Languages & Linguistics
Jargon
Jargon refers to specialized terminology or language used within a particular profession, industry, or interest group. It often includes technical or complex terms that may be unfamiliar to those outside the specific field. Jargon facilitates efficient communication among insiders but can be a barrier to understanding for those not familiar with the specialized vocabulary.
Written by Perlego with AI-assistance
Related key terms
1 of 5
6 Key excerpts on "Jargon"
- eBook - PDF
- Mathew C. Grayshon(Author)
- 2019(Publication Date)
- De Gruyter Mouton(Publisher)
Then there is a second group: Jargon: (l)The collective term for the words, expressions, technical terms, etc., which are intelligible to the members of a specific group, social circle or profession but not to the general public (Pei and Gaynor 1954). (2) A set of terms, expressions used by a social or occupational group but not used and often not understood by the speech community as a whole. Outsiders often regard the Jargons such as 'officialese', 'journal-ese', 'medicalese', etc., as 'bad style'. The sum total of terms used in a particular subject, e.g., chemistry (Hartmann and Stork 1973). Language in society 29 Cant: (l)The special vocabulary of a particular group, especially criminals (Pei and Gaynor 1954). (2) A Jargon peculiar to a local, social or occupational group, particular-ly of the lower social strata. Alternative terms: argot, lingo (Hartmann and Stork 1973). Dialect: (1) A specific form of a given language, spoken in a certain locality or geographical area (Pei and Gaynor 1954). (2) A regional, temporal or social, variety of language differing in pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary from the standard language, which is in itself a socially favoured dialect (Hartmann and Stork 1973). There are two points to which I want to draw attention: first the degree of tautology in these descriptions - there is a tendency to define against the standard of'formal' language, which in the case of Pei and Gaynor is defined geographically, and Hartmann and Stork almost meaninglessly in the description under that head, but as a standard in 'colloquialism'; cf. - eBook - ePub
Professional Writing Guide
Writing well and knowing why
- Roslyn Petelin(Author)
- 2023(Publication Date)
- Routledge(Publisher)
Chapter 9 Choosing the Right Word In this chapter we deal with Jargon in its various forms, cliches, colloquialisms, coinages, wordiness, equivocation, foreign words and phrases, confusable words, and commonly misspelt words—essential aspects oflanguage use within the business context. What is Jargon? When visitors looking for the monkeys at a zoo are confronted with a sign which says ‘To the Arboreal Primates’, we see Jargon at work. Jargon, a type of specialised vocabulary used in various fields and professions, is a constant target of criticism from readers of business documents, who complain that documents like letters and insurance policies are difficult to understand because they are full of Jargon. It is unfortunate that Jargon has accumulated these negative connotations, because eliminating Jargon completely would deprive business writers of valuable shortcuts. For example, it is doubtful whether reporting of stock market activities could function as efficiently without terms such as the ‘All Ordinaries Index’, ‘weighted averages’, ‘blue-chip stocks’, ‘bull-and-bear markets’, and the ‘P/E ratio’. Jargon is often justifiable and sometimes indispensable. However, you should use it carefully.To use it for its own sake, or to obscure or confuse, will probably alienate your readers. Buzz Kennedy (Weekend Australian, 29 April 1989), laments that ‘today's specialists crouch complacently behind their Jargon barriers and … Look with pity on those of us who have no inspeak’. General readers often have great problems with the Jargon in certain fields. For example, it has been suggested that Jargon used in the investment and superannuation fields ‘frightens’ potential investors. Apparently, many ordinary investors fail to earn dividend income which is tax-free because they do not understand the term ‘dividend imputation’ and thus remain ignorant of its benefits - eBook - ePub
An Introduction to Arabic Translation
Translator Training and Translation Practice
- Hussein Abdul-Raof(Author)
- 2022(Publication Date)
- Routledge(Publisher)
A Jargon is defined here as any foreign expression that is non-existent in Arabic and that has been borrowed through a given Jargon production approach. Thus, words like (cloud, pen) are not considered as Jargon because Arabic has already got them (سحابة ,قلم). Thus, a Jargon is a TL word or a noun phrase.A Jargon is referred to as علمُ المُصطلح/المُصطلحية/إصطلاح/مُصطلح – a specialized terminology which designates a specific notion of any field of knowledge (science or human sciences) and may not be understood well without a context. Jargon is a universal lexical phenomenon, and languages have always borrowed different Jargon from each other. The borrowing of a SL Jargon by a TL is attained through different linguistic approaches which mimic the SL Jargon in an attempt to preserve the semantic componential features of the original Jargon and naturalize (domesticate) it in the receptive language, taking into consideration the TL linguistic and cultural norms and values. The newly born Jargon can be a lexical item, a morpheme, or a noun phrase. The creation – or rather, the borrowing – of Jargon from other languages represents the inter-cultural fertilization among both linguistically and culturally related or unrelated languages.Seven linguistic approaches are proposed for the creation of a Jargon in the TL. Throughout the discussion, several examples are provided to illustrate the seven linguistic mechanisms which can be employed to create a new Jargon in science or human sciences. The semantic relationship between the SL Jargon and the Jargon borrowed by Arabic is explained. Among the most common linguistic approaches (mechanisms) used in the creation of a new Jargon and loan words in Arabic are phraseological calque, borrowing, and blending. It also deals with phonetic imitation (transliteration) and semantic matching between the foreign Jargon and the newly coined Arabic Jargon.According to Jakobson (1959) - eBook - PDF
Language History, Language Change, and Language Relationship
An Introduction to Historical and Comparative Linguistics
- Hans Henrich Hock, Brian D. Joseph(Authors)
- 2019(Publication Date)
- De Gruyter Mouton(Publisher)
Of these two terms, “register” can be used in a more comprehensive manner, as in “academic register” or “professional register”, while “Jargon” tends to be employed more specifically, as in “linguistic Jargon” or “lawyers’ Jargon”. More-over, the two terms differ in connotations. “Register” focuses more on questions of rhetoric and style, while “Jargon” emphasizes the exclusiveness of dialects of this type, which often makes it difficult for outsiders to understand them. In this regard, Jargons share features with argots and slang. (See Chapter 9, § 4.) 292 Language, dialect, and standard While professional Jargons and registers may share with argots and slangs the fact that they are often difficult to understand for outsiders, their basic motivation is not secrecy (or novelty, for that matter). Specialized fields of inquiry by their very nature require specialized terminology, so as to express what is intended as unambiguously and succinctly as possible. For instance, in historical linguistics the term “sound change” is used, not to refer to just any change in sound struc-ture, but to sound changes not conditioned by non-phonetic linguistic factors. If each time we wanted to talk about sound change we had to use the lengthy cir-cumlocution “sound changes not conditioned by non-phonetic linguistic factors” we would never be able to get to the point. Similarly, the use of certain grammat-ical constructions, such as the passive, is highly appropriate in many areas of the sciences. The passive makes it possible to delete agents (as in The experiment was conducted under the following conditions ), and this in turn makes it possible to state generally valid facts or claims, or observations that are believed to hold true no matter who observes them. Professional Jargons or registers are not necessarily limited to lawyers, scien-tists, and other professionals. - William Sims Bainbridge, William S. Bainbridge(Authors)
- 2011(Publication Date)
- SAGE Publications, Inc(Publisher)
Because there is no idea exchange without communication and human interaction, language shapes social bonds and keeps the community together, no matter how big the group is and what character it has. Using Jargon shows group membership because it is understood only by those belonging to the grouping. Language, as has been stated previously, is the tool that shapes group cohesiveness because people are more eager to communicate with homophilous (similar) individuals (Rogers 1995), and having a common language (or a sub-language, dialect, or Jargon) makes the verbal and nonver-bal exchange among them much easier. However, especially in the case of technological advancement, com-munication often takes place among people who have dif-ferent expertise in a given field, and consequently, their heterophilous character leads to problems in communica-tion. In this case, language can reduce uncertainty because the more technologically competent individual can use the linguistic repertoire known to the less technologically advanced interlocutor. Language helps to limit precarious-ness when individuals opt for these linguistic devices that allow for precise and effective explanations. As has been highlighted in the previous section, coining informative terms that mirror the function and characteristics of given scientific or technological concepts, products, or processes leads to making science and technology more user friendly. Also when the innovation-decision process is taken into account, that is, knowledge, persuasion, decision, imple-mentation, and confirmation (Rogers 1995), it turns out that language encompasses every stage of inventive meta-morphosis. The stage called knowledge describes the situ-ation when an individual perceives and understands an innovation, and language is the medium that makes the proper cognition of newness possible.- Wilhelm von Timroth(Author)
- 1986(Publication Date)
- Peter Lang International Academic Publishers(Publisher)
Technical language (terminology) differs from argot mainly in th a t no special, close social contact is necessary between the s p e a k e r s .114 Every profession has its own technical terminology, not. however, Its own argot words. But argotisms as well as technical terms may be current in the same social group. Their share in the various argots differs. Argot speakers, being bilingual throughout, consciously make their choice of a r -gotisms or ordinary words dependent on situations and I n t e r l o c u t o r s .113 LichaCev had sta te d th a t argots most commonly arise In times of economic changes, during crises which characterize capitalism. New p h e -nomena are In itia lly r e f e r r e d to with argot expressions which in the course of time turn into nominative technical terms deprived of their emotive c o n t e n t .11* Dangerous professions are also susceptible to argots. The greater the risk involved, the more numerous the argot expressions for death and the process of dying. The coining of an argot word is most 112 I b i d . , p. 343. 113 I b i d ., p. 347 (I heard th e expression портвейнгеноссе in 1981 in Leningrad. In Pskov they say вермахт *Wehrmacht' [German army] in -stead of вермут , Vermut' [vermouth]. 114 I b id ., pp. 348-349, 352. 113 I b i d ., p. 333. 114 I b i d ., p. 356. Wilhelm von Timroth - 9783954792337 Downloaded from PubFactory at 01/10/2019 04:26:04AM via free access easily and concretely explained In th e context of production. But to e x -plain the existence of th e бытовое apro ('everyday argot'), where Ideo- logical considerations come into play, is far more difficult. ״ T We roust mention t h a t LichaCev was obliged to acknowledge Marrism and the Communist ideology. Two examples will show how courageously, cunningly and cynically he went about th is task. He wrote: *Арго есть явление вторичного языкового ряда над обычной речь*, явление надстроеч-ного п о р я д к а .
Index pages curate the most relevant extracts from our library of academic textbooks. They’ve been created using an in-house natural language model (NLM), each adding context and meaning to key research topics.





