Idioglossia

2025-06-07T07:20:49Z

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{{Short description|Idiosyncratic language}}
{{for|the play by Mark Handley|Idioglossia (play){{!}}''Idioglossia'' (play)}}
An '''idioglossia''' (from the [[Ancient Greek]] {{lang|grc|ἴδιος}} {{lang|grc-Latn|ídios}}, 'own, personal, distinct' and {{lang|grc|γλῶσσα}} {{lang|grc-Latn|glôssa}}, 'tongue') is an [[idiosyncrasy|idiosyncratic]] [[language]] invented and spoken by only one or two people. Most often, ''idioglossia'' refers to the "private languages" of young children, especially [[twin]]s, the latter being more specifically known as [[cryptophasia]], and commonly referred to as '''twin talk''' or '''twin speech'''.

Children who are exposed to multiple languages from birth are also inclined to create idioglossias, but these languages usually disappear at a relatively early age, giving way to use of one or more of the languages introduced.

==Examples==
===Case studies===
* Sam and Ren McEntee, 18-month-old twins.<ref name="twin2">Moisse, Katie (March 30, 2011). [https://abcnews.go.com/Health/Wellness/twin-talk-video-babies-babble-adults/story?id=13246486 "Babies Learn How Conversation Works Before They Learn Words"]. [[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]].</ref>
* [[June and Jennifer Gibbons]]
* [[Poto and Cabengo|Kennedy twins]] of [[San Diego]], California. (They named themselves "Poto and Cabengo")

===Media===
* [[Poto and Cabengo]] in a film of the same name by [[Jean-Pierre Gorin]] (1980)
* Twins [[Zarana]] and [[Zandar]] of the ''[[G.I. Joe]]'' franchise speak their own idioglossia.
* The 1994 film ''[[Nell (film)|Nell]]'', starring [[Jodie Foster]], depicts a woman who speaks an idioglossia. The stage play on which it is based is also called ''[[Idioglossia (play)|Idioglossia]]''.
* The [[concept album]] ''[[The Perfect Element, Part I]]'', by [[Pain of Salvation]], is centered on a song titled "Idioglossia".
* [[James Joyce]]'s novel, ''[[Finnegans Wake]]'', was written using an idioglossia.{{citation needed|date=May 2020}}
* ''[[Skins (UK TV series)|Skins]]'' Series 3, Episode 9 features [[Katie Fitch|Katie]] and [[Emily Fitch]] using an idioglossia.
* [[List of recurring The Simpsons characters#Sherri and Terri|Sherri and Terri]] on ''[[The Simpsons]]'' sometimes use an idioglossia.
* The two teenage protagonists of the film ''[[Disco Pigs]]'', Darren and Sinéad, use an idioglossia.
* Singer, musician, and composer [[Lisa Gerrard]] (of [[Dead Can Dance]] and in her solo career) sings many of her songs (e.g. "[[The Mirror Pool|Glorafin]]") in an idioglossia that she has developed since the age of twelve.
* Some parts of [[Coil (band)|Coil]] track "[[Musick to Play in the Dark Vol. 2|Batwings (A Limnal Hymn)]]" is in an idioglossia invented by [[John Balance]]. [[Peter Christopherson]] described it as "a language that only he knows".
* The twin brothers Jim and Tim Possible from the [[Disney Channel]] series ''[[Kim Possible]]'' often use twinspeak.
* Twins Marilyn and Carolyn Arnold from ''[[The Baby-Sitters Club]]'' book series used this early on.
* In the 2005 ''[[Law & Order: Special Victims Unit]]'' episode "Identity", teenage twins Logan and Lindsay Stanton ([[Reiley McClendon]]) speak to each other in twin language while both are being interrogated in a murder investigation by Detectives [[Elliot Stabler|Stabler]] and [[Olivia Benson|Benson]] ([[Christopher Meloni]] and [[Mariska Hargitay]], respectively). Detective Stabler recognizes their language as "twin speak" because he himself is the [[Elliot Stabler#Family|father of twins]] and remarks that his twins had their own language when they were young as well.
* In the 2010 ''[[American Dad!]]'' episode "Son of Stan", Steve and his temporarily created clone, Steve-arino (voice of [[Scott Grimes]]), were briefly seen using an idioglossia in speaking to each other.
* In episode 212 of the television show ''[[Rules of Engagement (TV series)|Rules of Engagement]]'', twins attending a party speak in twin language and state that twins often have their own language that only they can understand.
* The television series ''[[Second Chance (2016 TV series)|Second Chance]]'' have twin sister and brother Mary and Otto Goodwin, who sometimes use twin speak to communicate with each other.
* In the series finale of ''[[The Office (American TV series)|The Office]]'', [[Angela Martin]] and her sister Rachael Martin use twin speak at Angela's [[bachelorette party]].
* Some lyrics of French rock group ''[[Magma (band)|Magma]]'' are sung in [[Kobaïan]], an idioglossia invented by the group founder [[Christian Vander (musician)|Christian Vander]]. The language was intended not for speaking but for singing.

==See also==
* [[Conlang]]
* [[Argot]]s, secret languages used to prevent others from understanding conversations
* [[Glossolalia]]
* [[Home sign]], a similar phenomenon among sign languages
* [[Non-lexical vocables in music]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite journal |last=Bakker |first=P. |title=Autonomous languages of twins |journal=[[Acta Geneticae Medicae et Gemellologiae]] |location=Roma |date=April 1987 |volume=36 |issue=2 |pages=233–238 |pmid=3434134 |doi=10.1017/s0001566000004463|doi-access=free}}

[[Category:Macaronic language]]

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Idioglossia