# Pig Latin **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 28, 2003, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pig-latin/177931 "2003-05-28T02:58:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![tcdaniel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9bd4f/32.png) [@tcdaniel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tcdaniel)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2003, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pig-latin/177931/1 "2003-05-28T02:58:45Z")
It’s been years since I thought about it so I googled Pig latin to see what it’s about. Well, I’m still kind of confused - does it have any real purpose other than entertainment? ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2003, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pig-latin/177931/2 "2003-05-28T03:24:30Z")
In the Middle Ages, when all educated people learned Latin (or tried to learn it), they had a pejorative term, “Dog Latin,” for when someone used it badly. The phrase Pig Latin first turned up around 1926, when some wag coined the term for this variety of wordplay. No doubt meant as a sly reference to the earlier phrase Dog Latin. Maybe the ostinato -ay -ay endings to all the words reminded someone of the way the final -e in Latin is supposed to be pronounced. The final -ay sound is unusual in English polysyllables, but not in real Latin. Just my guess. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2003, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pig-latin/177931/3 "2003-05-28T12:24:38Z")
There are several “secret” languages, but pig latin is by far the best known. It originally allowed people to speak to one another without a third-party catching on. Since everyone knows pig latin, however, that doesn’t really work any more. It’s primarily used now to obscure the meaning slightly, or to hint that you are trying to keep stupid people from understanding. Another (and better) similar language is what I’ve heard called “Horse Turkish,” but we called “op-talk.” Opin opit yopou opadd opan “opop” opafopter opor opbeopfor opevopvry sylopaopbleop. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2003, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pig-latin/177931/4 "2003-05-28T13:52:42Z")
Chuck: Very similar to what we called Obenglobish as kids. It worked great. You could learn it in about 5 minutes and it was pretty hard to understand if you didn’t know the code. obinstobead obof “obop” obin frobont obof vobowobels, wobe pobut “obob”. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Great\_Unwashed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_great_unwashed/32/4791_2.png) [@The\_Great\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Great_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2003, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pig-latin/177931/5 "2003-05-28T14:16:54Z")
At last, _Bill and Ben_ makes perfect sense to me. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2003, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pig-latin/177931/6 "2003-05-28T14:27:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by John Mace \* > \*\*Chuck: > > Very similar to what we called Obenglobish as kids. It worked great. You could learn it in about 5 minutes and it was pretty hard to understand if you didn’t know the code. > > obinstobead obof “obop” obin frobont obof vobowobels, wobe pobut “obob”. \*\* Thopat’s probopoboply thope sopame thoping. Yopou lopearn hopow topo opignopore thope “opop” vopery quopicklopy. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2003, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pig-latin/177931/7 "2003-05-28T15:31:20Z")
Thobis obis thobe fobirst tobime obi’ve obevober wrobittoben obengloblish. Mobuch ibeasobiober tobo spobeak thoban tobo wrobite!