What's the origin of pig latin?

Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports
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The Staff answer to the question “What’s the origin of pig Latin?” gave origins of terms somewhat related to pig latin, and that was about all. The only direct answer given was a very open-ended " is almost certainly an invention of the 20th century." The question I’d like to see answered is when in the 20th century that was! Since I have sheet music for the song “Pig Latin Love” published in 1919, and a Columbia record of the song was made in 1919, I know that American pig latin of the kind we’re all familiar with was in popular use prior to 1919.
So about what year did it originate, where, and spread across the country? Are you sure it was after the 1890s? And what sources would show the answers you can come up with? I hope someone has this information to actually answer the question that was originally asked and posted 01-JUn-2004

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Welcome to the Straight Dope Message Boards, arthurfields, we’re glad to have you with us.

When you start a thread, it’s helpful to other posters if you provide a link to the Staff Report that you are discussing. Saves a lot of search time, and helps put everyone on the same page. In this case, it’s Straight Dope Staff Report: What’s the origin of pig Latin?

No biggie, you’ll know for next time, and, as I say, welcome.

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That’s about the right period for the modern version that we know as Pig Latin. I don’t think it went back into the 19th century, at least not in the version we know today.

I’d love to know if your sheet music has lyrics. Are they related to the modern version, dropping the first letter, and appending it to the end? ANd, just to clarify, why do you think that our modern version is related to your 1919 sheet music? If the words are there, then you’ve added something to our knowledge. But, I’m not sure that the 1919 Pig Latin sheet music was about our modern version, started perhaps a decade later. But, I’d love to have any earlier cites that clear this up.

I did state that the term “Pig Latin” goes back to the 1860’s–just not in the modern form of dropping the first letter, adding it to the end of the word.