Thrippsy pillivinx,

Inky tinky pobblebockle abblesquabs? — Flosky! beebul trimble flosky! — Okul scratchabibblebongibo, viddle squibble tog-a-tog, ferrymoyassity amsky flamsky ramsky damsky crocklefether squiggs.

Flinkywisty pomm,

Slushypipp.

[Edward Lear, to Evelyn Baring, Winter 1862. Quoted in J.-J. Lecercle's The Violence of Language, p.1.]

"This appears to be a hoax. There is nothing to wonder about, nothing to understand. The only thing is that a man of 50 should still indulge in such childish games. We are faced with an instance of pure linguistic chaos, where language has utterly dissolved.

"But has it? A linguist will not confess impotence that easily. Since this is undoubtedly a text, complete with punctuation, capital letters, and signature, the linguist can approach it with his analytical tools."

[ibid. p.1.]