Mattenenglisch

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mattenenglisch (also known as Matteänglisch) is the name of a language game spoken in the Matte neighbourhood (also known as the Mattenenge or Matteänge) in the Swiss capital, Bern. Its rules are very similar to those of Pig Latin. Its vocabulary is derived from that of the Bernese German dialect spoken in the Matte, which is also sometimes (though less correctly) known as Matteänglisch.

The rules are as follows:

For words beginning with a consonant,

1. The first vowel is removed;
2. The initial consonant or consonant group is moved to the end of the word;
3. "I" is added to the beginning of the word;
4. "E" is added to the end of the word (or "he" if the original word ends in a vowel).

For words beginning with a vowel,

1. The initial vowel is removed;
2. "I" is added to the beginning of the word;
3. "E" (after a consonant) or "he" (after a vowel) is added to the end of the word.

For example:

• 'Muäter (mother) becomes Iäterme
• Öpfu (apple) becomes Ipfuhe

[edit] See also

• Verlan

[edit] External Links

• Matteänglisch-Club Bärn (Bern Mattenenglisch Club – Site is in German and Bernese German)
• Mattenenglisch, an explanation with examples (in German).