The Top 5 Scary Languages

Amongst the fictional and the supernatural, there are many scary languages. And you thought learning to pronounce English town names was scary….

Twin language

The phenomena of twins developing their own secret language is also known as Cryptophasia. It is thought to occur in 50% of all twins – identical or not. Usually, the twins stop using the language after the begin school as no one else is able to speak it. Some twins however, maintain the special language into adulthood. It is often spoken before the children are able to speak their mother tongue. The twins are able to understand each other because their mental and linguistic development is so in sync.

The creepiest case of this phenomena is the ‘Silent Twins’, who were late to speaking a language understandable to the outside world. When they joined school, they were strongly bullied because of their race. This lead them to isolate themselves even more, and refuse to communicate with anyone but each other. They lead a troubled life, until eventually, they became so codependent that they decided only one could live in order to live their own life freely.

Tongues

This so-called language is heavily connected with Christianity, and in particular the pentecostal church and other charismatic branches of Christianity. The speaker will be saying a string of speech-like syllables that doesn’t have any comprehensible meaning. It is believed being able to speak in tongues is a gift that can only be given by the Holy Spirit. This gift can also be extended to children. One of the scariest examples of this top scary language is in the film Jesus Camp.

This ‘language’ is controversial, as many believe it is an elaborate bluff. There is no example of this type of speech in the Bible, and some claim it is a teachable gift. Furthermore, tests have been carried out that prove the sounds made are restricted to the same sounds as the speakers native language.

Enochian

Traced back to the late 16th century, Enochian is a supernatural, angel language that was recorded by John Dee and his colleague Edward Kelley. They believed they could recover lost spiritual wisdom from books of antiquity, including the book of Enoch – hence the name. The pair carried out magical research with the aim of contacting angels that God had sent to Earth. Believers in the language claim it is the oldest language in the world and among the strongest strains of magic.

Between the 17th and 18th century, Christians believed it was not in fact a language of the angels, but the devils, helping it to make its way on the list of top scary languages. Linguists and scholars also question the legitimacy of this language, especially as the prophecies of Dee didn’t materialise.

Nadsat

Found in the dystopian novel A Clockwork Orange, this fictional language has to be included in these top scary languages because of the world it’s used in. The characters that use it are committing violent crimes and don’t seem to have any remorse for what they’re doing. Then, the main character gets tortured. Although it’s a great novel, we hope we never end up speaking Nadsat.

Hunnic

This dead language belongs to a tribe that has been described in historical accounts as the “Scourge of God”. The Hunnic empire has been credited with initiating, if not causing the fall of the Roman Empire. They conquered much of Western Europe, including Gual (now France) and slaughtered entire villages whilst doing so. Even if the language itself isn’t that scary, the people it belonged to certainly were.

Which of these language creeps you out most? Let us know in the comments!