The article tells about the secret language of Old Believers, its sources and evolution, and also diffrences from other secret languages of Russia. The author notes the relationship of this secret language with cabalistic ciphers and traditions of Russian scribes of the 16th century, as well as the domestic jargon of the specifi class of pedlars living in the central provinces of Russia in 18th–19th centuries. Some examples of the secret language of Old Believers are given and the options for its use are explained. Th author analyses the literature on the secret language of Old Believers and pedlars and makes a critical review of electronic resources mentioning the subject.

Key words: Old Believers, secret language, pedlars, confiential correspondence, code.

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