Fun with Pig Latin

by
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 Since that time the information may have become outdated or my beliefs may have changed (in general, assume a more open and liberal current viewpoint).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. Yesterday I posted a message asking if anyone can teach me how to speak pig latin; I forgot to post my email adress, which is Patrice_P_04@yahoo.com. So now that you know my email adress you can help me…..pah-leeze. I’m begging at this moment of time. So one last time: HELP HELP HELP ME PELEASE.

  2. i can speak pig latin a little i just printed some stuff off the internet and i went to ask.com and typed in pig latin and it said learn pig latin and now i know how to speak it but not fast

  3. ihay allway! iway inkthay atthay enwhay uoyay aysay “my” ouyay aysay itway ikelay isthay “ymay” utbay ronouncepay itway ikelay isthay “imay” ithway away onglay iway. ellway iway opehay iway elpedhay. everyoneway eepkay racticingpay! yebay

  8. HEY PPLS whatsup i speak piglatin fluent i speak faster in pig latin then english hard to believe i been speakign it sence i was 5!!!! yep and im 15 and i speak it so fast pppl the speak it fluently cant keep up so i have to slow it down i also like to add english for one word french another and spanish and thats when you know im a freak couse i know all of them fluently together :P i love pig latin and ill never stop using it

  9. i know some pig latin such as iha=hi,ellowya=yellow,isyay=is,atcay=cat,ogday=dog,oisnay=no-ise,icktay=thick,appleyay=apple.but i know more einglish thin pig latin

  12. Iway ovelay igpay atinlay!!! English Translation for all who don’t know pig latin: I love pig latin!!!

  13. You guys are all nuts.. lol.. I think its way way way easier to speak than it is to read.. My eyes hurt from reading all that garbage..

    Anyone know where pig latin originated?.. I am quite fluent and can speak pig latin well.. but i am trying to explain it to a friend.. and i would like to know some background on it..

    anyway elphay ouldway ebay appreciatedway..

    anxthay.. :)

  15. pig latin is so burnt and my class is doing a project on it! can anyone help me and get me some more info on it?

  16. breanna, i know your name in piglatin…it is eannabray eshayday ovesgray!!! well it was great talking to you and i love your name we should keep in touch!! lol

  18. oday ouyay antway otay ogay otay ethay orestay? ifay ouyay ancay igurefay outay atwhay iway amay ayingsay, enthay atsthay oodgay orfay ouyay! ahayahayahay

  19. Iway earnedlay owhay otay peaksay igpay atinlay inway reethay inutesmay. Itway isway rettypay easyway. Iway aymay otnay ebay ethay martestsay 11 earyay-oldway, utbay atleastway Iway earnedlay eryvay easilyway. Allway ymay riendsfay atway oolschay antsway otay earnlay igpay atinlay ustjay ikelay emay! =)

  20. I’m just learning it. I’mway ustjay earninglay itway. ymay amenay isway racytay andway amway ifteenfay.
    amway iway oingday oodgay?

  22. im only 10 and ive been knowing how to speek pig latin for four and a half years. ive read alot of the comments above and i hear that alot of you want to know how, well i can teach right here. if you want to learn how to say “hey mom can we go shopping at the mall” here it is “eyhay ommay ancay eway ogay oppingshay athay ethay allmay”. for you youngsters out there ask this “hey dad can we go eat ice cream” “eyhay adday ancay eway ogay eathay icehay reamcay ” and for you teenagers heres one for you, “but why i dont want to lets go get a manicure or a pedicure instead” “utbay ywhay ihay ontday antway otay etslay ogay etgay ahay anicuremay orhay ahay edicurepay inhay eadstay”. have a fun time speaking pig latin!!! !:-)!(-:!

  23. igpay atinlay ockray ymay ockssay. on’tday nowkay hatway I’dway oday ithoutway it. I ustjay earndlay it otnay otay onglay agoway. utbay henway ouyay pecksay itway itway oundssay ikelay ellway itway oundssay eirdway. ollay

    • Oannajay (Joanna)

    P.s. Ifway ouyay isitevay ymay itesay hetay asspay isway asswordaay
    (if you visite my site the password is password)

  25. hethay igpay atinlay asway eryvay easyay otay understanday…Iay idn’tday eallyray aveha otay hinktha aboutay hatway ouyay ereway ayingsay….lol

  26. hi im kate and a boy in my class is the one who told me this its easy and fun

    your person your rtrying to teach u show give him or her a sentence like ouryay eetfay inkstay and then see if they can get it like a puzzle thats how i learnd but does any one no a easy way to learn spanish im really interested

  27. eyhay iay ovelay igpay attinlay nday tiay siay osay uchmay unfay otay peaksay noay ymay usbay emay ndaay ymay riendfay alktay niay igpay attinlay llay hetay imetay ndaay onay neoay nowskay hatway eway reaay ayingsay ellway yebay yebay

  30. amnday! atthay ingbray’s ackbay emoriesmay ofway oolschay ayday’s. iway ememberray eakingspay igpay atinlay inway iencesay toway isspay offway myway eachertay.
    igbay upay ethay igpay atinlay

  31. eakingspay igpay atlinpay isway osay uchmay unfay iway ovelay to peaksay itway andway iway an’tcay aitway to rytay itway onway everyway oneway

                        aninejay

  32. Ellohay iglattinpay onfusescay emay eryvay uchmay. I ancay peaksay tiay if I ogay lowsay nougheay utbay histay robablypy osentday akemay nyay enseay
    oodgay ybe orfay ownay
    ~abrinazay

  37. Is it weird that I am 12 and I can speak pig latin like English. I learned it like the day that I was taught it.

  38. I learned pig latin at 10 yrs old lol bc i watched a TV show that had nothing to do with pig latin..odd. Since then pig latin has been my second language.

    YeBay YeBay,

    IaMay ;-)

    p.s. evryone can learn pig latin if they want :-)

  40. Pig lattin is sooo cool! Now that I have learned it me and my friend speak it at school all the time! If you think about it, it is really easy to do. I would say it just takes time, effort, and practice to be really good to do it!!

  42. I speak Pig Latin very fluently. I’ve been speaking since I was really little. I can help yuh guys out…Its really easy. here are some sentances…Iay eakspay igpay atinlay!

  48. me ndaay myay riendfay peaksay igpay attinlay ikelay nglishieay utbay weay ontday doay hetay etterslay ndaay hetay hingtay ithway hetay wotay etterlay ordway ingthay. ifay weay hereway toay aysay “if the cow dies who cares.” weay ouldway aysay, “fiay ehtay owcay iesday owhay erascay.” oray “i HATE IAN!!!” itay ouldway beay,”iay ATEHAY NIAAY!!!” byay ethay ayway me ndaay ozzalay ockray!!!! ME N LOZZA ROCH AT PIG LATTIN!!!!:-)

Comments are closed.