Macaronic

Macaronic refers to text spoken or written using a mixture of languages. It's occasionally used of hybrid words, which are in effect internally macaronic.

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One particular form is Macaronic Latin, a term for various sorts of adulterated Latin. The phrase is used for a jumbled jargon made up of vernacular words given Latin endings, or for Latin words mixed with the vernacular in a pastiche (compare dog Latin). The writing of humorous texts for satirical purposes in Macaronic Latin became a fad in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, particularly in Italian.

Related Topics:
Latin - Jargon - Pastiche - Dog Latin - Humorous - Satirical - Sixteenth - Seventeenth centuries - Italian

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Macaronic text remains an interest of modern Italian authors. For instance, macaronic language appears in the works of Carlo Emilio Gadda; Umberto Eco (Salvatore in The Name of the Rose, and the peasant hero of Baudolino); and Dario Fo (whose Mistero Buffo - "Comic Mystery Play" - features grammelot sketches using language with macaronic elements).

Related Topics:
Carlo Emilio Gadda - Umberto Eco - The Name of the Rose - Baudolino - Dario Fo - Grammelot

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Today, Europanto is a macaronic pidgin of several European languages, sometimes heard in EU headquarters, Brussels.

Related Topics:
Europanto - Pidgin

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Macaronic verse similarly refers to poetry written in more than one language, most frequently a mixture of the local vernacular and Latin. It was especially popular with non-liturgical carols of the middle ages. An example is the first stanza of the famous carol In Dulci Jubilo:

Related Topics:
Vernacular - Latin - Carols - Middle ages - In Dulci Jubilo

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Original text

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In dulci jubilo,

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Nun singet und seid froh!

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Alle unsre Wonne

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Liegt in praesepio;

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Sie leuchtet wie die Sonne

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Matris in gremio.

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Alpha es et O!

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English translation

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In sweet rejoicing,

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now sing and be glad!

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All our joy

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lies in the manger;

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You shine like the sun

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in the mother's lap.

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You are the alpha and omega!

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The Roman text is in German; the italicised in Latin (in this example, there is a hint of a third language, in the Greek letters mentioned in the last line).

Related Topics:
German - Latin - Greek

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Macaronic verse is especially common in cultures with widespread bilingualism or language contact, such as Ireland before the middle of the nineteenth century. Macaronic traditional songs, such as "Siúil A Rúin" are quite common in Ireland.

Related Topics:
Bilingualism - Language contact - Ireland - Siúil A Rúin

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