Pig Latin is a language game or argot in which words in English are altered usually by adding a fabricated suffix or by moving the onset or initial consonant or consonant cluster of a word to the end of the word and adding a vocalic syllable to create such a suffix. For example the word “pig” becomes “igpay” in Pig Latin.
The rules for Pig Latin are quite simple. If a word begins with a consonant sound then the initial consonant or consonant cluster is moved to the end of the word and “ay” is added as in the examples above. If a word begins with a vowel sound or a vowel letter that is silent then “way” or “yay” respectively is added to the end of the word.
Here are some tips to help you pronounce Pig Latin:
1. The letter “y” can be a vowel or a consonant. When it functions as a vowel it has the same sound as the letter “i”. When it functions as a consonant it has the same sound as the letter “j”.
2. The letter “w” is always a consonant.
3. The letter “h” is always a consonant even when it is next to a vowel.
4. The letters “qu” always form a digraph and are pronounced as one sound.
5. When the letter “c” is followed by a front vowel (i.e. “e” or “i”) it has the same sound as the letter “s”.
With these tips in mind let’s take a look at some words and see how they would be pronounced in Pig Latin:
pig = igpay
Latin = atinlay
happy = appyhay
glove = oveglay
queue = euequay
You can see that the pronunciations are not always intuitive. But with a little practice you should be able to pronounce Pig Latin words correctly.
How do you pronounce “pig latin?
“
puh-g lay-tin
