Editing Pig Latin

{{Short description|Language game}}
{{for|the programming language|Apache Pig}}
{{distinguish|Pidgin English|Dog Latin}}
{{pp-move|small=yes}}
{{More citations needed|date=September 2018}}
'''Pig Latin''' (''Igpay Atinlay'') is a [[language game]], [[argot]], or [[Cant (language)|cant]] in which words in [[English language|English]] are altered, usually by adding a fabricated [[suffix]] or by moving the [[Syllable#Onset|onset]] or initial [[consonant]] or [[consonant cluster]] of a word to the end of the word and adding a [[vocalic]] [[syllable]] (usually -ay or /eɪ/) to create such a suffix.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.dictionary.com/e/pig-latin/|title=What exactly is Pig Latin, is it a language? And how is it a mystery? - Everything After Z by Dictionary.com|date=2010-10-05|work=Everything After Z by Dictionary.com|access-date=2018-08-27|language=en-US}}</ref> For example, "he does not know" would become ''"ehay oesday otnay ownay"''.

The objective is often to [[Obfuscation|conceal the words]] from others not familiar with the rules. The reference to [[Latin language|Latin]] is a deliberate [[misnomer]]; Pig Latin is simply a form of [[argot]] or [[jargon]] unrelated to Latin, and the name is used for its English connotations as a strange and foreign-sounding language. It is most often used by young children as a fun way to confuse people unfamiliar with Pig Latin.<ref>{{Cite journal|author=Cowan, N.|year=1989|title=Acquisition of Pig Latin by Children|journal=Journal of Child Language|volume=16|number=2|pages=245–256|doi=10.1017/S0305000900010461 |pmid=2760132 |url=https://memory.psych.missouri.edu/assets/doc/articles/before_1993/cowan-89-j-child-language-acquisition-of-pig-latin.pdf}}</ref>

==Origins and history==
Early mentions of Pig Latin or Hog Latin describe what is known today as [[Dog Latin]], a type of parody Latin.<ref>Brewer, E. Cobham. "Dog Latin." In Dictionary of Phrase and Fable</ref> Examples of this predate even [[Shakespeare]], whose 1598 play, ''[[Love's Labour's Lost]]'', includes a reference to dog Latin. <ref>{{cite web |last1=Brewer |first1=E. Cobham | website=The Straight Dope | url=http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2163/whats-the-origin-of-pig-latin | title=What's the origin of pig Latin?| date=June 2004 }}</ref>

{{Blockquote|{{lang|en-emodeng|'''Costard:''' Go to; thou hast it ad dungill, at the fingers' ends, as they say.<br/>'''Holofernes:''' O, I smell false Latine; dunghill for unguem.}}
| ''Love's Labour's Lost'', William Shakespeare}}

An 1866 article describes a "hog latin" that has some similarities to current Pig Latin. The article says, "He adds as many new letters as the boys in their 'hog latin', which is made use of to mystify eavesdroppers. A boy asking a friend to go with him says, 'Wig-ge you-ge go-ge wig-ge me-ge?' The other, replying in the negative says, 'Noge, Ige woge.' ".<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-IMAAAAAYAAJ&dq=%22He+adds+as+many+new+letters+as+the+boys+in+their+%22hog+latin%2C%22%22&pg=PA638|page=638|title=Sound and Sense (in "The Galaxy: A Magazine of Entertaining Reading, Volume 1")|date=1886|author=Wakeman, George|accessdate=13 December 2015}}</ref> This is similar to [[Língua do Pê]].

Another early mention of the name was in ''[[Putnam's Magazine]]'' in May 1869: "I had plenty of ammunition in reserve, to say nothing, Tom, of our pig Latin. 'Hoggibus, piggibus et shotam damnabile grunto', and all that sort of thing", although the jargon is Dog Latin.

''[[The Atlantic]]'' January 1895 also included a mention of the subject: "They all spoke a queer jargon which they themselves had invented. It was something like the well-known 'pig Latin' that all sorts of children like to play with."

[[File:Little Nemo 1909-04-18 (cropped).jpg|thumb|upright|Nemo's friend "The Professor" speaks in Pig Latin in a 1909 ''[[Little Nemo]]'' comic strip.|alt=Comic frame. Three characters slide down a fantastic stair. One of them says "I OLD TAY OO YAY OO TA OOK LAY OUTAY IDDEN DEY I DE?".]]
The modern version of Pig Latin appears in a 1919 [[Columbia Records]] album containing what sounds like the modern variation, by a singer named [[Arthur Fields]]. The song, called "Pig Latin Love", is followed by the subtitle "I-Yay Ove-Lay oo-yay earie-day".<ref>'''I Always Wondered:''' [http://ialwayswondered.jarrettgreen.com/2011/05/25/where-did-pig-latin-come-from/ Where did Pig Latin come from?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160129214016/http://ialwayswondered.jarrettgreen.com/2011/05/25/where-did-pig-latin-come-from/ |date=2016-01-29 }}<br/>The consensus seems to be that the version of Pig Latin we know today was born sometime in the 20th century. In 1919 Columbia records released an album with Arthur Fields singing "Pig Latin Love". The subtitle "I-Yay Ove-Lay Oo-Yay Earie-Day" indicates that this is the modern form of Pig Latin we recognize today. I was able to scrounge up a photograph of the 1919 sheet music on eBay. Below the Pig Latin subtitle is the translation, "(I love you dearie)", suggesting that perhaps this form of Pig Latin hadn't taken root among the general public yet.</ref> [[The Three Stooges]] used it on multiple occasions, most notably ''[[Tassels in the Air]]'', a 1938 short where [[Moe Howard]] attempts to teach [[Curley Howard]] how to use it, thereby conveying the rules to the audience. In an earlier (1934) episode, ''[[Three Little Pigskins]]'', [[Larry Fine]] attempts to impress a woman with his skill in Pig Latin, but it turns out that she knows it, too. No explanation of the rules is given. A few months prior in 1934, in the ''[[Our Gang]]'' [[short film]] ''[[Washee Ironee]]'', Spanky tries to speak to an Asian boy by using Pig Latin.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcMWkY-Wlkk#t=10m35s | title=- YouTube | website=[[YouTube]] }}</ref>

[[Ginger Rogers]] sang a verse of "[[We're in the Money]]" in pig Latin in an elaborate [[Busby Berkeley]] production number in the film ''[[Gold Diggers of 1933]]''.<ref>{{cite video|title=Trippy Ginger Rogers Pig Latin |quote=YouTube}}</ref> The film, the third highest grossing of that year, was inducted into the National Film Registry and that song included in the all-time top 100 movie songs by the American Film Institute. [[Merle Travis]] ends his song "When My Baby Double Talks To Me" with the phrase, "What a aybybay", where the last word is Pig Latin for "baby".

A 1947 newspaper question and answer column describes the Pig Latin as known today. It describes moving the first letter to the end of a word and then adding "ay".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1955&dat=19470128&id=d44tAAAAIBAJ&sjid=SJ0FAAAAIBAJ&pg=4502,48597&hl=en|work=Reading Eagle|page=12|title=Answers to Questions - The Haskins' Service|date=28 January 1947|accessdate=13 December 2015}}</ref>

Two Pig Latin words that have entered mainstream American English are "{{lang|en|[[wikt:ixnay|ixnay]]}}" or "icksnay", the Pig Latin version of "{{lang|en|[[wikt:nix#English|nix]]}}" (itself a borrowing of [[German language|German]] {{lang|de|nichts}}<ref>''[[Oxford English Dictionary]]'', [http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/127424 ''s.v.'']</ref>), which is used as a general [[Negative (language)|negative]]; and "{{lang|en|[[wikt:amscray|amscray]]}}", Pig Latin for "{{lang|en|[[wikt:scram#English|scram]]}}", meaning "go away" or "get out of here".<ref name="blake">{{cite book|last1=Blake|first1=Barry J.|title=Secret Language: Codes, Tricks, Spies, Thieves, and Symbols|date=2010|publisher=OUP Oxford|isbn=978-0-19-161471-2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HAhYqpnC2H8C&dq=ixnay+pig+latin&pg=PR48-IA149}}</ref><ref name="lexicogenesis">{{cite book|last1=Miller|first1=D. Gary|title=English Lexicogenesis|date=2014|publisher=OUP Oxford|isbn=978-0-19-968988-0 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oNfQAgAAQBAJ&dq=amscray+pig+latin&pg=PA91}}</ref><ref name="hendrickson">{{cite book|last1=Hendrickson|first1=Robert|title=QPB Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins|date=1998|publisher=Facts on File|isbn=9780965379458 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BgtZAAAAYAAJ&q=amscray+ixnay+pig+latin}}</ref><ref name="mcgrawhill">{{cite book|title=McGraw-Hill Education 3 MCAT Practice Tests, Third Edition|date=2017|publisher=McGraw Hill Professional|isbn=9781259859632 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XMehDQAAQBAJ&q=amscray+ixnay+pig+latin}}</ref>

==Rules==
For words that begin with [[consonant]] sounds, these are also known as consonant blends (two letters that make one sound: e.g., black, slack, clown). The initial consonant blend (or two letters) is moved to the end of the word, then "ay" is added, as in the following examples:<ref name="omni">{{Cite web|url=http://www.omniglot.com/language/phrases/piglatin.htm|title=Useful phrases in Pig Latin (IgpaAtinlay)|website=www.omniglot.com|access-date=2017-01-03}}</ref>
*"pig" = "igpay"
*"latin" = "atinlay"
*"banana" = "ananabay"
*"black" = "ackblay"

For words that begin with [[vowel]] sounds, "way" is added to the end:<ref name="omni"/>
*"a" = "away"
*"open" = "openway"

==In other languages==
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In the German-speaking area, varieties of Pig Latin include {{ill|Kedelkloppersprook|de}}, which originated around [[Hamburg]] harbour, and [[Mattenenglisch]] that was used in the ''Matte'', the traditional [[working class|working-class]] neighborhood of [[Bern]].{{Citation needed|date=September 2018}} Though Mattenenglisch has fallen out of use since the mid-20th century, it is still cultivated by [[voluntary association]]s.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Matteänglisch-Club Bärn - Wer wir sind |url=https://www.matteaenglisch.ch/verein |access-date=2024-06-21 |website=www.matteaenglisch.ch}}</ref> A characteristic of the Mattenenglisch Pig Latin is the complete substitution of the first vowel by ''i'', in addition to the usual moving of the initial consonant cluster and the adding of ''ee''.

The [[Swedish language|Swedish]] equivalent of Pig Latin is Fikonspråket ("Fig language" – see [[Language game#List of common language games|Language game § List of common language games]]).

The [[Finnish language|Finnish]] Pig Latin is known as Kontinkieli ("container language"). After each word, the word kontti "container" is added, the first syllables are switched, so every sentence is converted to twice as many pseudo-words. For example, "wikipedia" ⟶ "wikipedia kontti" ⟶ "kokipedia wintti". Converting the sentence "I love you" ("Minä rakastan sinua") would result in "konä mintti kokastan rantti konua sintti".

In [[Italian language|Italian]], the ''[[Farfallino alphabet|alfabeto farfallino]]'' uses a similar encoding; in [[Spanish language|Spanish]], a similar language variation is called [[Jeringonza]]. Spanish as used in [[Latin America]] has a further form, [[Vesre]], in which the order of syllables is reversed.

In [[Estonian language|Estonian]], the encoding used is 'bi' after the first syllable, e.g. "mina" ('me' in English) would be "mibina".<ref>[https://www.folklore.ee/ukauka/arhiiv/items/show/3252 Bi keel]. folklore.ee</ref>

Another equivalent of Pig Latin is used throughout the [[Slavic language|Slavic]]-speaking parts of the [[Balkans]]. It is called "Šatra" (/sha-tra/)or "[[Šatrovački]]" (/shatro-vachki/) and was used in crime-related and street language. For instance, the Balkan slang name for [[marijuana]] (trava – meaning "grass") turns to "vutra"; the Balkan slang name for [[cocaine]] (belo – meaning "white") turns to lobe, a [[pistol]] (pištolj) turns to štoljpi, [[brother|bro]] (brate) turns to tebra. In the past few years it has become widely used between teenage immigrants in former [[Yugoslavia]]n countries.

[[French language|French]] has the ''[[Louchébem|loucherbem]]'' (or ''louchébem'', or ''largonji''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cnrtl.fr/definition/largonji|title=LARGONJI : Définition de LARGONJI|date=|publisher=Cnrtl.fr|accessdate=2014-03-10}}</ref>) coded language, which supposedly was originally used by butchers (''boucher'' in French).<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://www.persee.fr/web/revues/home/prescript/article/lfr_0023-8368_1991_num_90_1_6200|title=''Larlépem largomuche du louchébem. Parler l'argot du boucher''|author=Françoise Robert l'Argenton|journal=Langue Française |year=1991 |publisher=Parlures argotiques|pages=113–125|language=fr|accessdate=2014-03-10|volume=90 n° 1|doi=10.3406/lfr.1991.6200 }}</ref> In ''loucherbem'', the leading consonant cluster is moved to the end of the word (as in Pig Latin) and replaced by an ''L'', and then a suffix is added at the end of the word (-''oche'', -''em'', -''oque'', etc., depending on the word). Example: ''combien'' (how much) = ''lombienquès''. Similar coded languages are ''[[verlan]]'' and ''langue de feu'' (see [[Javanais]]. A few louchébem words have become usual French words: ''fou'' (crazy) = ''loufoque'' or ''louftingue'', ''portefeuille'' (wallet) = ''larfeuille'', ''en douce'' (on the quiet) = ''en loucedé''.

Similarly, the French argot ''[[verlan]]'', in which the order of the syllables within a word is inverted, is also widely used. The term "verlan" is an [[Autological_word|autological]] example of the process it describes, derived from inverting the syllables of ''l'envers,'' meaning "reverse". Documented initially in the 19th century, Verlan was used as a coded language by criminals in effort to conceal illicit activities from others, including police. Over time, particularly in the late 20th century, its use has proliferated in suburban areas predominantly inhabited by migrant workers. Verlan has served as a language bridge between many of these diverse communities, and its popularity encouraged its spread into [[advertising]], film scripts, French rap and hip-hop music, media, and some French dictionaries. In some cases, Verlanned words have even supplanted their original forms.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=STND&sw=w&u=umpqua&v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE%7CA90553064&asid=b0475de0be51d24e83abf3ddb8258678|title=Backward runs French. Reels the mind. Verlan, a kind of code among immigrants, both confuses and intrigues|last=Stille|first=Alexander|date=2002-08-17|work=The New York Times|access-date=|archive-url=|archive-date=}}</ref>

Here are some French words that have been Verlanned and their English meaning:<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Davis|first=J.J.|date=Autumn 2004|title=Autumn, 2004, Vol. 29 Issue 3, p7, 2 p|url=|journal=Verbatim|volume=29|pages=7|via=}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! French
! Verlan
! English
|-
| bizarre
| zarbi
| weird
|-
| Black (Eng.)
| kebla
| black person
|-
| bloqué
| kéblo
| blocked
|-
| bonjour
| jourbon
| hello
|-
| classe
| secla
| class
|-
| fais chier
| fais iech
| it makes one angry
|-
| femme
| meuf
| woman
|-
| flic
| keuf
| cop
|-
| fou
| ouf
| crazy
|-
| jobard
| barjot
| crazy
|-
| l'envers
| verlan
| reverse
|-
| louche
| chelou
| shady
|-
| mec
| keum
| man
|-
| mère
| reum
| mother
|-
| métro
| tromé
| train
|-
| musique
| sicmu
| music
|-
| père
| reup
| father
|-
| piscine
| cinepi
| pool (swimming)
|-
| pourri
| ripou
| corrupt
|-
| truc
| keutru
| stuff
|-
| vas-y
| zyva
| go for it
|}

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

==References==
{{refbegin|2}}
* Barlow, Jessica. 2001. "Individual differences in the production of initial consonant sequences in Pig Latin." ''[[Lingua (journal)|Lingua]]'' 111:667-696.
* Cowan, Nelson. 1989. "Acquisition of Pig Latin: A Case Study." ''Journal of Child Language'' 16.2:365-386.
* Day, R. 1973. "On learning 'secret languages.'" ''Haskins Laboratories Status Report on Speech Research'' 34:141-150.
* Haycock, Arthur. "Pig Latin." ''American Speech'' 8:3.81.
* McCarthy, John. 1991. "Reduplicative Infixation in Secret Languages" [''L'Infixation reduplicative dans les langages secrets'']. ''[[Langages]]'' 25.101:11-29.
* Vaux, Bert and Andrew Nevins. 2003. "Underdetermination in language games: Survey and analysis of Pig Latin dialects." Linguistic Society of America Annual Meeting, Atlanta.
{{refend}}

[[Category:Language games]]
[[Category:Classical ciphers]]
[[Category:English-based argots]]
[[Category:Cant languages]]