Jeringonza

Infobox Language game
nativename = "Jeringozo", "Idioma de la Pe"
states = Latin America
classification = Jeringonza
hostlanguage = Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, others

Jeringonza is a Spanish language game played by children in Spain and all over Latin America. It consists of adding the letter "p" after each vowel of a word, and repeating the vowel. For example, "Carlos" turns into "Cápar-lopos".

For syllables with multiple vowels, usually only the stressed vowel is used. "Australia" becomes "Apaus-trapa-liapa". Some people treat all vowels alike: they would say "Apa-upus-trapa-lipi-apa". Yet another variant inserts the "p"+vowel at the end of all syllables instead of just after the vowel: "Carlos" does not become "Cápar-lopos" in this version, but "Carpa-lospo".

This language game is also known by alternate names in Spanish-speaking countries: "jeringozo" in Argentina and Uruguay, "jeringonzo" in Colombia, "jerigonzo", "jerigonza" or "jerigoncio" in Chile, and so on. In other countries it is called simply "idioma de la pe" (Spanish for "P-language"). Most names derive from the Spanish word , which can mean either jargon or gibberish.

This game, with almost identical rules but using the Brazilian Portuguese language, is popular with Brazilian children under the name of Língua do Pê (Portuguese for "P-language").

In other Spanish-speaking countries, similar games add other syllables instead of "p"+vowel. There are variants that use "f" instead of "p"; this is the case, for example, in italian, where the game is called "alfabeto farfallino", meaning "butterfly alphabet", because many modified words sound like "farfalla" (i.e., "butterfly"). Yet other variants add "ti", "cuti", or "chi" before each syllable (thus giving "ticar-tilós" and "tiáus-titrá-tiliá" for the previous examples).

ee also

*Rosarigasino, a similar game from the city of Rosario, Argentina.
*Pig Latin
*Language game
*Farfallino Alphabet
*Variety (linguistics)

External links

* [http://jazzido.freezope.org/jazzido/varios/jeringozator/ Jeringozator] , a translator from Spanish to Jeringonza (does not work with accented letters).