The other day I met someone who can’t speak Pig Latin. This
always surprises me because, like jumping rope or skipping, it just seems like
a required part of childhood.
So I thought
I’d write a blog for all those people who perhaps speak Spanish, French,
Italian, Japanese, Norwegian, and Swahili—yet have not mastered this secret language.
And here’s the
real secret: You’re already speaking it!
Yes, my friends, once again I have compiled a blog unlike any other. I
have found four—count ‘em, four—English words that also double as Pig Latin!
Let’s begin
with a word we’ve all used: Ebay. This
is Pig Latin for be. Or bee. I-yay E-say Un-way Ebay. It means, “I see one
bee.”
Outstay is
another one. It means to overstay, as in many a visiting relative. You will find it in Pig Latin if you’re
trying to say, ‘Stout.” This is a word
that is both a noun (describing a dark beer) or an adjective (describing a
strong or chubby person).
And in either
case, it is pronounced, “Outstay” in Pig Latin. The “st” blend stays together.
Next we have
the word, obey. It’s Pig Latin for Bow, which has too many meanings to list
here (bow tie, bow and arrow, a violin’s bow, etc.). Pig Latin rules are that you must put the
first consonant after the word, with “ay” following. This gives you “Oh Bay.”
“Airway” is the
last word, and it’s Pig Latin for “wear.” It comes from putting that W at the
end, followed by “ay.” “Can you wear
this hat?” becomes “An-cay oo-yay airway is-thay at-hay?” Soon you’ll be absolutely fluent at the Bay of
Pigs, England’s Swine village, or even Hogwarts.
Ow-nay oo-yay ow-knay.
While practicing this marvelous tongue, watch any
of the hundreds of short life hacks on my Youtube Mom channel!
