3.3.2

Jargon

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Occupational Groups - Jargon

Jargon, also known as field-specific lexis, is the term we give to a piece of language which is unique to the group in which it's used and would not make total sense to those not in the group.

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'The web of discourse'

  • John Swales proposed the term ‘the web of discourse’, which is sometimes referred to as being part of a ‘discourse community’.
  • This essentially states that within a work place, employees are part of a group who share a common purpose and goal and within that web, language use shares similarities and differences.
    • For example, two employees may use the same jargon, but one of these employees might be the boss and as a result, the language use will be different.
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Positive views of jargon

  • Kollataj argues that some language uses (like slang) have a stigma in the workplace, but jargon does not.
  • Spolsky says that jargon helps you to become indoctrinated into the group.
  • Herrgard argues that in time-constrained situations (e.g. a kitchen), efficiency is key and so jargon works well here.
  • Drew and Heritage’s research suggests that knowing the relevant jargon allows us to make the job run more efficiently.
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Positive views of jargon (cont.)

  • Crystal believes that jargon leads to efficiency and ultimately optimal communication.
  • He also states that it builds a group identity in which more ‘elite’ member can emerge (e.g. your boss probably knows and uses more jargon than you).
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Negative views of jargon

  • Althusser argues that it disturbs our thoughts if we don’t know/use the jargon.
  • Spolsky also says that you can stand out (in a bad way) if you do not know/use jargon.
  • The Plain English Campaign aims to reduce the amount of jargon being used because they believe it detracts from the ‘plain English’.

Jump to other topics

1Language Levels

2Language, The Individual & Society

3Language Diversity & Change

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