Ubbi dubbi

Ubbi dubbi is a language game spoken with the English language. It was popularized by the 1972-1978 PBS children's show Zoom.[1][2] When Zoom was revived in 1999 on PBS, Ubbi dubbi was again a feature of the show.[3][4]

Ubbi dubbi
Ububbubi Dububbubi
Spoken inUnited States
ClassificationGibberish
See also: Language games

Variations to Ubbi Dubbi include Obbish, Ob, Ib, Arpy Darpy, and Iz.

Rules

Ubbi dubbi works by adding -ub- /ʌb/ before each vowel sound in a syllable.[5] (A linguist would say "Insert [ˈʌb] after each syllable onset".)[6] The stress falls on the "ub" of the syllable that is stressed in the original word. So in "hello", which is stressed on the "he-" syllable, the stress falls on the "hub" in "hubellubo".

The method of adding "ub" before each vowel sound has been described as "iterative infixation".[7][8]

Examples
  • Good day → "Gubood dubay"
  • Speak → "spubeak"  /ˈspʌbiːk/
  • Hello → "hubellubo"  /ˌhʌbəˈlʌboʊ/
  • Extra → "ubextruba"  /ˈʌbɛksˌtrʌbə/
  • Hubba Bubba bubblegum → "Hububbuba Bububbuba bububblegubum"
  • Mississippi → "Mubissubissubippubi"
  • Ubbi Dubbi → "Ububbubi Dububbubi"
  • Zoom → "Zuboom"
  • Subaru → "Subububarubu"
  • "Hi, how are you?" → "Hubi, hubow ubare yubou?"
  • "We need to get to Plantation Road on time." → "Wube nubeed tuboo gubet tuboo Plubantubashubon Ruboad ubon tubime."
  • "All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood." → "Uball hubumuban bubeubings ubare buborn frubee uband ubeq-wub-al ubin dubignubituby uband rubights. Thubey ubare ubendubowed wubith rubeasubon uband cubonscubience uband shubould ubact tubowubards "w-ub-on" ubanubothuber ubin uba spubirubit ubof brubothuberhubood."

Uses

Ubbi Dubbi has also been popularized as the signature speech pattern of the cartoon character Mushmouth from the animated series Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids, voiced by Bill Cosby.[9]

It was used in the episode "Mentalo Case" from the TV series The King Of Queens, between character Spence Olchin (Patton Oswalt) and a salesman at a toy convention.

It was also used between Penny and Amy in season 10 episode 7 of The Big Bang Theory as a means of having a secret conversation, to counter Sheldon and Leonard's Klingon.

In the video game Rayman Origins, the Bubble Dreamer speaks Ubbi Dubbi.

See also

References
  1. Belkin, Douglas (May 1, 2005). "Mouthing Off". Boston Globe. p. 318. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
  2. Cooper, Gael Fashingbauer; Bellmont, Brian (2011). Whatever Happened to Pudding Pops?: The Lost Toys, Tastes, and Trends of the 70s and 80s. Tarcher-Peringee. pp. 216–217. ISBN 978-0399536717.
  3. Newton, Catherine (January 20, 1999). "It's Ubbi-Dubbi all over again: "Zoom" zooms back to TV". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
  4. Yuen, Laura (July 14, 1998). "Zoom Zoom Zoom-a Zoom: Ubbi Dubbi Is Back with Revitalized TV Show". Boston Globe. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
  5. Rogers, Stephen D. (2011). A Dictionary of Made-up Languages. Avon, Mass.: Adams Media. p. 271. ISBN 1440530408. Retrieved 23 December 2015.
  6. Byrd, Dani; Mintz, Toben H. (2010). Discovering Speech, Words, and Mind. Malden, Mass.: John Wiley & Sons. p. 197. ISBN 9781405157988. Retrieved 23 December 2015.
  7. Yu, Alan C. L. (2008). Chang, Charles B.; Haynie, Hannah J. (eds.). "On Iterative Infixation". Proceedings of the 26th West Coast Conference on Formal Linguistics. Somerville, Mass.: Cascadilla Proceedings Project: 516. Retrieved 2020-06-13.
  8. Nevins, Andrew; Endress, Ansgar (2007). "The edge of order: analytic biases in ludlings". Harvard Working Papers in Linguistics. 12: 43. Retrieved 2020-06-13.
  9. Haug, Kawehi (January 15, 2010). "Everything's obee kaybee!: There's no rushing a good time of laughs, talk with Bill Cosby". The Honolulu Advertiser. pp. 4–5. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
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