Open Louchébem: Secrecy in the Argot of Paris Butchers.

This article focuses on Louchébem, the traditional trade argot of Parisian butchers, which disguises French words through a systematic word-formation process borrowed from the criminal argot Largonji. Based on ethnolinguistic fieldwork with 233 butchers conducted between 2016 and 2022, the study reveals that Louchébem remains a living practice in some traditional butcher shops, serving functions of identity, secrecy, and playfulness. While the argot's cryptic function persists in discreet communication—such as discussing meat quality, prices, or customer preferences—it is increasingly an "open secret" due to its availability online and in literature, which has led to some lexical fossilization and reduced secrecy. The article also situates Louchébem within broader sociolinguistic debates on argots and highlights challenges to its vitality amid the decline of artisanal butchery in Paris.