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Language games are not technically artificial languages so much as heuristics for altering language, like a code. They are used primarily by groups attempting to conceal their conversations from others. Most common examples are: Pig latin, which is used all over the globe; Gibberish, prevalent mainly in the USA, and Verlons in France. Each of these "languages games" involves a usually simple standard transformation to speech, thus encoding it. The languages can be easily decoded by a skilled speaker, who swaps or removes the necessary letters or syllables.

A common difficulty with language games is that they are usually passed down orally. While written translations can be made, they are often imperfect, and thus spelling can vary widely. Some factions argue that words in these spoken tongues should simply be written the way they are pronounced, while others insist that the purity of language demands that the transformation remain visible when the words are imparted to paper. Contrary to what proponents of either side may tell you, there is no one definitive written lexicon for language games, but it is rather a matter of dialect. (see Pig Latin, Ubbi Dubbi).

Host Language Game Name Basic Rules Notes
Dutch: reversed elements & words mercantile code
English (etc.) Pig latinfirst consonant to end +ay
English ab inserted into syllables
English bicycle schwa ess after all consonants
English Cockney Rhyming Slangcanonical rhyming word pairs trouble & strife = wife
English eggegg langeggwagegg
English gibberish insert "itherg" after each consonant
English Ubbi dubbiinsert "ub" in syllables PBS show Zoom
English yardle bardle
English zambuda
French Louchebem inital consonant to end, +var. suffixes, prepend "L"
French Verlan
German "lav" inserted after some vowel sounds
Hungarian repeat vowel add "v"
Italian Latino Maccheronico
Japanese Ba-bi-bu-be-bo
Mandarin Fanquie
Portuguese Sima
Portuguese Linga do Pe
Russian Fufajskij yazyk
Russian porosyachia latin
Spanish "f" added to certain syllables

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Last edited August 10, 2001 12:56 pm (diff)
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