A current vocabulary of argot terms and meanings was collected from a Black male control group in the South Central Los Angeles ghetto. This lexicon was used to elicit and compare responses from 5 male groups of youths between 15 and 20 years old. Two of the groups consisted of lower class blacks separated geographically. The other groups were composed of middle class Blacks, middle class whites, and lower class whites. The data confirmed the existence of a well-formed argot known to all members of the South Central group. Although lower class whites live in close proximity, their knowledge of the argot was limited. Lower class Blacks in Venice, over 10 miles away, demonstrated a mastery of the argot. Middle class Blacks were not as fluent in the argot as lower class Blacks, but their facility was greater than either of the white groups. Those in the white and middle class Black group familiar with the argot were linked through illegal or anti-social life experiences. (Author/RS)