Twins Matthew and Michael Youlden have achieved an extraordinary linguistic feat, each speaking 25 languages fluently. However, they also share a unique language of their own creation, Umeri, which the brothers have developed since childhood. Notably, they do not include Umeri in their tally of languages, as they are the only two individuals who can speak, read, and write it.
In an email, the twins emphasized that Umeri is not a secret language, but rather a cherished symbol of their close bond as identical twins. “Umeri isn’t ever reduced to a language used to keep things private,” they stated. “It definitely has a very sentimental value to us.”
Research indicates that an estimated 30-50% of twins develop a shared language or communication style known as cryptophasia, or “secret speech.” Nancy Segal, director of the Twin Studies Center at California State University, prefers the term “private speech” and refers to it as a “shared verbal understanding” in her book, Twin Mythconceptions. Segal notes that approximately 40% of twin toddlers engage in some form of “twin-speak,” but this statistic fails to capture the complexity of twins’ language development.
Roy Johannink, a father from the Netherlands, recorded a conversation between his teenage twins, Merle and Stijn, when they were babies. The video has amassed over 30 million views on YouTube, illustrating the universal intrigue surrounding twin communication. “They thought: ‘Hey, I’m not alone in this moment. There’s another one of me! It’s us against the world,'” he recalled.
Unlike many twins who eventually outgrow their private language, the Youlden twins have nurtured and refined Umeri over the years. Growing up in Manchester, UK, surrounded by diverse cultures, they developed a passion for languages early on. Their memories of Umeri’s inception are somewhat hazy, but they recall their grandfather’s confusion as they shared jokes in their unique tongue.
The twins’ language journey took a significant turn during a family holiday to Spain at the age of eight. Determined to learn Spanish to avoid difficulties ordering ice cream, they began translating phrases from English to Spanish. This initial effort sparked their interest in learning additional languages, including Italian and Scandinavian languages. Eventually, they recognized that Umeri could be codified into a fully developed language.
While twins often create atypical forms of the languages they are exposed to, the Youldens have taken steps to standardize Umeri. They even attempted to design their own alphabet, although they later discovered that a Umeri font did not exist, leading them to adopt the Latin alphabet for their writing.
Preserving a minority language like Umeri poses its challenges. Matthew acknowledges that many twins may feel self-conscious about their shared language. “Twins have this shared language that, at some point, they stop using, as if they feel ashamed of it,” he explained. However, the Youlden family embraced the twins’ linguistic development, with their parents viewing it positively.
Despite societal pressures that often discourage the use of minority languages, the Youldens have maintained a strong connection to Umeri. Karen Thorpe, a specialist in child development at the Queensland Brain Institute, has studied language development in twins, shedding light on the unique linguistic world that twins like Matthew and Michael Youlden inhabit.
