Re: VMs: Voynichese as an Abugida

[Nick Pelling <nickpelling@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

BTW, first recorded use of the phrase "Pig Latin" was 1937, according to 
this site:-
	http://www.etymonline.com/p5etym.htm

However, Pig Latin itself is certainly older: for example, Ginger Rogers 
(wearing a dress apparently made of coins) sang one verse of "We're in the 
money" in Pig Latin in "Gold Diggers of 1933" (made, unsurprisingly, in 
1933). It also appeared in the film "Bed of Roses" (1933), but everyone 
seems far happier to remember Ginger's jingling currency. :-)

Here's a link to a long posting on language games, which mentions Mimi 
Klaiman's description of some Bengali Pig Latin games (including cibocisa), 
Cazarny/Carny talk, and an Argentinian Pig Latin (Jerigonza/Jerigoza), etc etc.
	http://listserv.linguistlist.org/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind9406E&L=linguist&P=R2022

BTW, there's also the (closely related?) Verlan & Louchebem/Louchebem to 
consider: the latter seemd to be a French butchers' slang from the mid 19th 
century, but I don't know how old the former is:-
	http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/slang

And that brings us neatly round to Polari, the famous stage-door Lingua 
Franca / Romany / back-slang mix - "How bona to vada your ecaf" etc. And 
from there to pretty much anywhere you like. :-)

That's probably enough eclecticism for one email, so I'll stop there. :-)

Cheers, .....Nick Pelling.....


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