Idioglossia

Abstract: There are several reports of twins having a risk of language deviancy which may be because of one twin modelling the immature or disordered speech pattern of their co-twin, which results in the incorrect use of speech sounds and grammar by both the twins. This gives the impression of a secret language between the twins which is called as ‘Idioglossia’. Although the concept of Idioglossia is a popular belief, the language of twins have rarely been described in detail or analyzed satisfactorily by the researchers especially in the Indian context. The present case report aims to describe the speech and language characteristics of a pair of monozygotic male twins of 5.6 years with Kannada as their mother tongue. The paper discusses the concept of Idioglossia; whether it is a myth or a fact? The paper also discusses the speech language characteristics and the speech and language therapy reports of the two twins. The study finds that though the phonological errors in the twins are similar, they are not identical.

Abstract: Twins 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.

Abstract: The present study reveals the details of a pair of identical twins with idioglossia and Language Learning disability .The children were evaluated by a multidisciplinary team consisting of an Otorhinolaryngologist, Neurologist, Audiologist, Speech Language Pathologist and Psychologist. Both children showed idioglossia, a history of delayed speech and language milestones, misarticulations and dysgraphia. There was an association between their misarticulations and the spelling errors. It is suggested that oral production is essential for later writing skills to develop. Both the children had exceptionally good skills in Mathematics. Early identification and intervention of twins with language delay is crucial.