Fun with Pig Latin

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This entry was published at least two years ago (originally posted on August 14, 2003). Since that time the information may have become outdated or my beliefs may have changed (in general, assume a more open and liberal current viewpoint). A fuller disclaimer is available.

Filter Pad’s Ouyay Eelin’fay Eemay? post reminded me of a story from years ago.

Just after I graduated High School, I went on a trip with the Bartlett High School German Club to Germany for two months — one month living with a host family and going to school, and one month backpacking all over the country. While we were there, my friend Stiffy and I, being teenage boys, really wanted to be able to talk about girls, and point out choice bits of eye candy when we could. Unfortunately, at first we weren’t sure how. Our German was passable, but not fluent, and everyone around us spoke German also. English wouldn’t work either, as Europeans tend to start learning English in about third grade.

The solution? Pig Latin.

Even after we explained the concept to our German friends, they never could quite wrap their heads around it. Meanwhile, Stiffy and I kept using it, even for normal conversations so we could keep in practice. Eventually, we got to the point where we could speak Pig Latin not quite as fast as we could speak English, but certainly faster than we could speak German.

One night late in the trip, we were babbling in our room at the youth hostel we were at before we passed out, practicing our Pig Latin. Suddenly, one of the other guys in the room broke in to ask us what we were talking about. Turns out that though he could translate the Pig Latin okay, we still weren’t making any sense — our brains, faced with a mishmash of English, German, and Pig Latin, had started to play games with us. Without even realizing that we’d been doing it, we had been speaking Pig Latin, only using the German word order for our sentences. Even our friends couldn’t keep up with our conversations anymore, because in addition to having to translate from Pig Latin to English, they also had to re-order the words to fit English grammar, and by that time, Stiffy and I had moved on to some other subject.

It constantly amazes me what the human brain can do when you’re not paying much attention to it.

Evennay ownay, it’sway eallyray easyway orfay emay otay eakspay Igpay Atinlay ithoutway avinghay otay inkthay aboutway itway uchmay atway allway. Ypingtay itway isway away ittlelay oremay ifficutlday, utbay eakingspay itway? Easyway asway iepay.

105 thoughts on “Fun with Pig Latin”

  1. How scary is it that I am able to read that last paragraph as though it was in non-Pig Latin? :)

    Remind me to teach you Ong sometime next week!

  2. My first roommate in the dorm spoke only pig latin on the phone with his siblings. After some time it was a little like listening to a foreign language radio station. You could pretty much keep up with the general idea of what’s going on.

  3. I find I can only read the last paragraph if I presume it’s something my brain understands, even if my rational thought process is telling me otherwise.

    Shockingly enough, it works. That’s crazy, man. I can only picture the horror of combining Navajo and Pig Latin.

    • its very easy take the first letter put it on theend of the word and add ay so pig would be igpay banana would be annabay its easy once you get the hang of it :)

  7. iay nderstooduay hattay aragraphpay utbay iay hinktay tsiay asiereay otay ypetay tiay ndaay eadray tiay hantay peakingsay ecausebay iay tillsay annotcay peaksay aay ordway foay tiay utbay miay rettypay oodgay taay eadingray ndaay nderstandinguay tiay. elltay emay fiay uoyay nderstooduay hatway iay roteway…alkaay otay ouyay aterlay yebay yebay

  9. Cassie, Cally —

    Pig Latin is quite easy, really. There are only two rules for Pig Latin:

    1. If a word begins with a consonant, you move that consonant to the end of the word, and add ‘ay’ to the end. So, “pig latin” becomes “igpay atinlay”. This includes the full sound of the beginning of the word, so a word like ‘should’ becomes ‘ouldshay’, not ‘houldsay’ — the sound of the word is more important than the spelling.
    2. If a word begins with a vowel, you add ‘way’ at the end. So, ‘ever’ becomes ‘everway’.

    And that’s it!

    Andway ownay ouyay ouldshay ebay ableway otay eadray, eakspay, andway itewray Igpay Atinlay. Acticepray oesday akemay erfectpay, oughthay, osay ebay uresay otay orkway onway itway eneverwhay ouyay ancay!

  10. hiya, well ave gotta story myself ……. a was goin out wiv this lad and he was from Walker(newcastle) and he came down where i lived and started talking in pig latin 2 his friend and me and my friends didnt have a clue what they were going on about. we had never herd any1 say it before and i had never herd of pig latin. its quiet funny wen i look back they called it ”The Walker Talk” as they started saying more things in pig latin a started 2 grasp a little not all but a little bit of what they were saying.a few months later we were all talking about it and 1 of my friends said that it was called pig latin and not ”the walker talk” a burst out laughing and i was really determand to speak Pig Latin i still havnt learnt but i really want 2. i can write things down in pig latin but i cant seem 2 say it!!!! can sum1 please help me i would really like it if u could thank you -xXx-
    just email me please thanx

  11. ohay aray ouyay oingday? igpay atinlay isay easyay. on’tday ouyay inkthay osay?
    oolcay istesay, oughthay.
    yebay!

    -elsaMay

  12. i to have a story which i will type in pig latin cause i am trying to become fluent right now. ymay ewnay oyfrined’sbay ittlay otherbray eaksspay igpay atinlay oremay anthay englishway, andway enwhay iway etmay imhay, ehay artedstay oinggay onway andway onway inway igpay atinlay, andway iway ouldn’tcay understandway anyway ofway itway. everway incesay enthay, i’veway eenbay usingay igpay atinlay aswat uchmay asway ossiblepay. iway amway ettypray oodgay atwat itway, actuallyway. iway eednay away iitlelway acticepray atway eakingspay itway, oughthay!

  15. hey i kinda got this bu i still need to learn more im a little rusty so letme write a sentence eyhay isway histay orrectcay ellway imway otnay uresay osay iway eednay otay ogay yebay

  16. I’d like to know if it comes from a particular dialect or what else.. I mean this idea of putting the first consonant followed by an “ay” at the end of a word. I’m writing my thesis on the netspeak so can anyone be useful to me? ^_^ thanx a lot mail me if u want.

  22. eyhay iyay inkthay igpay atinlay isyay eatgray andway itsyay osoay uchmay unfay otay eakspay, erewhay oesday ityay omecay omfray

  23. hey there!! for everyone who wants to learn pig latin I can speak it very fluently. If you want to know how to speak it, please contact me or PLEASE post a message concerning this post.
    **thanks, ~WoNdErFuL~

  25. can some one teach me pig lation i only noe a little but i still need to learn alot so if u can help me plze email me as fast as u can plze
    thank u
    kayla

  26. Iway asway inspiredway otay earnlay igpay atinlay ybay away andomray earchsay ofway atinlay ientificscay amesnay ofway igspay onway ethay internetway, orfay away iologybay assignmentway, alktay aboutway idetrackedsay. Itway oundesay ettypray oolcay iway oldtay elfmys, andway ownay iway eakspay atwhay isway eantmay otay ebay ethay ostmay opularpay ialectday afterway onay oremay anthay anway ourhay.

    Thats right, one hour to learn how to completely desipher pig latin “on the fly”, learning it is piss weak, the true test will be speaking it now. Two questions
    1. Is the dialect i have used the most popular, is that good or bad?
    2. And what the uckfay do you do when the word has no vowels, eg My, By.

  28. I can speak pig latin, but I can only read it if I say it outloud. Well, I can read it without saying it, but it takes me a lot longer. When I was about five years old, my sister, who was eight, taught me pig latin, and told me that she made it up. I thought it was out own secret language until we were talking to each other in pig latin and my grandpa started talking in pig latin too. I used to be able to speak it as easily as english, but now I have lost it a bit and it is harder for me. And by the way, if there are no vowels, like in my and by, I think “y” becomes a vowel, the same as in english. so it would be ymay or ybay. Is this right? Because thats how I do it anyways.

  31. Iway ustjay earnedlay igpay atinlay ustjay away ewfay aysday agoway! Iway ikelay
    itway ! ehehay!

    -ayyay

  32. Iway ustjay earnedlay igpay atinlay ustjay away ewfay aysday agoway! Iway ikelay
    itway ! ehehay!

    -ayyay

  33. Away riendfay andway iway ereway inspiredway otay eakspay igpay atinlay uringday away acationvay. eWay antedway otay ebay ableway otay eakspay ithoutway interuptionway. Anway easyway ayway otay oday atthay asway otay eakspay, everyone antedway otay owknay atwhay inway hetay orldway eway ereway alkingtay aboutway. Itway asway rettypay unnyfay otay eesay hetay ookslay onway eoplespay acesfay henway heytay eardhay usway. Eway entway inway otay esturauntsray, toressay ustjay aboutway everywhereway.

  34. i speak fluent pig latin every day but i speak it faster and better than i do
    english and sometimes i end up talking in pig when i’m not even thinking about doing it
    it :):):P

  38. eyhay eoplepay! Iway amway ookinglay orfay oeplepay otay racticepay igpay atinlay ithway. ifway ouyay areway interestedway e-mailway emay!

  39. Iway ustjay artedstay otay eakspay ipgay atinlay ixsay ourshay agoway. Iway indfay itway alotway easyierway otay eakspay anthay otay istenlay andway otay eadray anthay otay ypeyay… Iway ounderway ywhay? Areway erethay anyway ipstay youway ouldway ivegay omeonesay owhay isway aiming otay ecomebay uentflay?

    Paseplay e-mailway emay!

  40. osay, iay ustjay eltfay ikelay ostingpay omethingsay ecausebay iay amay eallyray oardbay. Iay eesay hattay omesay eoplepay utpay “WAY” noay hetay enday ofay heirtay ordsway insteaday ofay ustjay “AY” hatsay interestingay…oodgay-ightnay.

  41. Ihay owhay areway ouyay?
    otway avehay eenbay oingday?
    igpay atinlay isway oolkay!
    Iway avehay nowkay itway orfay agesway!!
    iway earendlay itway osay iway ouldcay alktay otay ymay reindsfay aboutway ymay ifelay.
    everyway ayday iway alktay otay ymay reindsfay inway itway!
    elasepay riteway ackbay!
    iwikay!

  42. iway an’tcay elievebay atthay isthay isway osay easyway! I’veway evernay eardhay ofway itway eforebay. Iway usedway otay eakspay anotherway anguagelay eway alledcay “WuvvaGuv”. atthay asway easierway otay eakspay asway youway ustjay addeddway uvvag eforebay eachway owelvay unlessway itsway ethay astlay oneway osay ellohay ouldway ebay:
    hauvvagelluvvago, andway ellohay owhay areway youway ouldway ebay:
    huvvagelluvvago huvvagow uvvagare yuvvagou!
    igpay atinlay ookslay uchmay icernay!
    xxx

  43. I love new dialects! weeeh! i made two up one’s called Chori..UuUuUu…and the other is Hereshere…
    Utbay Iway Ovelay Igpay Atinnlay! Iway alsoway Ovelay Ougday! Ehay, Ehay, Ehay….

    Illakay…

  46. hey ever1 i can read and kinda sortawrite PL but i cant speek it and wanna no how cause it sounds really kool and yaz if u can hepl me in any way e_mail me or im me at tbug_88@yahoo.com
    or screenname :tbug_88 on yahoo im
    thanx
    Tiffany XxX

  47. Pig latin is VERY easy. Infact I ( because I was sick of all the people understanding me when I spoke pig latin) made up a more complicated version.

    My version called Ubidubtay. (ubisthtay subitay ubowhtay ubewtay ubalktay.) —

    yeah… my friends and I are experts at my own version which is one step higher than Pig Latin. Believe me NO ONE will understand you if you learn how to talk (Ubidubtay). It is far too complicated for people to figure out what your saying. But it takes alot of practice. My friends and I have spent 5 years talking Ubidubtay. At first we were going crazy because it was sooo hard. So we stuck to writting. But then we got to speaking it. It was very hard at first. But then with alot of practicing we got the hang of it. !!!! Ubidubtay is GREAT for writting letters that you dont want anyone else to figure out. My journals at home are all written in Ubidubtay. My parents cant figure it out. Though I have nothing in the journal that they need to worrie about. but yes.. if you want to learn Ubidubtay you need to be an expert in pig lattin.

    Go online to http://www.google.com and search up pig latin.You can choose from alot of sites how to learn how to speak pig latin.

    You can always e-mail me if you want more info. Or find me on http://www.xanga.com/Mepish .

  49. ymay iendsfray ereway argueingway owhay otay eakspay igpay atinlay, osay iway ookeslay upway isthay itesay otay eesay ichwhay oneway asway ightray.

    ouyay itesay asway eryvay elpfulhay.

    ankthay uoyay!

  50. Can someone out there please email me on how to speak pig latin?!? I really need to know how to speak it. If anyone out there can email me it would be a great pleasure!

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