science

Idioglossia

Idioglossia is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Idioglossia rather than just read about it. In short: An idioglossia (from the Ancient Greek ἴδιος ídios, 'own, personal, distinct' and γλῶσσα glôssa, 'tongue') is an idiosyncratic language invented and spoken by only one or two people. Most often, idioglossia refers to the "private languages" of young children, especially twins, the latter being more specifically known as cryptophasia, and commonly referred to as twin talk or twin speech.

Key takeaways

Idioglossia belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Idioglossia to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Idioglossia from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

An idioglossia (from the Ancient Greek ἴδιος ídios, 'own, personal, distinct' and γλῶσσα glôssa, 'tongue') is an idiosyncratic language invented and spoken by only one or two people. Most often, idioglossia refers to the "private languages" of young children, especially twins, the latter being more specifically known as cryptophasia, and commonly referred to as twin talk or twin speech. Children who are exposed to multiple languages from birth are also inclined to create idioglossias, but these languages usually disappear at a relatively early age, giving way to use of one or more of the languages introduced.

Examples

Case studies Sam and Ren McEntee, 18-month-old twins. June and Jennifer Gibbons Kennedy twins of San Diego, California. (They named themselves "Poto and Cabengo")

Media Poto and Cabengo in a film of the same name by Jean-Pierre Gorin (1980) Twins Zarana and Zandar of the G.I. Joe franchise speak their own idioglossia. The 1994 film Nell, starring Jodie Foster, depicts a woman who speaks an idioglossia. The stage play on which it is based is also called Idioglossia. The concept album The Perfect Element, Part I, by Pain of Salvation, is centered on a song titled "Idioglossia". James Joyce's novel, Finnegans Wake, was written using an idioglossia. Skins Series 3, Episode 9 features Katie and Emily Fitch using an idioglossia. Sherri and Terri on The Simpsons sometimes use an idioglossia. The two teenage protagonists of the film Disco Pigs, Darren and Sinéad, use an idioglossia. Singer, musician, and composer Lisa Gerrard (of Dead Can Dance and in her solo career) sings many of her songs (e.g. "Glorafin") in an idioglossia that she has developed since the age of twelve. Some parts of Coil track "Batwings (A Limnal Hymn)" is in an idioglossia invented by John Balance. Peter Christopherson described it as "a language that only he knows". The twin brothers Jim and Tim Possible from the Disney Channel series Kim Possible often use twinspeak. Twins Marilyn and Carolyn Arnold from The Baby-Sitters Club book series used this early on. In the 2005 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit episode "Identity", teenage twins Logan and Lindsay Stanton (Reiley McClendon) speak to each other in twin language while both are being interrogated in a murder investigation by Detectives Stabler and Benson (Christopher Meloni and Mariska Hargitay, respectively). Stabler recognizes their language as "twin speak" because he himself is the father of twins and remarks that his twins had their own language when they were young as well. In the 2010 American Dad! episode "Son of Stan", Steve and his clone Steve-arino are briefly seen using an idioglossia in speaking to each other. In episode 212 of the television show Rules of Engagement, twins attending a party speak in twin language and state that twins often have their own language that only they can understand. The television series Second Chance have twin sister and brother Mary and Otto Goodwin, who sometimes use twin speak to communicate with each other. In the series finale of The Office, Angela Martin and her sister Rachael Martin use twin speak at Angela's bachelorette party. Some lyrics of French rock group Magma are sung in Kobaïan, an idioglossia invented by the group founder Christian Vander. The language was intended not for speaking but for singing.

See also Conlang Argots, secret languages used to prevent others from understanding conversations Glossolalia Home sign, a similar phenomenon among sign languages Non-lexical vocables in music

References

Further reading Bakker, P. (April 1987). "Autonomous languages of twins". Acta Geneticae Medicae et Gemellologiae. 36 (2). Roma: 233–238. doi:10.1017/s0001566000004463. PMID 3434134.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Idioglossia

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Idioglossia claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Idioglossia before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Idioglossia ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Idioglossia

In research: Idioglossia appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Idioglossia in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Idioglossia is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Macaronic language, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Idioglossia outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Idioglossia in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Idioglossia means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Idioglossia out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Idioglossia in simple terms?

Why does Idioglossia matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Idioglossia?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Idioglossia.