Secret language Russia XIX-XX centuries: on the example of the Penza region

Artificial languages and the problem of social differentiation in language are areas of current research nowadays. The article is devoted to the field of social linguistics – social dialects. One of the types of social dialects, conventional slang (Argo) of Russian artisans and merchants is in the highlight. The authors have shown the characteristic features and the social significance of the colloquial spoken language of some social groups in Russia of the XIX-XX centuries: on the example of the Penza region.