Jargon (language)

Jargon refers to the technical words or terms used by a specific profession, organization, or group of people. These terms often pertain to objects, devices, occurrences, actions, individuals, or other things that are unique to the people within that group or profession. Jargon sometimes includes abbreviations or acronyms representing longer words or terms. It also often includes euphemisms, or alternative ways of saying things that may be uncomfortable or unpleasant to discuss.

In sociolinguistic usage, jargon can also be a form of language that develops as a way for two cultures that do not speak the same language to be able to communicate. A number of these jargon languages developed during the fifteenth to seventeenth centuries, when European explorers traveled to other parts of the world and met indigenous peoples. This type of jargon is often characterized by a mixture of words from both cultures. They were often limited in scope, including just enough language for trade or other basic communication to take place.

Jargon vs. Slang

Jargon and slang both refer to words or phrases that are used only by certain groups of people. The main difference is formality.

Jargon pertains to organized groups or professions such as medical or military personnel, economists, politicians, and educators, and the words are routinely used as part of their regular, formal communications. For example, insurance company newsletters might include mentions of third-party claims, limited liability, and usual and customary rates—terms that are technical and specific to the business they are doing.

Slang, on the other hand, refers to informal words or phrases used by a group that may or may not be organized. For example, many teenagers use the term BFF, an acronym for "best friend forever." However, this term is considered slang, not jargon, because its use is not limited to a specific organized group or profession, and it would not be used in formal communication.

The matter sometimes becomes complicated because terms start out as jargon and cross into everyday use. For example, the term scuttlebutt is used to refer to gossip or unofficial news. It is in general use and not limited to any particular group or organization. However, the term originated as nineteenth-century sailors' jargon when it was the actual name for a barrel full of water on a ship's deck where sailors could go to get a drink. The word became slang when it was applied to the conversation sailors had at the barrel, where they exchanged news and gossip, and eventually scuttlebutt passed into common usage in the twentieth century. A contemporary example of a similar change would be ATM, an acronym for automated teller machine, which moved from banking jargon to common usage.

Professional or Organizational Jargon

Nearly every profession or group has some terms that are unique to that particular entity. It can both simplify and complicate communications. For those inside an organization or group, jargon can provide a useful shortcut to conveying complex or frequently used ideas, terms, equipment, personnel, etc. It can make communications quicker and more efficient as well as ensure that the parties involved understand each other.

For example, medical personnel might say that a request for information is HIPAA-compliant, referring to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 that imposed specific requirements, including stringent patient privacy requirements, on all parties involved in health care. This is considered jargon because it is specific to a particular organized group and conveys technical information in a more efficient way within that group.

Jargon sometimes results from groups or organizations trying to soften unpleasant topics into less obvious or harsh terms. Examples of this would be the use of the term downsizing to replace terminations when referring to eliminating employees from a company, or the military's use of render non-viable instead of kill. These terms are considered jargon because a specific group of people uses them formally; however, like other forms of jargon, these can pass into general usage.

The rule for communicating with jargon is generally to use it when speaking to people who are part of the group or organization, and to avoid it when speaking to those outside the group.

Jargon, Pidgins, and Creoles

As Europeans explored various parts of the world beginning in the fifteenth century, they encountered people native to other lands where they shared no common language. Sometimes, people from either or both cultures would learn each other's languages and serve as interpreters. Other times, the two cultures would develop a third language that they used for their mutual communication purposes.

These more elaborate hybrid languages would begin as jargon. In this context, jargon is the simplest form of a mutually developed social language. It may use words drawn from multiple cultures. It generally has little or no grammatical structure, or that structure varies widely among users. For instance, verbs may not be conjugated but simply stay the same regardless of tense or subject. It is also very limited in function and is made up only of words and terms the parties involved need; for example, the Chinook Jargon that developed between native people and American settlers in the Pacific Northwest in the nineteenth century centered on the terms the two parties needed for trading.

Many times, the jargon will be limited in usage and will fade as the people involved move on or learn more of each other's native languages. In some cases, however, these languages will develop into an entirely different, hybridized language called a pidgin. When these languages spread to become more widely used and continue to expand in vocabulary and usage, the language becomes what is known as a creole. This happens when people adopt that language as their primary language, and it becomes their native tongue.

Bibliography

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