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by Peter Golato
People who live in small, closely-knit communities (like prisons or High Schools) sometimes develop special 'insider' or 'secret' languages. These languages help identify members of the community, and isolate outsiders (like prison guards, teachers or parents). Verlan is this kind of language for teenagers in France. The height of its popularity was in the late 1980s, but it is still widely used by teens living in the suburbs of Paris and beyond. The system behind verlan is simple, but like any language game it has its quirks!
The following are some examples of French words along with their translations into Verlan and English:
French |
Verlan |
English |
blouson |
zomblou |
jacket |
bloquer |
québlo |
to block |
père |
reupé |
father |
zonard |
narzo |
person who lives in a suburb of Paris |
jeter |
téjé |
to throw |
cresson |
soncré |
watercress |
démon |
mondé |
demon |
pasteur |
steupa |
pastor |
Translate the following French words into Verlan:
1. mère (mother) |
2. piston (piston) |
3. foulard (scarf) |
4. poison (poison) |
5. savon (soap) |
6. toison (fleece) |
7. sacquer (to fire) |
8. pinard (a red wine) |
9. bouton (button) |
10. clébard (slang for 'dog') |
11. crouton (crouton) |
12. veston (vest) |
Email your
solution to Tom Payne and I'll
tell you how you did!
Copyright
(c) 1998. Department of Linguistics, University of Oregon.
