Millennials invented a secret language adults couldn’t understand — even Gen Z is lost

Millennials apparently had a secret language to talk in if they ever wanted to discuss something extra confidential in front of people. Yes, that's right! A woman who goes by @comfywith_kerry on TikTok posted a video on May 26, 2024, giving a sneak peek into the secret language she used all her childhood — one that most millennials in the comments say they also grew up using.

"If you understand what I am about to say in this secret language, stitch me with your response," she said, before rattling off some gibberish. She seemed pretty confident that those born in the '80s or '90s would be able to understand it.  As expected, millennials from across the world jumped in, hit by nostalgia. While some called it gibberish, others called it either "Pig Latin" or "Alibi." The woman was shocked by the overwhelming response. Two days later, she posted another video explaining more about the millennials' most popular top-secret diet. "I would have never thought that so many people around the world knew gibberish," she said. Moreover, she spoke about how gibberish brought back memories for her audience. "For most people, it's happy times...It reminds them of how they would cause havoc or use it as a secret language with their siblings or their best friends," she added. The woman also apologized for traumatizing people who had bad memories associated with gibberish. She said people had bullies in school who used it to talk behind their backs. However, she was genuinely happy seeing so many people recognize the secret language as a core childhood memory.

While many report using a secret language to hide things from their siblings, research on twins and siblings close in age found that the use of secret language is more prevalent between them than we think. The study looked at two different kinds of interaction: 1. General speech spoken out loud that parents can't comprehend, but was clearly understood by the siblings. 2. The private language that is exclusively shared only between the siblings. Both types of interaction happened between siblings, but were more common between twins. For most children, the secret language was completely harmless and temporary. It usually appeared around the age of two and disappeared as their language skills improved. But for a small group of twins, the use of secret language continued even at the age of three.

Meanwhile, reacting to the video, @evy.pate commented, "Gibberish...I still use it when I need to talk to my husband or sister, and the kids are around." Similarly, @user22453 wrote, "Millennial from South Africa, we had an Afrikaans version of this where I grew up in a small farm town. So while I don’t know this exact one, the principle is exactly the same; we just included 'P.'" @atb5036 shared, "Yes! I used this language against my parents and teachers all the time with my friends, but not siblings." @dannyagenbroad5 wrote, "I didn't know this was a well-known thing. I seriously thought my friends made it up because I never heard anyone else use it but us until now. That's really cool."

You can follow @comfywith_kerry on TikTok for more lifestyle content.

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