Dirty Words, Pig Latin, and the Structure of Language Michael Hammond Dept. of Linguistics, U. of Arizona
Dirty Words/Hammond – p.1/24
What do linguists do?
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What do linguists do? We want to understand people.
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We want to understand people.
What do linguists do? What makes people unique?
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We want to understand people.
What do linguists do? What makes people unique? Our minds
Dirty Words/Hammond – p.2/24
We want to understand people.
What makes people unique? Our minds
What do linguists do?
What makes our minds unique?
Dirty Words/Hammond – p.2/24
We want to understand people.
What makes people unique? Our minds
What do linguists do?
What makes our minds unique? Language
Dirty Words/Hammond – p.2/24
Ernie
Dirty Words/Hammond – p.3/24
Ernie
Birds, bees, dogs, etc. all “communicate” Dirty Words/Hammond – p.3/24
Ernie
Birds, bees, dogs, etc. all “communicate” . . . but is it language? Dirty Words/Hammond – p.3/24
What don’t linguists do?
Dirty Words/Hammond – p.4/24
What don’t linguists do? We don’t tell people how they should talk.
Dirty Words/Hammond – p.4/24
We don’t tell people how they should talk.
What don’t linguists do? We don’t tell people what the rules of language should be.
Dirty Words/Hammond – p.4/24
We don’t tell people how they should talk.
We don’t tell people what the rules of language should be.
What don’t linguists do?
. . . and we do not necessarily speak a lot of languages.
Dirty Words/Hammond – p.4/24
So what do linguists do?
Dirty Words/Hammond – p.5/24
So what do linguists do? We look at how languages work and how they vary.
Dirty Words/Hammond – p.5/24
We look at how languages work and how they vary.
So what do linguists do?
These tell us how the mind works.
Dirty Words/Hammond – p.5/24
We look at how languages work and how they vary.
These tell us how the mind works.
So what do linguists do?
In particular that there is a rich invisible structure underlying language that reveals itself in different ways
Dirty Words/Hammond – p.5/24
We look at how languages work and how they vary.
These tell us how the mind works.
So what do linguists do?
In particular that there is a rich invisible structure underlying language that reveals itself in different ways, even in language games and dirty words.
Dirty Words/Hammond – p.5/24
High tech
Frequency (Hz)
5000
0 0
2.36898 Time (s)
Dirty Words/Hammond – p.6/24
High tech
Frequency (Hz)
5000
0 0
2.36898 Time (s)
“Ernie, Ernie, bo-bernie. . .
Dirty Words/Hammond – p.6/24
Low tech? Two language systems that tell us about that “invisible” structure:
Dirty Words/Hammond – p.7/24
Low tech?
Two language systems that tell us about that “invisible” structure: the “Name Game”
Dirty Words/Hammond – p.7/24
Low tech?
the “Name Game”
Two language systems that tell us about that “invisible” structure:
Expletive Infixation
Dirty Words/Hammond – p.7/24
The “Name Game” Ernie
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The “Name Game” Ernie, Ernie, bo-Bernie, Banana, fana, fo-Fernie, Me, my, mo-Mernie, Er-nie.
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Another name Jonah
Dirty Words/Hammond – p.9/24
Another name Jonah, Jonah, bo-bonah, Banana, fana, fo-Fonah, Me, my, mo-Monah, Jo-nah.
Dirty Words/Hammond – p.9/24
How to play
Dirty Words/Hammond – p.10/24
How to play Replace any word-initial consonants with [b], [f], and [m].
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Replace any word-initial consonants with [b], [f], and [m].
How to play
If there’s no word-initial consonant: Ernie/Anna bernie/banna
Dirty Words/Hammond – p.10/24
Replace any word-initial consonants with [b], [f], and [m].
If there’s no word-initial consonant: Ernie/Anna bernie/banna
How to play
If there’s just one consonant, replace it: Todd/Bonnie bodd/bonnie
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More than one consonant If there’s more than one consonant, replace them all:
Dirty Words/Hammond – p.11/24
More than one consonant If there’s more than one consonant, replace them all: Steve/Stella beve/bella Brad/Brenda bad/benda Dwight/Gwen bight/ben Strom/Sprague bom/bag
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More than one consonant If there’s more than one consonant, replace them all: Steve/Stella beve/bella Brad/Brenda bad/benda Dwight/Gwen bight/ben Strom/Sprague bom/bag But: Beula/Buford
b[y]eula/b[y]uford
Dirty Words/Hammond – p.11/24
Names that work fine one syllable Bob Anne Strom Ed
two syllables Joseph Robert Jonah Mıchael
three syllables Chrıstopher Madeline Catherine Sergio
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Stress matters one syllable Bób Ánne Stróm Éd
two syllables Jóseph Róbert Jónah Míchael
three syllables Chrístopher Mádeline Cátherine Sérgio
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Two syllables (final stress): Daniélle
Three syllables (second syllable stress): Amánda
Three syllables (third syllable stress): Adriénne
Names that don’t work!
Four syllables+ (any stress): Agamémnon, Ábernathy
Dirty Words/Hammond – p.14/24
Two syllables (final stress): Daniélle (cf. Dániel)
Three syllables (second syllable stress): Amánda (cf. Ágatha)
Three syllables (third syllable stress): Adriénne (cf. Ádrian)
Names that don’t work!
Four syllables+ (any stress): Agamémnon, Ábernathy
Dirty Words/Hammond – p.14/24
The generalization The game can be played with names that are composed of a “stressed” syllable followed by at most two (unstressed) syllables. yes no Bób Daniélle Jóseph Amánda Chrístopher Adriénne Agamémnon Ábernathy Dirty Words/Hammond – p.15/24
The generalization The game can be played with names that are composed of a “stressed” syllable followed by at most two (unstressed) syllables. yes no Bób Daniélle Jóseph Amánda Chrístopher Adriénne Agamémnon Ábernathy Dirty Words/Hammond – p.15/24
Don’t be offended! Minnesota
Dirty Words/Hammond – p.16/24
Don’t be offended! Minnesota Minne–f*–sota
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Don’t be offended! Minnesota Minne–f*–sota Not: *Mi(n)–f*–nesota Not: *Minneso–f*–ta
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Some more Tennessee
Montana
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Some more Tennessee Tenne–f*–ssee Montana Mon–f*–tana
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Some more Tennessee Tenne–f*–ssee Not: *Te(n)–f*–nessee Montana Mon–f*–tana Not: *Monta–f*–na
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Multiple options Timbuktu
Apalachicola
Alamagordo
Dirty Words/Hammond – p.18/24
Multiple options Timbuktu Tim–f*–buktu and Timbuk–f*–tu Apalachicola Apa–f*–lachicola and Apalachi–f*–cola Alamagordo Ala–f*–magordo and Alama–f*–gordo
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Some words don’t work at all! These work Mınne–sota Tenne–ssee Mon–tana Tım–buk–tu Apa–lachi–cola Ala–ma–gordo
but these don’t Missouri Florida Georgia Connecticut
Dirty Words/Hammond – p.19/24
Stress patterns These work Mìnne–sóta Tènne–ssée Mòn–tána Tìm–bùk–tú Àpa–làchi–cóla Àla–ma–górdo
but these don’t Missóuri Flórida Geórgia Connécticut
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What’s the pattern?
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What’s the pattern? The expletive must have at least one stressed syllable on either side.
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The expletive must have at least one stressed syllable on either side.
What’s the pattern?
If there’s one or more stressless syllables in between, at least one of those must be to the left of the infix.
Dirty Words/Hammond – p.21/24
The trochaic foot
Dirty Words/Hammond – p.22/24
The trochaic foot There is an invisible grouping of syllables that controls the “Name Game” and Expletive Infixation.
Dirty Words/Hammond – p.22/24
There is an invisible grouping of syllables that controls the “Name Game” and Expletive Infixation.
The trochaic foot
This invisible grouping includes a single stressed syllable and up to two following stressless syllables.
Dirty Words/Hammond – p.22/24
There is an invisible grouping of syllables that controls the “Name Game” and Expletive Infixation.
This invisible grouping includes a single stressed syllable and up to two following stressless syllables.
The trochaic foot
This is called the trochaic foot.
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Confirmation
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Confirmation Nicknames tend to be of this form as well, e.g. Bóbbie, Cáthy, Jóey, etc.
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Nicknames tend to be of this form as well, e.g. Bóbbie, Cáthy, Jóey, etc.
Confirmation
Children tend to reduce longer words to just this pattern as well, e.g. banána ’nána (Gerken, Carter).
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Conclusions
Dirty Words/Hammond – p.24/24
Conclusions There are hidden structures in language.
Dirty Words/Hammond – p.24/24
There are hidden structures in language.
Conclusions These can only be detected by looking at how language works in various contexts.
Dirty Words/Hammond – p.24/24
There are hidden structures in language.
These can only be detected by looking at how language works in various contexts.
Conclusions
Here a language game and dirty words converge on the same hidden structure.
Dirty Words/Hammond – p.24/24
There are hidden structures in language.
These can only be detected by looking at how language works in various contexts.
Here a language game and dirty words converge on the same hidden structure.
Conclusions
People don’t learn how to play this game or insert the expletive in school.
Dirty Words/Hammond – p.24/24
There are hidden structures in language.
These can only be detected by looking at how language works in various contexts.
Here a language game and dirty words converge on the same hidden structure.
People don’t learn how to play this game or insert the expletive in school.
Conclusions
Poetry and literature may be satisfying to read, but sometimes the most revealing language is of a very different sort. Dirty Words/Hammond – p.24/24
