza_. Sadly, I’m unable to speak using it. ☹

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**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\
**Post date:** [June 22, 2004, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pig-latin-in-mexican-spanish/251209/4 "2004-06-22T17:03:18Z")

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In Hebrew there is a “B Language” which involves putting B (or course) some darn place in the words. Forgive me, the only thing I can say with certainty is an Israeli song “Love in the B Language” won Eurovision one year.

Oddly, my Hebrew is not all it should be.