Ubbi dubbi
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Ubbi Dubbi (Ububbubi Dububbubi) |
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|---|---|
| Spoken in: | Most English-speaking countries, The Junkyard |
| Region: | |
| Classification: | Gibberish |
| Spoken with: | English |
| See also: Language games | |
Ubbi Dubbi (also called Pig Greek or Double Dutch) is a language game spoken with English. Although popularized by the long-running PBS television show ZOOM and by Bill Cosby (in his Dentist Sketch and his voice-over of the character Mushmouth from Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids), Ubbi Dubbi and other variations were in use many years before these programs came into existence. There are numerous variations to Ubbi Dubbi, including Ob, Ib, Arpy Darpy, and Iz.
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[edit] Function
Ubbi Dubbi is a type of gibberish, in that it functions by adding a certain infix before the rime of each syllable. There are at least two different "dialects" of Ubbi Dubbi, each using a different infix. Both Ubbi Dubbi and Obby Dobby are also known as "Pig Greek".
Example:
- Dubid yubou knubow thubat ubif yubou mubix ubequbal pubarts ubof gubasubolubine uband frubozuben uborubange jubuice cuboncubentrubate yubou cuban mubake nubapubalm?
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- Translation:
- Did you know that if you mix equal parts of gasoline and frozen orange juice concentrate you can make napalm? (Quotation from Fight Club)
[edit] Variations
There are numerous variations to Ubbi Dubbi. The actual origins of the variations are unknown, though some are regional in nature.
[edit] Ubbi Dubbi
Ubbi Dubbi is spoken in the United States, and works by adding -ub- (IPA: /ʌb/) before the vowel(s) in each syllable. Examples:
- speak → spubeak /ˈspʌbik/
- hello → hubellubo /ˌhʌbəˈlʌboʊ/
- extra → ubextruba /ˌʌbɛksˈtʌrbə/
[edit] Ob
Ob or Obenglobish is used in most English-speaking countries and is probably one of the more common variations. Ob operates in the same way as Ubbi Dubbi, except the infix -ob- (IPA: /ɑb/) is used instead of -ub-. Examples:
- speak → spobeak /ˈspɑbik/
- hello → hobellobo /ˌhɑbəˈlɑboʊ/
- extra → obextroba /ˌɑbɛksˈtrɑbə/
[edit] Op
Opish (also called Op, Openglopish, Op-lopanguopage or Optalk) has taken on different dialects much like true languages. In one major dialect, Opish is spoken by adding the syllable -op- before the rime of each syllable.
Example: Topoo spopeak Opop-opish opis topoo knopow Opopopish. (To speak Opish is to know Opish.)
Op-lopanguopage is a variant wherein the syllable op itself is NOT preceded by -op- (otherwise its name would be Opop-lopanguopage). Op-lopanguopage is not a new variant. Like Ubbi dubbi, it predates the PBS show ZOOM. It has its own set of variants, for example, Ub-lubanguubage, which differs from Ubbi dubbi by not doubling -ub-, Ib-libanguibage (pronounced as in vibe), also known as Ibangi, Ik-likanguikage, also known as Icky.
Other forms of Opish, such as Ob and Arp are becoming more prevalent in small circles of Opish speakers.
Another less common form of Opish is spoken using the spellings of words instead of their actual pronunciation. In this variation, -op- is placed after every written consonant, and every vowel is pronounced as its name in the alphabet.
Example: Top-o sop-pop-e-a-kop O-pop-i-sop-hop i-sop top-o kop-nop-o-wop O-pop-i-sop-hop.
Opish also appears in Bart Simpson's Guide to Life. Opish could also be spoken to friends as a secret language Some have added "levels" to the less common form:
- Level 1: As referenced above.
- Level 2: Some phonetic combinations are pronounced as one consonant sound. For example, "stop" would be pronounced "stop-o-pop."
- Level 3: Everything in level two. Also, double letter have the addition of -izzop. Thus, "really" is pronounced, "rop-e-a-lizzop-y."
- Level 4: Everything in levels two and three. Double vowel sounds are pronounced with an extended vowel sound. Thus, "scoop" would be pronounced "scop-oooo-pop."
[edit] ib
Another variation, following the same rules but substituting -ib- /ɪb/ Examples:
- speak → spibeak /ˈspɪbik/
- hello → hibellibo /ˈhɪbɛˌlɪboʊ/
- extra → ibextriba /ˈɪbɛksˌtɹɪbə/
The letters "ib" go in front of the vowel(s), so "hi" would be "hibi." The "i" is a long "i" sound, so if you said "hibi," it would sound like "hibye."
Alternatively, the letters -iv- (as in "Dive"): spiveak; hivellivo; ivextriva
[edit] Alfa Dalfa
Yet another variation found in the southern United States following the same basic rules but substituting -lf and preserving the original vowel sounds when possible, repeating the preceding vowel when necessary, or at times interpolating a vowel. Examples:
- speak → spilfeak
- hello → helfelelfo
- extra → elfextrelfa
The quote above from Fight Club, in Alfa Dalfa, is:
Dilfid yolfu knolfow thalfat iflif yolfu milfix elfequalfal palfarts olfof galfasolfolilfine alfand olforalfangelfel julfuce colfoncalfantralfate yolfu calfan malfake nalfapalfam?
Alfa Dalfa is sometimes known as Alfalfa Dalfalfa, for obvious reasons.
[edit] Arpy Darpy
Arpy Darpy is spoken in New Zealand, and works by adding -arp- (IPA: [ɑːp]) before the vowel(s) in each syllable. Examples:
- speak → sparpeak /ˈspɑːpik/
- hello → harpellarpo /ˈhɑːpɛˌlɑːpoʊ/
- extra → arpextrarpa /ˈɑːpɛksˌtɹɑːpə/
[edit] Aighi Paighi
Aighi Paighi is a less known variant, but was featured on British DJ John Peel's Saturday morning radio show. It works in the same way as Ubbi Dubbi, except the infix -ub- is replaced with -aigh-. Examples:
- speak → spaigheak
- hello → haighellaigho
- extra → aighextraigha
[edit] Iz and Izzle
- Further information: -izzle
Iz has a strong presence in hip-hop music. Its first musical use was in the 1981 hit single Double Dutch Bus by funk musician Frankie Smith. It was later picked up by other artists and musicians who did not know or care to follow the rules of the language game.
The most well known variant was first used by Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence in the movie Boomerang, where it was used with only one word, twizat, to mask its crudity, or perhaps to emphasize it. Others picked up on the meaning, but without knowing the rules of Ubbi dubbi, applied it only to the first syllable of words to be masked or emphasized.
A famous proponent, Snoop Dogg, and others before him, substituted -izzle- for the entire remainder of the word. Normally, it is harder to speak multiple syllables before the first vowel of each syllable, but because remaining syllables are not spoken, this consideration didn't discourage the use of -izzle-. On the other hand, this makes decoding the encoded word non-deterministic. One must infer from context what word the speaker might have meant.
[edit] In popular culture
- "Linguistic form in art and play: language games, song, verse." [1] October 13, 2005.
- Schwartz, Alvin. The Cat's Elbow : and Other Secret Languages. 1985.
- The children's show ZOOM often does sketches entirely in ubbi-dubbi with no subtitles, except for a regular English speaker who translates for the crowd:
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- "Where can I find a Pizzeria?"
- "Rubight dubown thube strubeet."
- "Right down the street, okay."
