🗣️ Jargon: Buzzword Noise or Efficient Communication?
Do you know the word JARGON? A) clear speech; B) affected accent; C) specialized language; D) casual talk. Test yourself, then check inside. 👉
“The weapon got nerfed, the boss has aggro, and my cooldown isn’t over yet.”
To a gamer, that sentence is perfectly clear. To non-gamers, it sounds like it's time to call 911. Teachers do the same thing with words such as "scaffolding," "do-nows," and "IEP."
This specialized language is called jargon: specialized vocabulary used by people in a particular profession, trade, group, or hobby.
Today we’re learning "jargon," that insider-speak that makes you feel either totally looped in or completely lost when you hear it.
📚️ Definition of Jargon
Jargon (noun): the specialized or technical vocabulary used by members of a particular profession, trade, or group that is hard for people outside of those groups to understand: avoid jargon when giving presentations.
🗣️ Pronunciation of Jargon
IPA: ˈdʒɑː.ɡən (See IPA key)
Phonetic: JAR-gun
📰 Examples of Jargon
Here are some examples of the word jargon:
The research paper was full of impenetrable jargon; it made no sense to me at all.
Some less ethical salespeople know that a little jargon can intimidate prospective buyers, and thereby make them easier to sell to.
This they would sing, as a chorus, to words which to many would seem unmeaning jargon, but which, nevertheless, were full of meaning to themselves.” — Frederick Douglass, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass (1845)
🗣️ Common Collocations of Jargon
A collocation is a group of words often found together in usage, for example figment of one’s imagination, extenuating circumstances, or inclement weather.
technical jargon
legal jargon
medical jargon
jargon-free
avoid jargon
keep something jargon-free
impenetrable jargon
Quiz answer: C.
How do you feel about jargon when you hear it and understand it, or even when you don’t understand it? Tomorrow, keep an eye out for “abscond.”