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cryptophasia

Posted: Wed Jan 23, 2013 6:26 pm
by William Hupy
I wonder what word twins use to describe the phenomenon by which they have developed their own language? Is the meaning of this word limited to that strict sense?

Re: cryptophasia

Posted: Wed Jan 23, 2013 9:27 pm
by eberntson
Twin languages are simple, just as simple as necessary, one might say. For one, they freely mix subjects, verbs, and objects, putting the most important item first in any context.

It is not unknow for other sibling to be able to understand the lexicon of the twins. It is also the case that some children that are not twins develop a cryptophasic language of their own. In this case siblings and parents often learn the lexicon.

I personally have only experienced twin speak in older fraternal twins (boy & girl) the level communication they could squeeze into the stresses of syllables was incredible.
Also see idioglossia, which is related.
E

Re: cryptophasia

Posted: Wed Jan 23, 2013 11:57 pm
by Philip Hudson
I had a rather unusual great-uncle who was constantly on the move. He was lovable, very musically talented and wrote beautiful poetry, but he was always looking for greener pastures. He built himself a redneck RV by putting a well crafted little house on the bed of a bobtailed truck, and struck out for parts unknown whenever he got the hankering. With him went his long suffering wife and three lovely little daughters, a stair-step of three consecutive birth years. These girls developed a cryptophasic language they kept until their teen years. We attributed it to their almost total isolation from any other children for months at a time.

Idioglossia seems to have more than one definition, but it is used as a synonym for cryptophasia.