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Imetay orfay aay illysay eakbray

© Sandra Linville

"Inglejay ellsbay, inglejay ellsbay, inglejay allay ethay ayway..." Remember the refrain from a Spike Jones Christmas album? Or "ixnay, Barney, ixnay" from Fred Flintstone? Does this sound familiar only to Americans or are other English-speaking people fluent in this language? I remember it from my childhood. For those who are totally confused, it is Pig Latin.

If I correctly remember the rules, they are fairly simple to execute. The main rule is something like this - move the first letter to the back and add ay (hello - ellowhay). If the word has two consonants move both to the word's end and add ay (cheers - eerschay). If the word begins with a vowel, just add ay (also - alsoay). Or something like that. If I have forgotten some nuance of the language, please let me know. It has been a reatgay umbernay ofay earsyay incesay Iay pokesay Igpay Atinlay.

Ready for a frivolous pause in your schedule? You can read this article or any column in Suite101.com as well as any other web site in Pig Latin. The Pig Latin converter at http://voyager.cns.ohiou.edu/~jrantane/m... will translate for you.

For a charming walk through Winnie-the-Pooh's 100-acre woods and a visit with Igletpay, Eeyoreaya, Abbitray, Iggertay, Owlay, Angakay, ooray anday Hristophercay Obinray, try this at http://voyager.cns.ohiou.edu/~jrantane/c...

If you want your very own English-To-Pig Latin Translator for Windows, you can order one at Jon Vote's Pig-hEaDIT at http://www.immigration-usa.com/pig.html This is no official endorsement since I haven't tried it. I have been content to while away a few minutes with the Pig Latin converter.

If you have a few more minutes for silliness you can expand your horizons with Samuel Stoddard's Dialectizer site. Read web sites in Cockney or Elmer Fudd as well as others by visiting http://www.rinkworks.com/dialect

In future articles, I will explore other constructed and artificial languages, including Tolkien's complex webs of words. However, I would like to know about other childhood made-up languages. I've heard rumors about languages called oppish and double-dutch, but I don't know anything else about them. Let me know about any others. Also, if you know of any variations in any languages other than English, let me know.

Aymay ouyay ivelay onglay anday rosperpay.

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