This paper presents original data from Taqjmit, a secret language in Tashelhiyt
Berber which is used by women in Southern Morocco. The main principle underlying
word formation in this secret language can be stated as follows: to
disguise a word, say it twice in one word. It is proposed that only
root consonants are kept in the disguised forms, that the repetition is
strict insofar as any element in the disguised form is
uttered only twice, and that the way the repetition is performed (gemination and
reduplication) results from the use of a fixed-shape template, containing a
derivational site of the form CV. As for vowel melody, which is invariant, it
follows a uniform apophonic path, found in many languages (including Tashelhiyt
Berber), and used here without any grammatical motivation.