Learn Ellish in Seven Minutes

Ellish, as we like to call Ella's language, is a curious tongue. Its words are composed from a relatively small set of sounds, largely because Ella has only just got teeth, and has yet to master sounds like "sss" and "t" properly. Students of Ellish should bear a few basic principles in mind before learning the vocabulary. First, a note about pronunciation. Ella has a special consonant that is somewhere between a B and a V, with a touch of R. Her word for "clothes", for example, is "Raba". But the B is slightly soft, so that it is halfway towards being "Ravra". So, anything with a "vr" in it should be pronounced like a soft B. Next, it is worth noting that Ella does not distinguish between the sounds that things make and their actual names. A duck, for example, is called a "Da-da" because it says "quack-quack". In most cases, Ella knows things by the word for their sounds, which she equates with the name for the thing itself. But in a couple of cases she knows the name of the thing ("car-car", for example) in which case, when asked what noise the thing makes, she will respond with its name. Hence a car says "car-car", a ball says "booow" and a cat ("dah") says "dah". Finally, most of Ella's words bear some resemblance to the original English word, or some plausible derivative thereof. But in a few cases ("nah" for phone, "bah" for chair or pushchair, etc) she has invented her own words. Now, on with the vocabulary!

New words as of September 23: Aya (Ella), Mi-mi (music), Reh-reh (rain), Neh-neh (nectarine), Ah-boo (apple), Ack-kah (Oscar), Mi-mi-la (Millie), Pi-pi-la (Piccolo), Mih (milk), Tah-tah (tractor), Xnng-xnng (stripey), Mmm (moon), Umm (home), Ba-ba (pasta), Bih (beard, and Ben), Eye-la-la (I love you), Hu-nah (hello), Ba-ba-baa (bye bye), Oh-dih (oh dear), oh no, uh-oh, cookie, key, baby.

This table last updated on 5 August 2001

Ellish English Notes

Aah Flower, plant, or tree Strictly speaking, should be spoken with descending pitch

Ah-a Ah-a Police car, ambulance or fire engine Obviously

Ah-Vroo Cow Moo, sort of. Also the noise made by an aeroplane, and therefore the word for aeroplane.

Baba Bicycle, motorbike or boat

Babababa Baby bouncer Ella jigs up and down when she says this

Bah Pushchair, chair or wheelchair. Also bus. And book. Originally, it seems, the word Bah simply meant bus. Ella's pushchair, a kind of bus, was by extension a Bah. Similarly, so were wheelchairs. And all other chairs, being quite similar to pushchairs but without wheels, also became Bah. Ask Ella what a bench is, and she will also say Bah. Cushions are also bah. And rugs that you sit on in the park, which you would have thought would be ravra.

Bah-bah Banana Or Bah-nah

Bih Bread , or beer

Bl-bla Black

Boo Blue Or Vroo. This was Ella's first word, back in February.

Boo-Booow Blueberry A blue ball, obviously.

Booow Ball, egg, or any roughly spherical fruit, and clementine in particular Or Vrooow. Ella learned the word "ball" first, and then applied it to many other items. Her favourite ball is the time ball at the Royal Greenwich Observatory.

Brr-brr Water, fountain, walking, and computer And piano, since like a computer, a piano has a keyboard you can bash

(Buh-buh) Bubbles, or the bubble-blowing kit (Usually said very quietly)

Buh-pah Purple

Cah-cah Clock or watch From "tick-tock"

Cah-tah Caterpillar Or lobster, as it happens, when she sees them at the Chinese supermarket. So, anything with lots of legs. Also means Kathryn

Car-car Car Also the noise made by cars

Car Key

Coo-cah Cookie Monster We have a magnetic Cookie Monster on our washing machine. Also means conker

Da-dah Dinosaur Ooh, scary!

Dah Daddy, or cat, or bird Depending on the context. Daddy is also Dah-dah

Eh-eh Elephant And Ella (though see below)

Eh-h Ella Spoken with descending pitch

Eh-ugh Orange

(Fff-fff) Dog, archaic form (Woof-woof, said very quietly; see entry for "Uh-uh" below)

Gah Yummy food, Wotsits, Hula-Hoops, Quavers, blueberries, chocolate Also means "green"

Grah Grandma / Grandpa

Gruh Grass

Hah Hat When drawing attention to a hat, is pronounced "Ah-rah!"

Jeh-jeh Jelly Also jellyfish, and Jenny, and Chester

Lah Light, lamp, or lampshade

Mah-mah Animal, baby, or bear Also what a bear says

Mama Mummy, or more-more Mamama or Mamamama means Ella really wants more

Mi-meh Millie One of our cats

Mmmm Food, hungry

Muh-muh-muh
(smacks lips) Fish, or thirsty

Na, na Round and round, or wheel What the wheels on the bus say

Na-na Anna (her godmother)

Na Phone, remote control, digital camera, or any electronic device with buttons Originally derived from Huh-na, Ellish for Hello, which is what you say into a phone. Hence phone is Na; and so are all other devices with buttons. Ella even says Na if someone's phone rings on the train. Also means No.

Ooh-ooh-ooh Monkey

Peeh-peeh Pink

Poo-poo Tiger In the book "Madeleine", the heroine says "Poo-poo" to a tiger. In the pop-up version, the tiger's jaws move as Madeline leans over to speak, so Ella assumed that it was the tiger saying "Poo-poo".

Prr Please Well, it's a start

(Raaaah) Lion (Usually said very quietly). Also means monster.

Ravra Clothes, towels, sheets, curtains, or any kind of fabric We have no idea why

Reh Red

Tah-tah Tamsin

Tchoo-tchoo Train It is very important to jig up and down when saying this.

Tuh Teddy bear

Uh-uh Dog Also, when asked who Che Guevara is (Ella has a poster of Che on her bedroom door, for reasons we need not go into right now), Ella replies Uh-uh, so she either thinks he looks like a dog or has chosen to call him Uh-uh for reasons of her own.

Wah White, and wine

Wa-wa-wah What a baby says

Woooh Ghost

Xnnng Thing: toothbrush, pen, juice And other things for which Ella does not have a word

Ya-ya Yellow Or yeh-lah

Yeah Yes

Yee Lee

Ellish	English	Notes
Aah	Flower, plant, or tree	Strictly speaking, should be spoken with descending pitch
Ah-a Ah-a	Police car, ambulance or fire engine	Obviously
Ah-Vroo	Cow	Moo, sort of. Also the noise made by an aeroplane, and therefore the word for aeroplane.
Baba	Bicycle, motorbike or boat
Babababa	Baby bouncer	Ella jigs up and down when she says this
Bah	Pushchair, chair or wheelchair. Also bus. And book.	Originally, it seems, the word Bah simply meant bus. Ella's pushchair, a kind of bus, was by extension a Bah. Similarly, so were wheelchairs. And all other chairs, being quite similar to pushchairs but without wheels, also became Bah. Ask Ella what a bench is, and she will also say Bah. Cushions are also bah. And rugs that you sit on in the park, which you would have thought would be ravra.
Bah-bah	Banana	Or Bah-nah
Bih	Bread , or beer
Bl-bla	Black
Boo	Blue	Or Vroo. This was Ella's first word, back in February.
Boo-Booow	Blueberry	A blue ball, obviously.
Booow	Ball, egg, or any roughly spherical fruit, and clementine in particular	Or Vrooow. Ella learned the word "ball" first, and then applied it to many other items. Her favourite ball is the time ball at the Royal Greenwich Observatory.
Brr-brr	Water, fountain, walking, and computer	And piano, since like a computer, a piano has a keyboard you can bash
(Buh-buh)	Bubbles, or the bubble-blowing kit	(Usually said very quietly)
Buh-pah	Purple
Cah-cah	Clock or watch	From "tick-tock"
Cah-tah	Caterpillar	Or lobster, as it happens, when she sees them at the Chinese supermarket. So, anything with lots of legs. Also means Kathryn
Car-car	Car	Also the noise made by cars
Car	Key
Coo-cah	Cookie Monster	We have a magnetic Cookie Monster on our washing machine. Also means conker
Da-dah	Dinosaur	Ooh, scary!
Dah	Daddy, or cat, or bird	Depending on the context. Daddy is also Dah-dah
Eh-eh	Elephant	And Ella (though see below)
Eh-h	Ella	Spoken with descending pitch
Eh-ugh	Orange
(Fff-fff)	Dog, archaic form	(Woof-woof, said very quietly; see entry for "Uh-uh" below)
Gah	Yummy food, Wotsits, Hula-Hoops, Quavers, blueberries, chocolate	Also means "green"
Grah	Grandma / Grandpa
Gruh	Grass
Hah	Hat	When drawing attention to a hat, is pronounced "Ah-rah!"
Jeh-jeh	Jelly	Also jellyfish, and Jenny, and Chester
Lah	Light, lamp, or lampshade
Mah-mah	Animal, baby, or bear	Also what a bear says
Mama	Mummy, or more-more	Mamama or Mamamama means Ella really wants more
Mi-meh	Millie	One of our cats
Mmmm	Food, hungry
Muh-muh-muh (smacks lips)	Fish, or thirsty
Na, na	Round and round, or wheel	What the wheels on the bus say
Na-na	Anna (her godmother)
Na	Phone, remote control, digital camera, or any electronic device with buttons	Originally derived from Huh-na, Ellish for Hello, which is what you say into a phone. Hence phone is Na; and so are all other devices with buttons. Ella even says Na if someone's phone rings on the train. Also means No.
Ooh-ooh-ooh	Monkey
Peeh-peeh	Pink
Poo-poo	Tiger	In the book "Madeleine", the heroine says "Poo-poo" to a tiger. In the pop-up version, the tiger's jaws move as Madeline leans over to speak, so Ella assumed that it was the tiger saying "Poo-poo".
Prr	Please	Well, it's a start
(Raaaah)	Lion	(Usually said very quietly). Also means monster.
Ravra	Clothes, towels, sheets, curtains, or any kind of fabric	We have no idea why
Reh	Red
Tah-tah	Tamsin
Tchoo-tchoo	Train	It is very important to jig up and down when saying this.
Tuh	Teddy bear
Uh-uh	Dog	Also, when asked who Che Guevara is (Ella has a poster of Che on her bedroom door, for reasons we need not go into right now), Ella replies Uh-uh, so she either thinks he looks like a dog or has chosen to call him Uh-uh for reasons of her own.
Wah	White, and wine
Wa-wa-wah	What a baby says
Woooh	Ghost
Xnnng	Thing: toothbrush, pen, juice	And other things for which Ella does not have a word
Ya-ya	Yellow	Or yeh-lah
Yeah	Yes
Yee	Lee