Re: Twin speak

On Mon, 9 Oct 2000 00:47:16 -0400 Roger Mills <romilly@...> writes:
> I wonder how common this is??  I recall that my twin nephews had a
> private
> language when they were 6 or 7 (just starting school back in early
> 60s).  I
> once asked them what they were saying, but they clammed up.  I do
> recall one
> word-- _dadiwa_ -- they were learning sort-of baby-Spanish in 1st
> grade and
> I thought that might be (or was influenced by)  Sp. dádiva 'gift',
> but it
> seemed a rather recherché item for that level.
-

When me and my twin brother were little, i don't remember having a twin
language, but we did have the "unusual pronounciation" that was mentioned
in a previous message.  Mine was much stronger than my brother's (mostly
in that my mouth barely moved while speaking), and still survives in
heavy velarization of syllable-final /l/ and other details of my speech
which are less obvious.  I also spoke with a very low volume, and my
brother was the only person who could understand what i was saying.  But
one day he decided that he "doesn't understand" anymore what i was saying
so i was forced to learn to enunciate clearer.


-Stephen (Steg)
 "mai hhazit, dedama didakh sumaq ttefei?"