The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1897-05-22
LANGUAGE OF CRIME.
THE ARGoT OF PARIS AND THE "PAT-
TER" OF LONDON.

Thieves IIave Special Words to Express
Stealing of Every Kind = Material
Changes Take Place Every Two OF
Three Years.
The language of criminals-tho argot
of Paris. the "pattcr'' of London-has
been carefully investigated by numer-
Gus writers, with very variant results.
It's origin is difficult TO explain.
Criminals, say many authors, have
found it necessary to adopt technical
language for their own protection, that
they may be able to converse i'll public
without being understood "Thcy have
been forced to do this and have made a
language as sinister and as vile rs them
selves" This theory cannot BIO admit
ted. Certainly the argot is sinister and
vile and thoroughly representative Of
the class that uses it, but further than
this we cannot go.
The theory that the use of this dialect
is OF any assistance to tho criminal is
inadmissible. Most policemen and all
prison officers know this slang, some
times better than the thieves To speak
it i'll the hearing of n detective is to in
vite arrest; to speak it in the presence
of the general public would arouse sus-
picion and attract attention-two things
which are especially to be avoided.
Why, then, does it exist? DR.. Laurent
OF tho Santo prison i'll Paris has given
an explanation which has at least moth
ing to contradict it: The persons en-
gagged i'll every trade form u 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
language more adapted to their wants,
more i'll keeping with their ideas and
thoughts. Miserable, heartless engaged
III perpetual struggle against moral
ity, law and decency, they have nc
quired language of debased words and
cynical metaphors, a language of abbre-
waited expressions and obscene syno-
nyms.
This dialect has mutilated the mother
tongue. 1t has also borrowed literally
from other languages, but without meth
cd or etymology. Criminals are not
grammarians. Neither are they lin
gusts, and Mt first sight it would seem
strange that they should import words
from other countries. We will find,
however, that i'll any prison the percent
age OF inmates of foreign birth will be
large. In America it is about per
cent. A foreign expression which seems
apt or an Improvement on the ono i'll
present use is rapidly diffused through
the prison. In cases where it is especial
~ descriptive it may become permanent,
but It's life is usually short The argot
of tho crime class changes materially
every two or three years. 1t is ephem-
eral, as shifting as its users. Victor
Hugo exaggerates only slightly when he
says, Tho argot changes more in ten
years than the language does in ten CEN
turies. =" Thus i'll tho last three years
there, have been three different terms
for watch super" "thimblo" and
yellow and white''-each Of which
was i'll its turn the only one used.
Every writer OH the subject has no.
tlced that the argot is rich in express
sions to denote certain common actions.
This is pecliarity shared by all print
tive languages, the only difference being
in tho selection of tho common acts.
Thus i'll Sanskrit there are nearly 100
roots which express the idea of killing
or wounding, without counting second
airy derlvatiOns. Some of these roots arc
embodied Ill our language today. In tho
dialect of the thieves there are nearly
100 expressions to signify theft. It was
necessary for the pickpocket to describe
the various pockets in a mans clothing
and i'll Il woman's dress. The average
man does not often need to specify
particular pocket. When no does, no
lays his hand Oh it to assist the poverty
of his language. The thief has sepa-
rate namo for each separate pocket.
But i'll spite of this richness in syn
onyms, which is i'll itself marked sign
OF dcgcncracy, for tho tendency of n
language is to eliminate its synonyms,
giving to each IL different shade of
meaning, the argot is poor language.
1t has not single expression for abb
stract emotion. TO attempt to render a
phllosophic thought, Il moral emotion, q
synthetic or aesthetic idea into the dia-
lect OF the thief would be like attempt-
ing to translate "clcctricity' or steam
engine" into Latin 1t is impossible be-
cause the words do not exist. They are
not needed. The criminal has 10 moro
conception of abstract emotion than n
blind man has of color.
a fact which does not seem to ally
the argot TO il primitive language is its
ability to form additional words from
Its own resources, u power of self de-
velopmcnt which we find in the old
Anglo-Saxon, and especially in the Ger
man OF today. This trait is the moro
striking rs it seems in direct contradic-
tion to the impotence of the English
language i'll this respect. The English
has little formative nn,vnr IL rnlinr ON