Uncle Garabed’s Notebook (Aug. 18, 2012)

‘Dikranagerdtsi’ Pig Latin

In a bygone era, Dikranagerdtsi Armenian women conversed secretly in a cryptic form of what in America would be called Pig Latin. They are both a form of jargon. The Armenians referred to their version as Bird Talk, and it came in two forms: Junjghoogneren (Sparrow Talk) and Laglagneren (Stork Talk.)

Pig Latin (which has nothing to do with Latin) follows certain rules for changing standard English to Pig Latin. In words that begin with consonants, the initial consonant or cluster is moved to the end of the word, and “ay” is added. Two examples that have been incorporated into English slang are ixnay (nix) and amscray (scram). With words that begin with vowels, the syllable “ay” is added to the end of the word.

Thus, haste makes waste would be rendered astehay akesmay asteway.

The Armenian version has its own rules. In Junjghoogneren, each vowel is followed by a standard consonant, such as the letter j, with that same vowel repeated. The following was provided by cousin Arpie Dadoyan, who is one of the few surviving practitioners of the art:

The letters J and F are the best ones to use since they don’t come up that often in the Armenian language. Every vowel in the word is followed by that letter and then repeated.

Example:

– Oujourdejeghejen goujoukajass Gajarbijiss? (Ourdeghen goukass Garbiss?)

– Cijinejemaja kajatsajadz ejeyiji Hajagojop!

– Ejeh, ijinch fijilm dejessajar?

– Moujoussaja Dajaghiji Kajaroujoussoujoun Ojorejerujuh.

– Ijisgajabejess? Ijinch bejess ejer?

– Lajav ejer, lajav ejer, kujunaja dejess.

– Ojo Kajay, Vajanoujouhijin ajarnejem mijiyajassijin yejertajank.

F, being a softer consonant and rarely used, is better for this purpose and contributes to the smoother word flow.

– Oufourdefeghefen goufoukafass Gafarbifiss?

– Cifinefemafa kafatsafadz efeyifi Hafagofop!

…

What’s in a Name?

Sharikian/Sherikjian: Arabic, Persian, and Turkish in derivation, identified as a descriptive term, sharik is defined as associate, partner, collaborator, companion.

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CK Garabed

Weekly Columnist

C.K. Garabed (a.k.a. Charles Kasbarian) has been active in the Armenian Church and Armenian community organizations all his life. As a writer and editor, he has been a keen observer of, and outspoken commentator on, political and social matters affecting Armenian Americans. He has been a regular contributor to the Armenian Reporter and the AGBU Literary Quarterly, “ARARAT.” For the last 30 years, Garabed has been a regular contributor to the Armenian Weekly. He produces a weekly column called “Uncle Garabed's Notebook,” in which he presents an assortment of tales, anecdotes, poems, riddles, and trivia; for the past 10 years, each column has contained a deconstruction of an Armenian surname. He believes his greatest accomplishment in life, and his contribution to the Armenian nation, has been the espousing of Aghavni, and the begetting of Antranig and Lucine.

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