Estonian Pig Latin

Estonian children have a mock language that is an analog of Pig Latin. It's called the Bi language (bi-keel, pronounced [bii keel]). It works by adding the syllable "bi" (always stressed, pronounced short or long, depending on the word) to every word.

 

The first thing a child learns in the Bi language is usually this sentence:

Sibina obiled lobill. (Sina oled loll.) – You are stupid.

That's usually enough for a (native Estonian) child to gain intuitive understanding of the language – although I remember a friend asking me to compile a dictionary of the Bi language for him, because he was unable to figure it out on his own.

I didn't do that dictionary and I couldn't explain the rules either. I just knew intuitively what was right and what wasn't, just like I know how to say things in actual Estonian.

Only as a grown-up, I was gradually able to come up with the algorithm of turning Estonian words into Bi language words.

 

Actually, there is only one rule: "bi" is added after the stressed vowel. It becomes stressed and takes the length of the vowel after which it has been inserted.

 

The simplest case is where the stressed vowel is short, as is the case with the all the three words in the above example:

sina [sina] (you) becomes sibina [sibina]

oled [oled] (to be, 2nd Sg) becomes obiled [obiled]

loll [loll'] (stupid; fool, idiot) becomes lobill [lobill']

 

When the stressed vowel is long, it becomes short and "bii" is added.

 

kool [kool'] (school) becomes kobiil [kobiil']

jäätis [jäät'is] (ice cream) becomes jäbiitis [jäbiit'is]

maa (land) becomes mabii [mabii]

 

The 2nd and 3rd length (which is usually not marked in writing) is preserved. Thus

kooli [kool'i](II) (of school) becomes kobiili [kobiil'i](II)

kooli [kool'i](III) (to school) becomes kobiili [kobiil'i](III)

 

The same applies to the one-open-syllable words such as ma" which, when spoken alone, is actually pronounced the same as maa. Thus

ma (I, short form) becomes mabii [mabii]

ka (too, also) becomes kabii [kabii]

etc.

 

Curiously, the Bi-language teaches us that the Estonian language instinct holds only the first vowel in a diphthong for stressed, even though the two vowels in a diphthong are in the same syllable. Thus:

auto [au-to] (car) becomes abiuto [a-biu-to]

teater [tea-ter] (theatre) becomes tebiater [te-bia-ter]

ei [ei] (no) becomes ebii [e-bii]

naine [nai-ne] (woman) becomes nabiine [na-bii-ne]

aiand [ai-and] (market garden) becomes abiiand [a-bii-and]

 

The word duo (duo), however, is pronouced not as a diphthong, but [duu-o], therefore it becomes dubiio [du-bii-o].

 

In most Estonian words, the stress is on the first syllable, but in some words it's not.

debiilik [de-bii-lik] (retard, imbecile) becomes debibiilik [de-bi-bii-lik]

 

Note the difference between

bioloog [bio-loog] (biologist) > bibioloog [bi-bio-loog]

and

bioloogia [bio-loo-gja] (biology) > biolobiigia [bio-lo-bii-gja]

 

Words that have two stresses, get two "bi's" added:

veoauto [veo-au-to] (truck) becomes vebioabiuto [ve-bio-a-biu-to]

laualamp [lau-a-lamp] (desk lamp) becomes labiualabimp [la-biu-a-la-bimp]

võõrkeel [võõr-keel] (foreign language) becomes võbiirkebiil [võ-biir-ke-biil]

 

However, a compound word that has only one stressed syllable, doesn't:

poolsaar [pool-saar] (peninsula) becomes pobiilsaar [po-biil-saar]

tainapea [tai-na-bea] (dunderhead, nitwit) becomes tabiinapea [ta-bii-na-bea]