Talking Backwards, Looking Forwards: The French Language Game Verlan

adjectives analysis Arabic argot Bachmann and Basier Bakwiri Béroul béton Beurs bisyllabic words c'est Chapter chébran Claude Zidi code-switching connotation consonant cluster context corpus-external evidence cryptic value Cuna diachronic diphthongs discussion English EPENTHESIS ethnic examples fact filé FINAL VOWEL DELETION forms function guage gueule Guiraud Gumperz Hombert Kenstowicz and Kisseberth keuf l'argot l'envers laisse béton language games langue verte lexical linear linguistic Mela metathesis mid vowels monosyllabic words monosyllables mots native speakers nonlinear pattern Paul phonological play languages polysyllabic words prefixed pronouns psychological reality read backwards restricted code right branching ripoux rules schwa SCHWA EPENTHESIS secret language semantic sequence Sherzer shown slang social class sociolinguistic sound speak Verlan speech act speech events suburbs suffixes syllable copy syllable structure Syllable Type syntactic Table term tion truncated variety verbs Verlan speakers Verlan words voiceless stops vowel harmony word game