The secret sociolect of Arranaji

In this article, we examine an Iranian secret language based on the regional Tati language. We investigate the specific features of this professional argot, known as Arranaji or Qarqadili, which is common in the villages of northwestern Iran where Tati dialects are spoken. This secret language was traditionally used by seasonal workers engaged in cutting and processing wood in the urban centers of northern Iran, particularly in the Gilan and Mazandaran regions. We identify the distinctive characteristics of Arranaji, which is based on the Tati dialects of the villages of Karnaq and Lerd but employs a substitute lexicon that differs significantly from standard Tati vocabulary. The woodcutters and carpenters who used Arranaji – men who lived apart from their home communities for extended periods within a closed male environment – developed a euphemistic vocabulary and coded expressions related to their professional activities, gender roles, drugs, and sociocultural taboos and prohibitions. This linguistic variety existed solely in oral form and had never been previously documented. Through our fieldwork, we analyze its vocabulary, explore the reasons for the emergence of this argot and its linguistic properties, and examine its use within the community, its geographical distribution, primary functions, as well as its professional and gender-specific characteristics. Additionally, we discuss the etymology and significance of the names Arranaji and Qarqadili. Finally, we address the reasons for the decline of the original professional functions and gender restrictions of this secret language under contemporary conditions, and its continued use as a familial code to keep information hidden from outsiders and children.