Verlan

Verlan () 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. 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" (, "the inverse", frequently used in the sense of "back-to-front").
Word formation.
Words in "verlan" are formed by switching the order in which syllables from the original word are pronounced. For example, "français" becomes "céfran" .
"Verlan" generally retains the pronunciation of the original syllables. However, French words that end in a "⟨e⟩ muet" (such as ) and words that end in a pronounced consonant (such as ) gain the sound once reversed. In addition, "verlan" often drops the final vowel sound after the word is inverted, so "femme" and "flic" become "meuf" ( – "meufa" in full form) and "keuf" ( – "keufli" in full form), respectively.
The study of written "verlan" is difficult as it is primarily passed down orally, without standardized spelling. While some still argue that the letters should be held over from the original word, in the case of "verlan", most experts agree that words should be spelled as to best approximate pronunciation. 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".
Vocabulary.
Some "verlan" words, such as "meuf", have become so commonplace that they have been included in the "Petit Larousse". The purpose of "verlan" is to create a somewhat secret language that only its speakers can understand. Words becoming mainstream is counterproductive. As a result, such newly common words are re-"verlan"ised: reversed a second time .
Some verlan words, which are now well incorporated in common French language, have taken on their own significance, or at least certain connotations that have changed their meaning. For example, the word "meuf", which can still be used to refer to any woman, also refers to the speaker's girlfriend, when used in the possessive form ("ma meuf" → my girl); while the original word "femme" would refer to the speaker's wife when used in the same way ("ma femme" → my wife). Such words retain a cultural significance from the time at which they appeared in common language. Widely spread in the second half of the 20th century, "beur" generally refers to first-generation immigrants from northern Africa in France. The re-"verlan"ised word "rebeu" is much more recent, and is used to refer rather to second-generation Arab immigrants in France, and their social attitude.
In theory, any word can be translated into "verlan", but only a few expressions are used in everyday speech. Verbs translated into "verlan" cannot be conjugated easily. There is no such thing as a "verlan" grammar, so generally verbs are used in the infinitive, past participle or progressive form. For example:
Here are some examples of French words that have been verlanised and their English meanings:
"Double verlan".
"Verlan"ising words often brings up words that are "verlan" of a "verlan". This is sometimes called "double verlan" or "veul". One can find the order of the consonants of the original word, but the vowels have been modified.
For example, "meuf", "verlan" of "femme", becomes "feumeu". The "verlan" word "beur", derived from "arabe", has become accepted into popular culture such that it has been re-"verlan"ised to yield "rebeu".
Cultural significance.
"Verlan" is less a language than a way to set apart certain words. Many "verlan" words refer either to sex or drugs, related to the original purpose of keeping communication secret from institutions of social control. "Verlan" is generally limited to one or two key words per sentence. "Verlan" words and expressions are mixed within a more general "argotique" language.
"Verlan" is used by people to mark their membership in, or exclusion from, a particular group (generally young people in the cities and "banlieues", although some French upper-class youth have also started using it as their slang); it is a tool for marking and delineating group identity. Speakers rarely create a "verlan" word on the fly; rather, their ability to use and understand words from an accepted set of known "verlan" terms allows them to be identified as part of a "verlan"-speaking group. Lefkowitz claims that the best speakers of the language are often the worst students, those most needing to hide from authority.
Some "verlan" words have gained mainstream currency. Examples of "verlan" in cultural mainstream include the 1984 comedy "Les Ripoux" ("My New Partner") ("ripou" is verlan for "pourri", or rotten, and refers to a corrupt policeman); and the 1977 hit "Laisse béton" by singer Renaud ("béton" is "verlan" for "tomber" and the phrase means "drop it").
"Verlan" is popular as a form of expression in French hip-hop. Artists claim that it fits well with the musical medium because "form ranks way over substance".
The stage name of Belgian pop artist and songwriter Stromae (real name Paul Van Haver) is "verlan" for .
"Voltaire", the nom-de-plume of François-Marie Arouet, is possibly a "verlan" word for Airvault.