dirty words, pig latin, and the structure of language
TRANSCRIPT
Dirty Words, Pig Latin, and the Structure ofLanguage
Michael Hammond
Dept. of Linguistics, U. of Arizona
Dirty Words/Hammond – p.1/24
What do linguists do?
Dirty Words/Hammond – p.2/24
What do linguists do?
� We want to understand people.
Dirty Words/Hammond – p.2/24
What do linguists do?
� We want to understand people.
� What makes people unique?
Dirty Words/Hammond – p.2/24
What do linguists do?
� We want to understand people.
� What makes people unique? Our minds
Dirty Words/Hammond – p.2/24
What do linguists do?
� We want to understand people.
� What makes people unique? Our minds
� What makes our minds unique?
Dirty Words/Hammond – p.2/24
What do linguists do?
� We want to understand people.
� What makes people unique? Our minds
� 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
Whatdon’t linguists do?
Dirty Words/Hammond – p.4/24
Whatdon’t linguists do?
� We don’t tell people how they should talk.
Dirty Words/Hammond – p.4/24
Whatdon’t linguists do?
� We don’t tell people how they should talk.
� We don’t tell people what the rules oflanguage should be.
Dirty Words/Hammond – p.4/24
Whatdon’t linguists do?
� We don’t tell people how they should talk.
� We don’t tell people what the rules oflanguage should be.
� . . . and we do not necessarily speak a lot oflanguages.
Dirty Words/Hammond – p.4/24
So whatdo linguists do?
Dirty Words/Hammond – p.5/24
So whatdo linguists do?
� We look at how languages work and how theyvary.
Dirty Words/Hammond – p.5/24
So whatdo linguists do?
We look at how languages work and how theyvary.
These tell us how the mind works.
Dirty Words/Hammond – p.5/24
So whatdo linguists do?
We look at how languages work and how theyvary.
These tell us how the mind works.
In particular that there is a rich invisiblestructure underlying language that revealsitself in different ways
Dirty Words/Hammond – p.5/24
So whatdo linguists do?
� We look at how languages work and how theyvary.
� These tell us how the mind works.
� In particular that there is a rich invisiblestructure underlying language that revealsitself in different ways, even in languagegames and dirty words.
Dirty Words/Hammond – p.5/24
High tech
Time (s)0 2.36898
0
5000
Fre
qu
en
cy (
Hz)
Dirty Words/Hammond – p.6/24
High tech
Time (s)0 2.36898
0
5000
Fre
qu
en
cy (
Hz)
“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”
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Low tech?
Two language systems that tell us about that“invisible” structure:
the “Name Game”
Expletive Infixation
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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.
Dirty Words/Hammond – p.8/24
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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How to play
� Replace any word-initial consonants with [b],[f], and [m].
� If there’s no word-initial consonant:Ernie/Anna bernie/banna
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How to play
� Replace any word-initial consonants with [b],[f], and [m].
� If there’s no word-initial consonant:Ernie/Anna bernie/banna
� If there’s just one consonant, replace it:Todd/Bonnie bodd/bonnie
Dirty Words/Hammond – p.10/24
More than one consonant
If there’s more than one consonant, replace themall:
Dirty Words/Hammond – p.11/24
More than one consonant
If there’s more than one consonant, replace themall:Steve/Stella beve/bellaBrad/Brenda bad/bendaDwight/Gwen bight/benStrom/Sprague bom/bag
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More than one consonant
If there’s more than one consonant, replace themall:Steve/Stella beve/bellaBrad/Brenda bad/bendaDwight/Gwen bight/benStrom/Sprague bom/bag
But:Beula/Buford b[y]eula/b[y]uford
Dirty Words/Hammond – p.11/24
Names that work fine
one syllable two syllables three syllablesBob Joseph ChrıstopherAnne Robert MadelineStrom Jonah CatherineEd Mıchael Sergio
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Stress matters
one syllable two syllables three syllablesBób Jóseph ChrístopherÁnne Róbert MádelineStróm Jónah CátherineÉd Míchael Sérgio
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Names that don’t work!
� Two syllables (final stress): Daniélle
� Three syllables (second syllable stress):Amánda
� Three syllables (third syllable stress):Adriénne
� Four syllables+ (any stress): Agamémnon,Ábernathy
Dirty Words/Hammond – p.14/24
Names that don’t work!
� Two syllables (final stress): Daniélle (cf.Dániel)
� Three syllables (second syllable stress):Amánda (cf. Ágatha)
� Three syllables (third syllable stress):Adriénne (cf. Ádrian)
� Four syllables+ (any stress): Agamémnon,Ábernathy
Dirty Words/Hammond – p.14/24
The generalization
The game can be played with names that arecomposed of a “stressed” syllable followed by atmost two (unstressed) syllables.
yes noBób DaniélleJóseph AmándaChrístopher Adriénne
AgamémnonÁbernathy
Dirty Words/Hammond – p.15/24
The generalization
The game can be played with names that arecomposed of a “stressed” syllable followed by atmost two (unstressed) syllables.
yes noBób DaniélleJóseph AmándaChrístopher Adriénne
AgamémnonÁbernathy
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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*–sotaNot: *Mi(n)–f*–nesotaNot: *Minneso–f*–ta
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Some more
Tennessee
Montana
Dirty Words/Hammond – p.17/24
Some more
Tennessee
Tenne–f*–ssee
Montana
Mon–f*–tana
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Some more
Tennessee
Tenne–f*–sseeNot: *Te(n)–f*–nessee
Montana
Mon–f*–tanaNot: *Monta–f*–na
Dirty Words/Hammond – p.17/24
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
Dirty Words/Hammond – p.18/24
Some words don’t work at all!
These work but these don’tMınne–sota MissouriTenne–ssee FloridaMon–tana GeorgiaTım–buk–tu ConnecticutApa–lachi–colaAla–ma–gordo
Dirty Words/Hammond – p.19/24
Stress patterns
These work but these don’tMìnne–sóta MissóuriTènne–ssée FlóridaMòn–tána GeórgiaTìm–bùk–tú ConnécticutÀpa–làchi–cólaÀla–ma–górdo
Dirty Words/Hammond – p.20/24
What’s the pattern?
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What’s the pattern?
� The expletive must have at least one stressedsyllable on either side.
Dirty Words/Hammond – p.21/24
What’s the pattern?
� The expletive must have at least one stressedsyllable on either side.
� If there’s one or more stressless syllables inbetween, at least one of those must be to theleft of the infix.
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The trochaic foot
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The trochaic foot
� There is an invisible grouping of syllables thatcontrols the “Name Game” and ExpletiveInfixation.
Dirty Words/Hammond – p.22/24
The trochaic foot
� There is an invisible grouping of syllables thatcontrols the “Name Game” and ExpletiveInfixation.
� This invisible grouping includes a singlestressed syllable and up to two followingstressless syllables.
Dirty Words/Hammond – p.22/24
The trochaic foot
� There is an invisible grouping of syllables thatcontrols the “Name Game” and ExpletiveInfixation.
� This invisible grouping includes a singlestressed syllable and up to two followingstressless syllables.
� 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.
Dirty Words/Hammond – p.23/24
Confirmation
� Nicknames tend to be of this form as well,e.g. Bóbbie, Cáthy, Jóey, etc.
� Children tend to reduce longer words to justthis pattern as well, e.g. banána ’nána(Gerken, Carter).
Dirty Words/Hammond – p.23/24
Conclusions
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Conclusions
� There are hidden structures in language.
Dirty Words/Hammond – p.24/24
Conclusions
� There are hidden structures in language.
� These can only be detected by looking at howlanguage works in various contexts.
Dirty Words/Hammond – p.24/24
Conclusions
� There are hidden structures in language.
� These can only be detected by looking at howlanguage works in various contexts.
� Here a language game and dirty wordsconverge on the same hidden structure.
Dirty Words/Hammond – p.24/24
Conclusions
� There are hidden structures in language.
� These can only be detected by looking at howlanguage works in various contexts.
� Here a language game and dirty wordsconverge on the same hidden structure.
� People don’t learn how to play this game orinsert the expletive in school.
Dirty Words/Hammond – p.24/24
Conclusions
� There are hidden structures in language.
� These can only be detected by looking at howlanguage works in various contexts.
� Here a language game and dirty wordsconverge on the same hidden structure.
� People don’t learn how to play this game orinsert the expletive in school.
� Poetry and literature may be satisfying toread, but sometimes the most revealinglanguage is of a very different sort.
Dirty Words/Hammond – p.24/24