# Strange Language **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 8, 2000, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-language/8337 "2000-03-08T17:36:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Major\_Feelgud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3be4f8/32.png) [@Major\_Feelgud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Major_Feelgud)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2000, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-language/8337/1 "2000-03-08T17:36:00Z")
I’ve heard it on Jay Leno and I just read it somewhere on the Straight Dope where people can speak strangely by adding letters or sounds to regular English words. Like “ixnay” is “no”. How is this done? ---
**Author:** ![jayburner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/fbc32d/32.png) [@jayburner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayburner)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2000, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-language/8337/2 "2000-03-08T17:37:00Z")
thats pig latin my brother…girls learn to master it at a very early age…always hated those girls… ---
**Author:** ![Ursa\_Major](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/a88e57/32.png) [@Ursa\_Major](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ursa_Major)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2000, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-language/8337/3 "2000-03-08T17:38:00Z")
It’s called Pig Latin! It’say alledcay Igpay Atinlay! ---
**Author:** ![Fillet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/2acd7d/32.png) [@Fillet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fillet)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2000, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-language/8337/4 "2000-03-08T17:51:00Z")
There was also something called IIRC the “BB language” on the kids’ TV show “Zoom.” For that, you would just insert a ‘b’ into every syllable & repeat the appropriate vowel sound, sobo youbou woubould soubound sobomethibing libike thibis. Gobod, IbI feebeel reabeallyby obold nobow… ---
**Author:** ![A\_girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c68b51/32.png) [@A\_girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A_girl)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2000, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-language/8337/5 "2000-03-08T17:54:00Z")
ha ha!! My friend and I in high school used to use the “b” language. It drove everybody nuts!! It really works, and is easy to do and understand with just a little practice. A girl ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2000, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-language/8337/6 "2000-03-09T06:14:00Z")
Pig Latin has two rules. If a word begins with a consonant sound, you move the initial sound to the end of the word and add “ay” to it. If the word begins with a verb sound, you add “way” to the end of it. Isthay isway away entencesay inway Igpay Atinlay. ---
**Author:** ![radar\_ralf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b2d939/32.png) [@radar\_ralf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/radar_ralf)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2000, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-language/8337/7 "2000-03-09T06:21:00Z")
Don’t forget “The Name Game” form of these ‘strange languages’. This was a song done in the sixties that explained how to change letters in a person’s name to conform with that ‘language’. ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2000, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-language/8337/8 "2000-03-09T06:21:00Z")
And before you dimiss it as babble, you should know that the Bible has been translated into Pig Latin. [Oly-hay Ible-bay](http://www.well.com/user/earl/Ible-bay.html) Sample: The Gospel according to John [Ohn-jay](http://www.well.com/user/earl/Ible-bay/Ohn-jay.txt) ---
**Author:** ![aenea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c68b51/32.png) [@aenea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aenea)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2000, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-language/8337/9 "2000-03-09T06:24:00Z")
When my sister and I were in grade school we started using pig latin and rapidly progressed to “G” language and double-talk. It would be too hard to spell it out for you, but they are variations of the “B” language. There is also “OP”, as in “doppic yoppic knoppic oppic?” (do you know op) Pig Latin can be done in at least two ways, one is as explained previously, and one is by breaking each word into syllables, and then applying pig latin to it. Anything that breaks up what the ear hears as ‘normal’ speech does the trick. Yes, my sister and I still use “double talk”, especially when we are talking around her kids and don’t want them to understand us. 😉 * * * I struggle every day to be the kind of person my dog thinks I am. ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2000, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-language/8337/10 "2000-03-09T06:26:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by Little Nemo: > \*\*Pig Latin has two rules. If a word begins with a consonant sound, you move the initial sound to the end of the word and add “ay” to it. If the word begins with a verb sound, you add “way” to the end of it. > > Isthay isway away entencesay inway Igpay Atinlay. > > \*\* Verb sound? Do you mean vowel sound? Well, evidently pig latin has regional influences (dialects?) as well. Where I grew up (Oklahoma), if the word started with a vowel sound you put the word “Yay” after it, not “Way”. ## So your sentence above would be translated as: This wiz way sentence win Pig Latin. I’d never be able to understand you. We’d say it as: iss-thay is-yay a-yay entence-say in-yay ig-pay atin-lay. New and Improved Enright3 ---
**Author:** ![aenea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c68b51/32.png) [@aenea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aenea)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2000, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-language/8337/11 "2000-03-09T06:32:00Z")
I’m from California, you guys both have accents to me. In CA pig latin it would be: Isthay isay a-ay entencesay inay igpay atinlay. Or go on and get harder on your listener’s ears: Isthay isay a-ay ensay entanceay inay igpay atlay inay. Guthagosh, Ithaguy feethageel othagold. ---
**Author:** ![Ursa\_Major](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/a88e57/32.png) [@Ursa\_Major](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ursa_Major)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2000, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-language/8337/12 "2000-03-09T06:42:00Z")
That’s the way I learned it, aenea. No “way” or “yay”, just “ay” when translating a word that begins with a vowel. BTW-“Ixnay on the…” is kind of a joke when someone has revealed too much. You hear Homer say it every now and then on The Simpsons; “Ixnay on the eerbay!” (Nix on the beer) means “Don’t tell Marge I was at Moe’s!” ---
**Author:** ![Major\_Feelgud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3be4f8/32.png) [@Major\_Feelgud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Major_Feelgud)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2000, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-language/8337/13 "2000-03-09T06:47:00Z")
Gosh wow, Straight Dope comes through again! Thanks. or hankstay? ---
**Author:** ![aenea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c68b51/32.png) [@aenea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aenea)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2000, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-language/8337/14 "2000-03-08T21:36:00Z")
**MajorFG:** Is English a second language for you? I have noticed while studying other languages that you cannot fool around with them as much. You certainly cannot make up the slang terms as easily. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2000, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-language/8337/15 "2000-03-09T05:24:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Verb sound? Do you mean vowel sound? Ummmm … I forgot to mention the _third_ rule of Pig Latin … uhhh … the one that says you substitute “erb” for “owel” following a “v” sound. Yeah, that’s it. Of course, this is a regional variation, so none of you ever heard of it before, but believe me it’s official. You betcha. Crap. ---
**Author:** ![Jorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9fc29f/32.png) [@Jorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jorge)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2000, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-language/8337/16 "2000-03-09T06:56:00Z")
> [@](#): > > I have noticed while studying other languages that you cannot fool around with them as much. You certainly cannot make up the slang terms as easily. Sorry, not true. While French may be a bit tough on creating slang without borrowing as easily as English… I can tell you that it’s common in Spanish, and that Tagalog and Russian particularly are barrels of slang-lingo fun.