Secret languages, born from a mixture of pragmatism, seclusion, and boredom, are spoken and understood only by a select few. From Pig Latin uttered in schoolyards to whispers of Lunfardo in the prisons of Argentina, the secretive languages of the world have origins that may delight and surprise you. Boontling In Northern California, a small community speaks a unique amalgamation of an Appalachian dialect, Spanish, and the language of the Pomo tribe called Boontling. It originated in the late 19th or early 20th century in Boonville. There, you can find locals referring to doctors as shoveltooths and roaring flames as jeffers . It supposedly originated among the women and children who toiled in the local hop fields and quickly spread throughout the community. Somehow, despite existing only in a small farm town, it has an expansive 1,600-word vocabulary and around 100 fluent speakers! Pig Latin Ancay ouyay understandyay isthay entencesay? You may decipher that question if you remember Pig Latin from elementary school. Despite disagreements about its linguistic credibility, Pig Latin has existed since Shakespeare’s time (around 400 years ago). Ironically, it is completely unrelated to Latin, and the origin of its name is a mystery. Famous speakers of Pig Latin include founding father Thomas Jefferson, who reportedly wrote letters using the light-hearted language. Lunfardo This language is so secretive that it’s practically criminal . Lunfardo began in the prisons of Buenos Aires, Argentina, where inmates masked their words from the nosy guards. The language has components from Portuguese, Galician, French, and German. For example, if an inmate wanted to compliment a pretty woman, they would call them a papirusa , which means “beautiful woman.” These days, Lunfardo exists mainly in the lyrics of Argentine tango music. Exploring the Origins of Secret Languages
HIDDEN MEANING
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