ABSTRACT
One of the most striking characteristics of the French lexis today is the amazing vigour with which new words are being created by certain social groups. This creativity, unrivalled in the languages of European neighbours, has provoked much controversy, as well as providing material for many publications, both popular and scholarly.1 This type of lexis is given the broad label of argot, but as we shall see this is a term which in fact covers quite a heterogeneous collection of phenomena.
