Cant (language)

A cant (or cryptolect) is the jargon or argot of a group, often employed to exclude or mislead people outside the group.

Etymology

There are two main schools of thought on the origin of the word cant.

Derivation in Celtic linguistics

In Celtic linguistics, the derivation is normally seen to be from the Scottish Gaelic cainnt or Irish word caint (older spelling cainnt) "speech, talk".<ref name = Queen's>Kirk, J. & Ó Baoill, D. Travellers and their Language (2002) Queen's University Belfast ISBN 0-85389-832-4</ref> In this sense it is seen to have derived amongst the itinerant groups of people in Scotland and Ireland, hailing from both Irish/Scottish Gaelic and English-speaking backgrounds, ultimately developing as various creole languages.<ref name = Queen's/> However, the various types of cant (Scottish/Irish) are mutually unintelligible to each other.

The Irish creol variant is simply termed "the Cant." Its speakers from the Irish Traveller community know it as Gammon, and the linguistic community identifies it as Shelta.<ref name = Queen's/>