After flaying the mantula in a charcoal firebox. My partner, a kiryukha man, was tried for a mahalovka and a turnover with a scoop for a stupid animal with fornication, he scratched anthracite from his ball.
What just happened? - you ask. Some call such things thieves' jargon, slang, profanity, and so on. But it is more correct to say that this is an example of slang. How often have you heard this term? Perhaps not. But believe me, you meet him every day and do not even think about the fact that you know the basics of a secret language.
What is the "secret" slang language?
Argo` - from fr. argo't, cf. R. Argo is a special, "secret" language that is characteristic of a narrow social or professional group. It consists of a specific vocabulary, which includes elements taken from foreign languages (Gypsy, German, English). Argo is a widespread phenomenon in the thieves' world (thieves' argo), among the offen pedlars and artisans -otkhodniks.
Argo is a language characterized by unstable vocabulary, rapid change of words and their meanings. In this regard, among philologists, the question of the original origin of slang is still debatable.
Origin
It is impossible to determine exactly when this language originated. Just as it is difficult to date the appearance of any language, especially since slang is a very peculiar linguistic phenomenon. There are two main theories of its origin:
- Monogenetic theory. It was defended by the English writer and traveler George Borrow. In favor of his views is the fact that all European slang languages have words similar in writing and pronunciation, denoting the same objects. In particular: lenza, arto, bisto meaning "water", "bread" and "priest". This is due to the missionary activity of the priests, who, since the time of the Great geographical discoveries, have visited almost all corners of the planet and left there knowledge about the sacrament and Christian doctrine.
- Polygenetic theory. It was defended by the Italian linguist Graziadio Isaiah Ascoli. It was the theory of polygenesis of slang that spread to a greater extent among later researchers. Since the terminology of this language changes with extraordinary speed and unpredictability under the influence of sometimes completely random events, it is rather difficult to determine the origin of individual words.
Argo and jargon: whatdifference
It should be said right away that there is still a difference between them. But why are they confused? Both jargon and slang are varieties of a sociolect. The etymology of both words goes back to French. Both jargon and slang differ from the common language by the presence of specific vocabulary and expressive vocabulary. However, they are different in their functions:
- The goal of jargon is to relate oneself to a narrow social group, to determine one's involvement in it through language. That is, the jargon only shows belonging to a particular stratum of society (the jargon of programmers, drivers, youth jargon, etc.).
- The purpose of the slang is to keep the secret in communication, isolating yourself from others. Although there is some convention in this. Suppose the criminal slang is well known to those who are somehow drawn into this environment, that is, investigators and forensic experts. Nevertheless, the preservation of some secret, the desire to make one's words understandable only for a narrow group, distinguishes slang from jargon.
Examples of slang
And now let's look again at a passage from the text, which, most likely, remained misunderstood for the majority.
After flaying the mantula in a charcoal firebox. My partner, a kiryukha man, was tried for a mahalovka and a turnover with a scoop for a stupid animal with fornication, he scratched anthracite from his ball.
Baldaev et al., 1992, p. 325-327
Pretty hard, huh? It is very difficult for an unenlightened person to understand what is at stake. This is an excerpt from the everyday life of a prisoner, andif we translate it into a language we understand, we get something like this:
After the hospital, I work in the boiler room. My partner, a prisoner who does not belong to the thieves' world, was put in a punishment cell for a fight. He moved a shovel over the head of a swindler (he was with a knife), who stole bread from his jacket.
Translated by D. S. Baldaev
So much clearer, isn't it? But if you think about it, then you and I own slang at a minimum level, without even thinking about it. Verify this in the table.
| Concept: | junk | by pull | fake | lower |
give on the paw |
| in speech: | personal items | acquaintance, connections | fake, fake | put in place, humiliated | means to give a bribe, to give money |
| in slang: | (same) | (same) | (same) | lowest status through homosexual violence |
in the slang "paw" - and there is a bribe, that is, it is used: "give a paw" |
Many words that originally belonged to the argoized language have migrated to our vocabulary. However, some of them retained their original value, while others changed it.
