Dugon, Haus You Dinikin, Du-Ah, secrets of twin speak

  • Thread starter rhody
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In summary, twins seem to develop their own secret languages at a young age. There is some debate among scientists as to whether or not this is a good thing or a bad thing, as it can hinder children's development in other areas. However, mothers of twins seem to be very supportive of this phenomenon, and make trips to Twinsburg, Ohio every year to attend the twin festival.
  • #1
rhody
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http://www.slate.com/id/2302057/"
When I was 6, my 2-year-old brother started speaking, but in a language of his own devising. I was eager to enlist him in games (my favorite: "Slave") and so quickly mastered his lexicon. My parents never managed to, despite their advanced degrees, and so our dinner table came to resemble a Camp David summit—two sides forced to use a translator to argue for their conflicting philosophies of life. "Eat peas!" "Throw peas!" "Feet on the floor!" "Feet in the tuna casserole!"

Siblings, and especially twins, have been inventing private languages since time immemorial, to little fanfare, but recently such ingenuity has captured the public's imagination. This spring, a YouTube video of jabbering twins went viral, and even made it into the New York Times' Well blog. The Washington Post recently celebrated a new play that revolves around a similar pair of girls and their "secret twin-speak." Scientists, meanwhile, have spent the last few decades quietly building up a body of research into what they call "cryptophasia" or "twin language," and they are of two minds about it. They find it fascinating, as a window onto the origins of human language, but they also worry that it hampers children's development.

For all PF twins or members who have twins in their families, I am interested in what stories you have relating to this article, and second, if you are close to twins who developed partial or complete lanaguage, did it negatively affect their speech as adults.

Finally, in the words of the great Pengwuino, DISCUSS !

Rhody...
 
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  • #2
I've tried inventing my own languages, and they almost always wind up looking like Native American languages, which are, in turn, just about the opposite of twin languages. (The verbs are not only highly conjugated, but are, in fact, the base form of all nouns and verbs, with the meaning of the base form of the verb being stative (e.g., the verb "eat" more nearly means "being in the condition of eating"). Besides this, Native American languages also have lots of directional particles, noun-class particles (such that a proper noun such as "Annie" might be rendered as "Woman Annie", and other such, which makes these languages very complicated to learn, but allows for great precision in expression.
 
  • #3
There must be at least one set of twins on PF or a member who knows of a set of twins who did this.

Rhody... shamelessly bumps his own thread, the nerve !
 
  • #4
rhody said:
There must be at least one set of twins on PF or a member who knows of a set of twins who did this.

Rhody... shamelessly bumps his own thread, the nerve !

Our oldest are twins - boy/girl - and my wife is very active in the Mother of Twins clubs. Accordingly, we make the annual trip to Twinsburg, OH for the twins festival.

I've gotten to know a few elderly sets of twins - they're the ones with the evolved secret languages.

Ours had words that only made sense to them. Our daughter made up most of the words and he mimicked (mostly). She also did most of the talking and typically said "we" - rather than "I" or "me".

As much as they claim to be different - they tend to do a lot of things the same (they don't realize it).
 
  • #5
WhoWee said:
Our oldest are twins - boy/girl - and my wife is very active in the Mother of Twins clubs. Accordingly, we make the annual trip to Twinsburg, OH for the twins festival.

I've gotten to know a few elderly sets of twins - they're the ones with the evolved secret languages.

Ours had words that only made sense to them. Our daughter made up most of the words and he mimicked (mostly). She also did most of the talking and typically said "we" - rather than "I" or "me".

As much as they claim to be different - they tend to do a lot of things the same (they don't realize it).

WhoWee,

That is cool. The next time you are together, maybe you could post a sentence of two of their conversations, and a translation for us mere mortals.

Rhody...
 
  • #6
The Mothers of Twins members call it "twinese".

http://www.whattoexpect.com/blogs/twinsamothersjoyandinsanitydoubled/language-development-in-toddlerstwinese
http://multiples.about.com/od/twintoddlers/a/twintalk.htm

Our twins are apart for the first time - different colleges. I'll ask them separately for a few words - to see if there's a difference. My wife and I compared notes and (let's just say) our data didn't coincide.
 
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1. What is Dugon, Haus You Dinikin, Du-Ah?

Dugon, Haus You Dinikin, Du-Ah is a term that refers to the language or form of communication used by twins. It is believed to be a unique and secret language that only twins can understand and use.

2. Can anyone learn Dugon, Haus You Dinikin, Du-Ah?

There is no evidence to suggest that anyone can learn Dugon, Haus You Dinikin, Du-Ah. It is believed to be an innate ability that is developed between twins from early childhood.

3. Are all twins able to use Dugon, Haus You Dinikin, Du-Ah?

Not all twins are able to use Dugon, Haus You Dinikin, Du-Ah. It is believed to be more common among identical twins, and even then, not all identical twins have developed this form of communication.

4. How is Dugon, Haus You Dinikin, Du-Ah different from regular language?

Dugon, Haus You Dinikin, Du-Ah is different from regular language in that it is based on shared experiences and a unique bond between twins. It may involve non-verbal cues, tone, and gestures, making it difficult for others to understand.

5. Is there any scientific research on Dugon, Haus You Dinikin, Du-Ah?

There is limited scientific research on Dugon, Haus You Dinikin, Du-Ah. Some studies have been conducted to understand the phenomenon, but more research is needed to fully understand the nature of this form of communication among twins.

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