Editing Verlan (section)

== Word formation ==
{{Wiktionary category|moredescriptivetext=examples of verlan words|category=Verlan}}
Words in verlan are formed by switching the order in which syllables from the original word are pronounced.  For example, {{lang|fr|français}} {{IPA|fr|fʁɑ̃sɛ|}} becomes {{lang|fr|céfran}} {{IPA|fr|sefʁɑ̃|}}.

Verlan generally retains the pronunciation of the original syllables.  However, French words that end in a {{lang|fr|[[e muet|⟨e⟩ muet]]}} (such as {{Wikt-lang|fr|femme}} {{IPA|fr|fam|}}) and words that end in a pronounced consonant (such as {{Wikt-lang|fr|flic}} {{IPA|fr|flik|}}) gain the sound {{IPA|fr|œ|}} once reversed. In addition, verlan often drops the final vowel sound after the word is inverted, so {{lang|fr|femme}} and {{lang|fr|flic}} become {{lang|fr|meuf}} ({{IPA|fr|mœf|}} – {{lang|fr|meufa}} in full form) and {{lang|fr|keuf}} ({{IPA|fr|kœf|}} – {{lang|fr|keufli}} in full form), respectively.

The study of written verlan is difficult as it is primarily passed down orally, without standardized spelling. While some still argue that the letters should be held over from the original word, in the case of verlan, most experts agree that words should be spelled as to [[pronunciation spelling|best approximate pronunciation]].  For example, {{lang|fr|verlan}} is preferred to {{lang|fr|versl'en}}.
The French author [[Auguste Le Breton]] uses numerous examples of verlan, for instance in {{lang|fr|[[Du rififi chez les hommes]]}}.

Different rules apply for one-syllable words, and words with more than two syllables may be verlan-ised in more than one way.  For example, {{lang|fr|cigarette}} may yield {{lang|fr|garetsi}} or {{lang|fr|retsiga}}.<ref name=Valdman>{{cite journal |last=Valdman |first=Albert |title=La Langue des faubourgs et des banlieues: de l'argot au français populaire |journal=The French Review |volume=73 |issue=6 |year=2000 |language=fr}}</ref>