Stealth language

From Langmaker

A stealth language is a language used to allow conversation in public between two (or more) people without "outsiders" being able to understand what is being said.

Historically, many slangs, cants and argots (eg Cockney Rhyming Slang and Sheng) can be thought of a Stealth Languages. In practise most are little more than verbal substitution cyphers, but some can display all the characteristics of a full Natlang. They can also change extremely rapidly, as the users seek to maintain the exclusivity of the language from nosey outsiders. Some, however, have become almost unchanging as the circumstances that produced them change (Cockney Rhyming Slang being a case of the latter).

The two main reasons why Stealth Languages appear are:-

- Criminal. To conceal information within the converstaion about criminal acts. (Cockney?)

- Community identification. The allow the identification of those who are in the group, and those who are not. (Paroli)