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Verlan

Verlan (pronounced [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.[1]: 50  The word verlan itself is an example of verlan (making it an autological word). It is derived from inverting the sounds of the syllables in l'envers ([lɑ̃vɛʁ], "the inverse", frequently used in the sense of "back-to-front"). The first documented use of verlan dates back to the 19th century, among robbers.[2]

  1. ^ Lefkowitz, Natalie (1991). Talking Backwards, Looking Forwards: The French Language Game Verlan. Gunter Narr Verlag. ISBN 3823340735.
  2. ^ Stille, Alexander (2002-08-17). "Backward Runs French. Reels the Mind". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-01-22.

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