Constructed languages often seem to be an impractical fancy of
(pseudo)intellectuals and/or nerds. After all,
Esperanto, perhaps the most famous
planned
language, is not exactly popular with the man on the street, and let's not
even get started on people who speak
Klingon. Trying to imagine a
created language often brings up images, too, of
Tolkien immersed in
his
Elvish tongues, seemingly detached from reality. However, Boontling represents a
constructed
dialect invented by the common man, or rather, woman: its origins can be
traced back to women working in a hops field, coming up with
slang to use for
sharing secret gossip.
Boontling was invented around 1880 in the
Anderson Valley town of Boonville,
California, and flourished for about 40 years. Some residents of the area used
Boontling as their primary language, and had difficulty with standard
English when
required to speak it. Boontling consists of about 1300
unique words and
phrases. The "
lingo" draws on numerous sources and
linguistic
principles for its broad
lexicon, including...
- Other Languages: Boontling borrows from non-English languages spoken in the
Anderson Valley area -- some words derive from Spanish and Pomo Indian. Others are
rooted in Scotch-Irish dialects, such as "kimmie," the word for "man."
- Figures of Speech: Some Boontling words are based on
English expressions, taken to the next level. "Briney," the word for "ocean," comes
from "the briney deep," a colorful nautical cliche.
- Onomatopoeia: Words that sound like their meanings. For example, to ride
a horse in Boontling is to keloppity and to ride a train is to kelockity.
- Phonetic Refiguring: In Boontling, "dime" and "time"
become "deem" and "teem," and to be in love with someone is to be "stook on"
them.
- Proper Names: Perhaps the most interesting aspect of Boontling. Locals who
had outstanding traits often became the basis for new words. A cook nicknamed Zeese
because of his initials, Z.C., was so renowned for his strong coffee that his name is
now a synonym for the beverage. A doctor is called a "shoveltooth" because of a
local doctor's prominent buck teeth.
- Compound Words: When no specfic Boontling word exists for a concept, it can
often be defined by a compound or phrase. For example, gasoline is described as "moshe
gorms" -- "car food."
About 15% of Boontling words are for
potentially inappropriate topics, left
over from the language's original use. For
fun, here's a short list:
bulrusher: illegitimate child
burlap: sexual intercourse
frattey: wine
hornin': drinking
madge: prostitute
ose: rear end
steinber: beer
string: to kill, to maim
These days, it's hard to find many people who speak Boontling, and it is well on its
way to being a
dead language. However, a few remnants of the lingo remain in
Anderson Valley -- public pay phones are designated "Bucky Walters," or "nickel
telephones." Also, the Anderson Valley Brewing Company has named some of its ales
after the Boontling words for various valley regions. Some local "codgies" (old
people) are also doing their best to
preserve the
traditional language by passing it
on to children and grandchildren.
If you'd like to harp the ling, some resources are listed below:
http://www.avbc.com/visit/boontling.html
http://www.sjsu.edu/depts/linguistics/news/boontling.htm