304 



SCIENCE. 



[Vol. XXII. No. 565 



In this list I find "Gibberish," "The Black Slang," "The 

 Khyming Slang," "Medical Greek," "Potters' Latin," "Dog 

 Latin," '-Kobber Language," "Goose Language," "Crane 

 Language," "Zither Language," "Bob-Language," "Erbsen- 

 Language," "Sa-la-Langfuage," "Schu-Language," "If- 

 Language," "B-, P-, W-, 0-, M-, and F-Languages." 



There are many other names besides these. These 

 names, in some instances, seem to be simply arbitrary, but 

 many arise from the use of the languages or from some 

 distinguishing features. "Medical Greek" takes its name 

 from its being used by medical students. "Robber Lan- 

 guage" derives its name from the fact that the children 

 use it in playing that they are robbers. The B-, P-, etc.,- 

 Languages are so called because the letter occurs fre- 

 quently in the designated language. 



That these languages are quite numerous and variously 

 named is shoven from there being in "Am Ur-Quell" more 

 than eighty different kinds named. Twelve of the letters 

 of the alphabet are used as names of these languages, and 

 every letter of the alphabet, except X and Y, is used either 

 as a name or to begin a name among these alphabets. 



I shall not go into details concerning these different 

 languages, but give some few examples: 



1. B-Language. 



Gubuteben morborgeben. 

 (Guten morgen.) 



2. P-Language. 



Gupupen mopopen. 

 (Guten morgen. ) 



3. W-Language. 



Guwuwen momowen. 

 (Guten morgen. ) 



4. 0-Language. 



Jadakokkebob = Jacob. 



5. F-Language. 



(1) Derererfer Baumaumafouun istista- 



fist grniiiinaf tin. (Der Baum ist grlin. ) 



(2) Wennfenenefes donefoch enefendline- 



fichfriihnefulinefing wiinnef urdenefe. 

 (Wenns doch endlingFriihling wiirde.) 



6. Ubbala Abbala Language. (Copenhagen. ) 



Nubbala ebbala jebbala abbala skrib- 

 bala, ubbala leibbala. 



7. Est. -Language. (Copenhagen.) 



Ereseteldgarasatamlarasatalrisitisar- 

 asataforosotold. 



(There are no translations given to 

 these two specimens. ) 



8. Sa-la-Language. 



The writer of this article in "Am Ur- 

 Quell," G. Schlegel, says he found this 

 language among the Chinese children 

 in Amoy in 1858. 



Goasoa kasa lisi kongsong, or, Goal- 

 oasoa kalasa lilisi konglongsong. [Goa 

 (I) ka (to) li (you) kong (say)]. 



9. Robber Language. 



(Used among the children in Guben 

 (Niederlaus). 



Ein fein le fein gu hu le fu tes hes le 

 fes vrort hort le fort fin hin le fln det 

 het le fet ei hei le fei nen hen le fen 

 gu hu le f u ten hen le fen ort hort le 

 fort. 



(Ein gutes Wort findet einen guten 

 Ort.) 



10. Potters' Latin. 



Used by school-children of Danzig 

 and Konigsberg. Each consonant is 

 placed before and after a short 0; the 

 vowels remain single. 



rrischbier=fof ror i schosch bob i 

 ror. 



11. Dog Latin. 



The speech of a little child just learn- 

 ing to talk is termed by some Dog 

 Latin. Dog Latin was, perhaps, though 

 first used, says the writer, as a term of 

 reproach to designate a language, made 

 up by the ancient merchants of Nieven- 

 hagen and Groenstraat, two villages 

 in Southern Limburg. The root words 

 are Limburger Low German; the con- 

 nectives are Low German; but the sub- 

 stantives and verbs are foreign— Hebraic, 

 Latin, French, Old German — but for 

 the most part distorted and corrupted. 



Benk und blag == Mann, thuren = 

 Frau, wuiles = Junge, flitsj = Miidchen, 

 hock = Kredit, keut = Bier, plinten = 

 Lumpen, sipken = ja, nobis = nein. 

 The numbers all had foreign names. 



12. Crane Language. (Denmark.) 



(1) Mads Peder Thomsen. 



Marbe Perbe derbe Thorbe serbe. 



(2) Mads = Adsmand or Adsmaj. 

 Peder = Ederpend or Ederpej. 

 Thomsen = Omsenthond or Omsen- 



thag. 

 3) Magedos Pegede degeder Thogedom ) 

 segeden. 



13. Goose Language. 



Ichicherfich liebiberfieb dichicher- 

 fich ausauserfaus Herzerzerfersgrund- 

 underfund, wieieerfie derererfer Ochs- 

 ocherfochs dasaserfos Heueuerfeubund- 

 underfund. (Ich liebe dich aus 

 Herzensgrund, wie der Ochs das Heu- 

 bund.) 



14. Language of the Cat's Elbow. 



Dod is e kok a tat zog e lol a ssass tot 

 dod a SOS mom a u sos e non non i 

 choch tot. 



(Die Katze lasst das Mausen nicht. ) 



In "Songs and Games of American Children," by Wil- 

 liam Wells Newell, I find the following languages: 



1. Gibbberish (Hog Latin in NewEngland.) 

 Wiggery youggery goggery wiggery miggery? 



(Will you go with me?) 



2. Withus yoovus govus withus meevus? 

 Ivus withus govus withus yoovus. 



(Will you go with me? I will go with you.) 



3. Uwilla uoa ugoa uwitha umea utoa uluncha? (Will 



you go with me to lunch?) (From Cincinnati. ) 



4. Cat Language. 



This is the name of a language invented by children 

 living near Boston, and was used mostly to talk to 

 cats. The various positions of the cat were no- 

 ticed and names given to such. This language 

 seems to have been quite independent of the 

 children's ordinary language. 



One afternoon of last year in Texas one of the younger 

 school -boys said to me: "I can talk so that you cannot 

 understand me; I can talk Tut." This was recalled to me 

 one day this winter, and I wrote to a young High School 

 girl' of that town to gather for me what she could in re- 



