Twin Language
When twins invent their own words. Some young twins develop a private way of talking that only they understand. Scientists call it cryptophasia. Here is why it happens and what it means.
Twin sisters: Mohamedwardany, CC BY-SA 4.0
A language for two
Parents of twins sometimes notice their toddlers chattering to each other in sounds that make no sense to anyone else, yet the twins clearly understand each other. Scientists call this cryptophasia, from Greek words meaning hidden speech. It is also called idioglossia or simply twin talk.
Twin talk is not a true invented language with its own grammar. Researchers who have recorded it usually find it is built from real words the children have heard, shortened, mispronounced and mixed with gestures, made-up sounds and private jokes. Because the twins spend so much time together, they reinforce each other's version rather than correcting it.
Why twins do it
Babies learn to talk by copying the people around them. Twins often have a partner of exactly the same age who is always there to talk to, while parents with two babies have less one-on-one time for each. So the twins copy each other, and their shared version of the language grows.
Twins are also more likely to be born early, and early birth can slightly delay speech. Many twins catch up by the time they start school, especially when parents and teachers spend time talking with each child individually.
Studies suggest twin talk is fairly common in early childhood, but it almost always fades by school age.
Poto and Cabengo
The most famous example is the case of Grace and Virginia Kennedy, identical twins from San Diego, California. In the 1970s, aged around six, they were still talking mostly to each other in a rapid language that their family could not follow, and they called each other Poto and Cabengo.
Linguists who studied them found their speech was largely a fast, distorted mix of English and German, the languages spoken at home, with their own twists. With speech therapy and time in separate classes, the girls learned to speak English like their classmates. Their story was told in a 1980 documentary.
Should parents worry?
Most of the time, twin talk is a charming phase that disappears on its own. Speech experts suggest parents talk with each twin separately as well as together, read aloud often and give each child chances to answer for themselves. If a twin still is not using clear words by the usual milestones, it is worth asking a doctor or speech therapist.
Twin talk can also happen between siblings close in age who are not twins. It is a reminder of how creative young children are: give two toddlers enough time together and they will invent a way to share their world.
- Twin sisters: Mohamedwardany, CC BY-SA 4.0
Text written by Actual Twin.
