Seth Godin：行话黑话如何塑造群体身份
Thieves’ cant slang
Seth Godin 指出，内部行话（旧称 cant）的作用是把外人挡在门外，而建立行话是塑造群体身份的关键一步。他以卡通窃贼的赃物袋为例，说明 "swag" 一词源自表示摇晃或鼓胀的旧词，带有愿望思维色彩，后来演变为商业促销和会议赠品的说法。行话很少由上而下规定，但允许并推崇它，是促进群体凝聚力的明智做法。
Insider jargon, previously known as cant, is designed to keep outsiders out.
The burglars in cartoons are often seen wearing a black mask over their eyes (like Robin in Batman but for a different reason) and carrying a bulging sack over their shoulders.
[Of course, the burglar’s sack was rarely bulging. A robber would have to have the perfect haul to get the right mix of value, density and weight. You can’t fit a chest of drawers in the sack, and that much gold would be impossible to carry. But I digress.]
The cant for this was ‘swag’, which comes from an old term for swaying or bulging. Sort of wishful thinking.
And thus we get to the swag of business promo and conference loot…
Establishing jargon is a key step in group identity. It’s rarely dictated from the top down, but permitting and celebrating it is a smart move if you’re looking for group cohesion.
来源：Seth Godin · seths.blog