DOI: 10.1017/s0001566000004463. Autonomous Languages of Twins

10.1017/s0001566000004463

Crossref journal-article

Cambridge University Press (CUP)

Acta geneticae medicae et gemellologiae: twin research (56)

Abstract

AbstractTwins are regularly reported to invent languages of their own, unintelligible to others. These languages are known as autonomous languages, cryptophasia or idioglossia. Despite current belief, this is not a rare phenomenon. Autonomous languages exist in about 40% of all twins, but often disappear soon. In this study, nine autonomous languages are compared: the circumstances in which they emerge, how these languages relate to the parents' language (the model language) and how they are structured. The prototypical situation is one in which two or more close siblings (not necessarily twins) grow up closely together during the language acquisition period. If an adult model language is frequently absent, the children use each other as a model and acquire the language imperfectly. The language may stabilise at that level. If a model is completely absent, the children probably do not create a language. In all cases known, the language consists of onomatopoeic expressions, some invented words, but for the greatest part of words from the adult language adopted to the constrained phonological possibilities of young children. These words being hardly recognizable, the language may turn out to be completely unintelligible to speakers of the model languages, but they resemble each other in that they lack morphology and that word order is based on pragmatic principles such as saliency and the semantic scope of words. Neither the structure of the languages nor its emergence can be explained by other than situational factors.

Bibliography

Bakker, P. (1987). Autonomous Languages of Twins. Acta Geneticae Medicae et Gemellologiae: Twin Research, 36(2), 233â238.

Authors 1

Peter Bakker (first)

References 19 Referenced 33

{'key': 'S0001566000004463_ref014', 'volume-title': 'Language Enfantin Conservé par Trois Jeunes Estoniens de Onze, Neuf et Huit Ans', 'author': 'Saareste', 'year': '1936'} / Language Enfantin Conservé par Trois Jeunes Estoniens de Onze, Neuf et Huit Ans by Saareste (1936)
10.1080/08856559.1925.10532320
{'key': 'S0001566000004463_ref016', 'volume-title': 'A Study of the Speech Development of Twins from 1 to 3', 'author': 'Savic', 'year': '1980'} / A Study of the Speech Development of Twins from 1 to 3 by Savic (1980)
{'key': 'S0001566000004463_ref004', 'first-page': '779', 'article-title': 'Ueber autonome Kindersprache', 'volume': '62', 'author': 'Eliasberg', 'year': '1928', 'journal-title': 'Monatsschr Ohrenheilkd Laryngo-Rhinol'} / Monatsschr Ohrenheilkd Laryngo-Rhinol / Ueber autonome Kindersprache by Eliasberg (1928)
{'key': 'S0001566000004463_ref015', 'volume-title': 'The effect of twins on family relationships', 'author': 'Sandbank', 'year': '1986'} / The effect of twins on family relationships by Sandbank (1986)
{'key': 'S0001566000004463_ref010', 'volume-title': 'Speech and the Development of Mental Processes in the Child', 'author': 'Luria', 'year': '1959'} / Speech and the Development of Mental Processes in the Child by Luria (1959)
{'key': 'S0001566000004463_ref006', 'first-page': '279', 'volume-title': 'Proc Am Assoc Advancement of Science', 'author': 'Hale', 'year': '1886'} / Proc Am Assoc Advancement of Science by Hale (1886)
{'key': 'S0001566000004463_ref009', 'volume-title': 'Eine empirische Studie über den verzögerten Spracherwerbs eines Zwillingspaares', 'author': 'Lübbe', 'year': '1984'} / Eine empirische Studie über den verzögerten Spracherwerbs eines Zwillingspaares by Lübbe (1984)
{'key': 'S0001566000004463_ref008', 'volume-title': 'Language, Its Nature, Development and Origin', 'author': 'Jespersen', 'year': '1922'} / Language, Its Nature, Development and Origin by Jespersen (1922)
10.1075/hl.9.1-2.04cam
{'key': 'S0001566000004463_ref003', 'first-page': '298', 'article-title': 'The development of twins. I. A comparison of single children. II. Their resemblances and differences', 'volume': '3', 'author': 'Day', 'year': '1932', 'journal-title': 'Child Dev'} / Child Dev / The development of twins. I. A comparison of single children. II. Their resemblances and differences by Day (1932)
{'key': 'S0001566000004463_ref019', 'volume-title': 'Le Couple et la Personne', 'author': 'Zazzo', 'year': '1960'} / Le Couple et la Personne by Zazzo (1960)
{'key': 'S0001566000004463_ref007', 'first-page': '181', 'article-title': 'The language development in a group of triplets', 'volume': '69', 'author': 'Howard', 'year': '1946', 'journal-title': 'J Genet Psychol'} / J Genet Psychol / The language development in a group of triplets by Howard (1946)
{'key': 'S0001566000004463_ref011', 'volume-title': 'The Study of Twins', 'author': 'Mittler', 'year': '1971'} / The Study of Twins by Mittler (1971)
{'key': 'S0001566000004463_ref001', 'volume-title': "Signed and spoken languages created by children in the light of Bickerton's Bioprogram Hypothesis", 'author': 'Bakker', 'year': '1986'} / Signed and spoken languages created by children in the light of Bickerton's Bioprogram Hypothesis by Bakker (1986)
10.1044/jshr.1504.845
{'key': 'S0001566000004463_ref018', 'volume-title': 'The Silent Twins', 'author': 'Wallace', 'year': '1986'} / The Silent Twins by Wallace (1986)
{'key': 'S0001566000004463_ref017', 'first-page': '419', 'article-title': 'Eigenartige Sprachentwicklung eines Kindes', 'volume': '3', 'author': 'Stumpf', 'year': '1901', 'journal-title': 'Zeitschrift fuer Paedagogische Psychologie und Pathologie'} / Zeitschrift fuer Paedagogische Psychologie und Pathologie / Eigenartige Sprachentwicklung eines Kindes by Stumpf (1901)
{'key': 'S0001566000004463_ref005', 'first-page': '395', 'article-title': 'Ueber einige Fälle von eigentümlichen Sprachbildungen bei Kindern', 'volume': '104', 'author': 'Forchhammer', 'year': '1939', 'journal-title': 'Arch Ges Psychol'} / Arch Ges Psychol / Ueber einige Fälle von eigentümlichen Sprachbildungen bei Kindern by Forchhammer (1939)

Dates

Type	When
Created	9 years, 1 month ago (July 27, 2016, 5:59 a.m.)
Deposited	6 years, 3 months ago (May 20, 2019, 5:54 p.m.)
Indexed	1 year, 6 months ago (Feb. 7, 2024, 3:53 a.m.)
Issued	38 years, 2 months ago (July 1, 1987)
Published	38 years, 2 months ago (July 1, 1987)
Published Online	11 years, 1 month ago (Aug. 1, 2014)
Published Print	38 years, 2 months ago (July 1, 1987)

Funders 0

None

BibTeX

@article{Bakker_1987, title={Autonomous Languages of Twins}, volume={36}, ISSN={2059-6324}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0001566000004463}, DOI={10.1017/s0001566000004463}, number={2}, journal={Acta geneticae medicae et gemellologiae: twin research}, publisher={Cambridge University Press (CUP)}, author={Bakker, Peter}, year={1987}, month=jul, pages={233–238} }

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