Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1897-05-19
LANGUAGE OF CRIME.
THE ARGOT OF PARIS AND THE "PAT-
TER" OF LONDON.

The ARGCT OF PARIS AND THE "PAT-
! TER" OF LONDON.
Thieves Have Special Words to Express
Stealing OF Every Kind - Material
Changes Take Place Every Two or
Three Years.
! The language Of criminals-the areot
of Paris. the "patter" of Londor-has
been carefully investigated by numcr-
Gus writers, with very variant results.
! Its origin is difflcult to explain
Criminals, say many authors, have
found 1t necessary to adopt a technical
language for their own protection, that
they may be able to converse in public
without being understood. "They have
been forced 10 do this and have made a
Language as sinister and as vile as them
! selves. This theory cannot be admit
ted. Certainly the arSot is sinister and
vile and thoroughly representative Of
the class that uses it, but further than
/ this we cannot go.
TIC theory that the use Of this dialect
is Of any assistance to the criminal is
inGt'missible. Most policemen and all
prison officers know this slang, some
times better than the thieves. To speak
1t IN the hearing of Il detective is to in
vite arrest; to speak it in the presence
OF the general public would arouse sus-
piclon and attract attention-two things
which are especially to be avoided.
Why, then. does it exist? DR.. Laurent
Of the Sante prison in Paris has given
;,.~
ing 70 contradict it: The persons en-
gagged in every trade form a species of
dialect or technical phraseology which
Is spoken and understood only by them
selves. Criminals, who practice trade
as old as any, have gradually acquired
a Language more adapted to their wants,
more in keeping with their ideas and
thoughts. Miserable. heartless, engaged
In perpetual struggle against moral
lty, law and Gecency, they have ac-
quired language of debased words and
cynical metaphors, q language of abbre-
waited expressions and obscene syno-
nyms.
This dialect has mutilated the mother
tonguc. 1t has also borrowed literally
from ether languages, but without meth
cd or etymolosy. Criminals are not
grammurians. Neither are they lin
GUSTS. and at first sight it would seem
strange that they should import words
from ether countries. We will find,
however, that in any prison the percent
age Of inmates of foreign birth will be
large. In America it is about o per
cent. A foreign expression which seems
apt or an Improvement on the one in
present use is rapidly diffused through
the prison. In cases where it is especial
ly descriptive it may become permanent,
but its life is usually short The argot
OF the crime class changes materially
every two or three years. 1t is ephem-
eraJ, as shifting as its users Victor
Hugo exaggerates only slightly when he
says, THE argot changes more in ten
years than the language does in ten GEN.
turies. ." Thus in the last three years
there have boon three different terms |
for watch-"super, "thimble" and !
yellow ard white'-each Of which |
was i'll It's turn the only one used
Every writer on the subject has no
ttced that the argot Is rich in express |
sions to dencte certain common actions. |
This is pecliarity shared by all primi- |
tive language, the only difference being |
In the selection of the common acts. |
Thus In Sanskrit there are nearly 100 |
roots which express the idea of killing |
or wouEdirg, without counting second |
airy derivations. Some of these roots are |
in our language today. In tho
dialect of the thieves there are nearly
100 expressions to signify theft. 1t was
necessary for the pickpocket to describe
the various pockets in a mans clothing
and in woman's dress. The average
man does not often need to specify q
particular pocket. When he does, he
lays mis- hand on it to assist the poverty
Of his language. The thief has sepa-
rate name for each separate pocket.
But III spite of this richness in syn
ony1rs. which is in itself 4 marked sign
Of degcncracy, fer tie tendency Of q
language is TO eliminate it's synonyms,
giving 10 each different shade Of
meaning, tie aTgot is poor language.
It hes rot a single expression for alb
'tract emotion. To attempt to render
philosophic thought, a moral emotion,
synthetic or aesthetic idea into TIE Gia-
ect OF the thief would be like attempt
ing 10 tf;s;isintc 'eIcctrlclty' CT "S.caoi |
engine iEto Latin. 1t IS ;inrossiblc he
'ause the words do not exist. They are
not Eeeded. The criminal has nC more !,
of abstract emotion t,,cu
blind man has of color.
a fact which Gees net seem to ally
he Grgot to primitive language is its
ability to form additional words from
is own resources, a power Of self de-
7elopn,ent which we find III the old
and especially in the Ger
nan of today. This trait is the more
striking as it seems i'll direct coutratic-
ion to the impotence Of the English
anguage i'll this respect. The English
las little formative power. 1t relies on
he Greek and Latin languages for the
xtension OF its vocabulary.-A T. b.
,rofton in Popular Science Monthly.