{{Infobox Language game
, nativename = ''Jeringozo'', ''Idioma de la Pe''
, states =
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
,
Latin America
Latin America or
* french: Amérique Latine, link=no
* ht, Amerik Latin, link=no
* pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...
, classification = Jeringonza
, hostlanguage =
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
,
European Portuguese
European Portuguese ( pt, português europeu, ), also known as Portuguese of Portugal (Portuguese: português de Portugal), Iberian Portuguese (Portuguese: português ibérico), and Peninsular Portuguese (Portuguese: português peninsular), refer ...
,
Brazilian Portuguese
Brazilian Portuguese (' ), also Portuguese of Brazil (', ) or South American Portuguese (') is the set of varieties of the Portuguese language native to Brazil and the most influential form of Portuguese worldwide. It is spoken by almost all of ...
, others
Jeringonza is a
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
language game
A language game (also called a cant, secret language, ludling, or argot) is a system of manipulating spoken words to render them incomprehensible to an untrained listener. Language games are used primarily by groups attempting to conceal their c ...
played by children in
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
and all over
Hispanic America
The region known as Hispanic America (in Spanish called ''Hispanoamérica'' or ''América Hispana'') and historically as Spanish America (''América Española'') is the portion of the Americas comprising the Spanish-speaking countries of North, ...
. It consists of adding the letter ''p'' after each vowel of a word, and repeating the vowel. For example, ''Carlos'' turns into ''Cápar-lopos''.
For syllables with multiple vowels, usually only the stressed vowel is used. '' Australia'' becomes ''Apaus-trapa-liapa''. Some people treat all vowels alike: they would say ''Apa-upus-trapa-lipi-apa''. Yet another variant inserts the ''p''+vowel at the end of all syllables instead of just after the vowel: ''Carlos'' does not become ''Cápar-lopos'' in this version, but ''Carpa-lospo''.
This language game is also known by alternate names in
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
-speaking countries: ''jeringozo'' in
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
and
Uruguay
Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...
, ''jerigonzo'', ''jerigonza'' or ''jerigoncio'' in
Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
and Colombia, and so on. In other countries it is called simply ''idioma de la pe'' (Spanish for '' P-language'') and in Andalucía, "con la pe" (with the P). Most names derive from the Spanish word jerigonza, which can mean either
jargon
Jargon is the specialized terminology associated with a particular field or area of activity. Jargon is normally employed in a particular communicative context and may not be well understood outside that context. The context is usually a partic ...
or gibberish.
This game, with almost identical rules but using either the
European Portuguese
European Portuguese ( pt, português europeu, ), also known as Portuguese of Portugal (Portuguese: português de Portugal), Iberian Portuguese (Portuguese: português ibérico), and Peninsular Portuguese (Portuguese: português peninsular), refer ...
or the
Brazilian Portuguese
Brazilian Portuguese (' ), also Portuguese of Brazil (', ) or South American Portuguese (') is the set of varieties of the Portuguese language native to Brazil and the most influential form of Portuguese worldwide. It is spoken by almost all of ...
language, is popular with
Portuguese
Portuguese may refer to:
* anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal
** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods
** Portuguese language, a Romance language
*** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language
** Portu ...
and
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
ian children under the name of Língua do Pê (Portuguese for ''P-language''), but the word "geringonça" means a complicated, fragile mechanical contraption.http://michaelis.uol.com.br/moderno/portugues/index.php?lingua=portugues-portugues&palavra=geringon%E7a
In other Spanish-speaking countries, similar games add other syllables instead of ''p''+vowel. There are variants that use ''f'' instead of ''p''; this is the case, for example, in
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
, where the game is called ''
alfabeto farfallino
The farfallino alphabet (in Italian alfabeto farfallino) is a language game used primarily in Italy, which can be regarded as an elementary form of substitution cipher. It is usually used by children for amusement or to converse in (perceived) p ...
'', meaning "butterfly alphabet", because many modified words sound like ''farfalla'' (i.e., "butterfly"). Yet other variants add ''ti'', ''cuti'' or ''chi'' before each syllable (thus giving ''ticar-tilós'' and ''tiáus-titrá-tiliá'' for the previous examples).
In Spain, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic, ''chi'' is used. An example would be: ''Tú estás enamorado(da) de mí'' (''You are in love with me''), which would be said: ''Chi-tú chi-es chi-tás chi-e chi-na chi-mo chi-ra chi-do(da) chi-de chi-mi.''
See also
*
Farfallino alphabet
The farfallino alphabet (in Italian alfabeto farfallino) is a language game used primarily in Italy, which can be regarded as an elementary form of substitution cipher. It is usually used by children for amusement or to converse in (perceived) p ...
*
Language game
A language game (also called a cant, secret language, ludling, or argot) is a system of manipulating spoken words to render them incomprehensible to an untrained listener. Language games are used primarily by groups attempting to conceal their c ...
*
Pig Latin
Pig Latin is a language game or argot in which words in English are altered, usually by adding a fabricated suffix or by moving the onset or initial consonant or consonant cluster of a word to the end of the word and adding a vocalic syllable ...
*
Ubbi dubbi
Ubbi dubbi is a language game spoken with the English language. Originating in America in the 17th century, it was popularized by the 1972–1978 PBS children's show '' Zoom''. When ''Zoom'' was revived in 1999 on PBS, Ubbi dubbi was again a fe ...
*
Rosarigasino
Rosarigasino (also known as Gasó) is a language game (in the form of a rhyming slang) traditionally associated with the city of Rosario, , even though very few people, if any, currently employ it.
It is similar to the much more common game of ...
, a similar game from the city of Rosario, Argentina.
*
Variety (linguistics)
In sociolinguistics, a variety, also called an isolect or lect, is a specific form of a language or language cluster. This may include languages, dialects, registers, styles, or other forms of language, as well as a standard variety.Meecham, ...