Full Answer
What is verlan in French?
Verlan is a form of French slang that consists of playing around with syllables, kind of along the same lines as pig Latin. Unlike pig Latin, however, verlan is actively spoken in France. Many verlan words have become so commonplace that they are used in everyday French .
How do you verlan a word?
To "verlan" a word, simply separate it into syllables, reverse them, and put the word back together. In order to maintain the correct pronunciation, the verlaned word often undergoes some spelling adjustments. Unnecessary letters are dropped, while other letters are added to make pronunciation logical.
What is the difference between Verlan and Versl'?
For example, verlan is preferred to versl'en . The French author Auguste Le Breton uses numerous examples of verlan, for instance in Du rififi chez les hommes . Different rules apply for one-syllable words, and words with multiple syllables may be verlan ised in more than one way. For example, cigarette may yield garetsi or retsiga.
What is the difference between Pig Latin and Verlan?
Unlike pig Latin, however, verlan is actively spoken in France. Many verlan words have become so commonplace that they are used in everyday French. To "verlan" a word, simply separate it into syllables, reverse them, and put the word back together.
What is an example of verlan?
Sometimes verlan is straightforward, switching the order in which syllables in the original word are pronounced. For example, if you were speaking verlan, you might say céfran instead of français, dropping the final vowel sound after you invert the word.
What's verlan in English?
Verlan, which is actually the French word à l'envers backwards or “reversed” (that's what it translates to), is a form of Pig Latin that French speakers use in everyday talk; way, way more than an English speaker would ever use Pig Latin in their entire life.
Where is verlan used?
FranceVerlan is a form of French slang that consists of playing around with syllables, kind of along the same lines as pig Latin. Unlike pig Latin, however, verlan is actively spoken in France. Many verlan words have become so commonplace that they are used in everyday French.
Do French people use verlan?
“Verlan is still a French thing, some young people use it but not every young French person does. It's a question of social class, location, age, context, and personal choice,” Chevalier-Karfis adds.
Who uses verlan?
The slang language essentially sees the sounds of a word's syllables pronounced back-to-front. In fact, the word “verlan” itself is an example of Verlan, as it's the French word “L'envers” (reverse) in reverse. The phenomenon, which some suggest took off after World World Two, is incredibly popular with younger people.
Where is verlan from?
FrenchVerlan (French pronunciation: [vɛʁlɑ̃]) is a type of argot in the French language, featuring inversion of syllables in a word, and is common in slang and youth language. It rests on a long French tradition of transposing syllables of individual words to create slang words.
Why do people use verlan?
Verlan was created because civilians wanted a way to communicate with each other without authority figures being able to understand them. Although it was originally used as a way to conceal illegal activity, verlan has become a permanent fixture of the French vernacular.
Do French people say hyper cool?
(Surprisingly, French people don't talk like textbooks!) One such slang term is "chouette", meaning cool. The French also say “cool” and its not uncommon to modify cool or chouette with a “hyper” or “super” to drive home the meaning.
What does Beur mean in slang?
Beur (or alternatively, Rebeu) is a colloquial term, sometimes considered pejorative, in French to designate European-born people whose parents or grandparents are immigrants from the Maghreb. The equivalent term for a female beur is a beurette.
Is MEUF derogatory?
According to some sources it was invented in the 90s. Sometimes it is considered derogatory but it certainly isn't always intended to be. Nevertheless, it's probably best to play it safe with who you use it around.
Is flic a verlan?
It's worth noting the verlan term for the argot word flic.
What are some French slang words?
French slang wordsFrench wordPronunciationEnglish meaningMecmeckGuyMeuf, nanamuff, nanaChick (girl)Blé, fric, pognon, thunebley, freek, po-gnon, tuneMoneyBouquinbook-unBook91 more rows•Feb 14, 2022
How It Works
Let's start with the word l'envers, which means "the reverse." Separate l'envers into its two syllables l'en and vers. Invert them, put them together into a single word, and then adjust the spelling:
Take It a Step Further
The above examples are pretty simple, but verlan gets more complicated when it comes to the e muet, which is a very important sound in verlan.
Other definitions of VERLAN
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Thus concludes our slang archive for VERLAN
We hope you have found this useful. If you have any additional definitions of VERLAN that should be on this list, or know of any slang terms that we haven't already published, click here to let us know!
What are some examples of Verlan words?
Some examples: “j’étais trop vénère !” (I was so mad), “il m’a trop vénère !” (He made me so angry!)
Why was Verlan created?
Verlan was created because civilians wanted a way to communicate with each other without authority figures being able to understand them.
What is the first word you learn in Verlan?
1. Céfran (français – French) It makes sense that the first word you learn in verlan is how to say ‘French’. Better yet, this word perfectly exemplifies how verlan works. Français – Fran çais – çais Fran – Céfran.
What does "chopper" mean in Verlan?
Choper means to grab. But in verlan, it can mean to date, kiss or hook up with someone.
Is "verlan" a homological word?
The word verlan itself is reversed (verlan – l’envers), making it a homological word (it does what it says on the tin). The sounds tend to stay the same after they’re reversed, like the word verlan. Words often keep the same amount of syllables and have letters that ensure they keep the original sound.
Is "trome" a verlan word?
Like Céfran, Tromé is an easy verlan word to make sense of. Swap the syllables and whadya know? Metro.
What are some words that are verlanized?
Here are 15 words that are commonly “verlanized” that will help you understand what your French friends are talking about. 1. Céfran — Français. Let’s start with the basics. Céfran, [ say-frahn ] is verlan for Français. To ask if someone is French, you’d say “Il est céfran?”. Advertisement. 2.
What does "céfran" mean?
Let’s start with the basics. Céfran, [ say-frahn ] is verlan for Français. To ask if someone is French, you’d say “Il est céfran?”
Is Verlan a made up language?
A note about spelling: verlan is technically a made-up language so there are no definite rules about whether you have to add an e to the end of a word to make it feminine or an s to the end of a word to make it plural.
