Grammelot

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Grammelot is a term for a style of language in satirical theatre, a gibberish with macaronic and onomatopoeic elements, used in association with pantomime and mimicry.

The format dates back to the 16th century Commedia dell'arte, and some claim Grammelot to be a specific universal language (akin to Lingua franca) devised to give performers safety from censorship and appeal whatever the dialect of the audience.

However, the term appears to have been popularized by Nobel-winning Italian playwright Dario Fo. His satirical touring show Mistero Buffo ("Comic Mystery Play") involved sketches based on mediaeval sources, told in Fo's own grammelots constructed from archaic Po Valley dialects and phonemes from modern languages (he has coined separate Italian, French and American grammelots). In his Nobel speech, Fo said that his inspiration was the 16th century Italian playwright Ruzzante (Angelo Beolco), who invented a similar language based on Italian dialects, Latin, Spanish, German and onomatopoeic sounds.

Another notable modern Italian exponent is the Milan actor/writer Gianni Ferrario. Mainstream comics have also used Grammelot-like language: for instance, Stanley Unwin.

[edit] References

• Language Log: all mentions of "Grammelot"
• Language Log: discussion of the mistaken attribution to Fo