LESSON 1: JARGONS IN LITERATURE

LEARNING In this lesson, you should be able to determine the vocabulary or

jargons expected of a communicative style.

GUIDE Warm Up!

Jargon Game

English G9 | Q2 | L1
Look for a partner whom you can have this activity. You will be the one to
perform and your partner will be the one to utter the word “klutz” for the
word “jump,” “woolah” for the word “sit,” and “hazah” for the word “stand.”

Whenever you hear these words, do the action of these assigned words.
After the activity, answer the following question: Was it hard to follow
instructions given the new assigned words? Why?

Learn About it!

Communication involves the use of words or expressions to convey a

message. Using specific and understandable words is one of the key
factors to achieve effective communication. One type of language that you
can use in certain situations is jargon.

Jargon is the technical vocabulary of a particular profession or group of

people. Specialized vocabularies vary depending on occupational needs.
Certain jobs and industries have their own set of jargon which people within
a group use and understand.

Here are some examples of jargon from different fields:

Legal jargon: lawsuit, injunction, sentence
Computer jargon: byte, serial port, download
Educational jargon: lesson plan, syllabus
Medical jargon: medications, dysfunction, symptoms

Take note that jargons are highly useful within a specific group of people
for more effective communication. Using jargons eliminate wordy
discussions, making the conversation precise and accurate. However,
some of these technical vocabularies may not be understood by people
outside the group. Therefore, use of jargons should be explained or used
when necessary.
Take a look at this example:
“Your medical result proves that you have gastrointestinal hemorrhage,”
the doctor told the patient.

The doctor does not need to tell a patient that he/she has gastrointestinal
hemorrhage. The doctor may simply say, “Your abdomen is bleeding.” The
medical phrase gastrointestinal hemorrhage can still be used provided that
the doctor explains it to the patient. Points to Remember!

Jargons can be used in literary and non-literary writing. In fiction,
writers employ jargon in dialogues or other forms of characterization to
make characters appear real. In non-literary essays such as newspaper
articles, writers use jargons depending on the field they are writing about.
Read the following example from a court proceeding:
 Jargon is the technical vocabulary of a particular profession or
group of people.
 Using jargons eliminate wordy discussions, making the
conversation precise and accurate.
 Use of jargons should be explained or used when necessary to
other people outside the group.

“Your Honor, I believe the witness signed a sworn affidavit that he saw the
accused going out of the victim’s condominium on the night of February 13, Work On It!
2007. This affidavit is marked as Exhibit A,” Atty. Lim confidently said.
List the jargons or technical terms that may be used in the different
In this example, Atty. Lim is believed to be standing in front of a judge categories below. Fill in the chart below with the jargon words and its
during a court proceeding. The term Your Honor pertains to his respectful meanings in its own field, and its other meanings in different situation.
acknowledgement of the presiding judge. Affidavit is a sworn statement
which is usually done in front of a Notary Public. And exhibit A is a term
used to mark evidences. In this case, this is the first evidence to be
presented.

Guided Practice!

Observe and listen to conversations at home and during class meetings.

List down some jargons and its definitions that are only used in your house
and in the classroom.

Check Your Understanding!

Read the following questions carefully. Choose the letter of the correct result, the future cyberpunk presented are equal parts frightening
answer. and exhilarating.
a. computer jargon c. medical jargon
1. _______ is the technical vocabulary of a profession or group of b. business jargon d. education jargon
people. (identification) 9. What type of jargon is used in the paragraph below?
2. Certain jobs and industries create a set of technical vocabulary for Olivia went to see her primary care physician after he asked her to
________. get tested for urinalysis. She was worried of the possible result.
a. effective communication c. aesthetic purposes When she arrived, her doctor told her, “About time. Are you ready?”
b. professional appearance d. exclusivity of an occupation To which she replied, “I should be. I have no choice.” The doctor
3. The use of jargon should be limited or explained when _______. then proceeded, “Well, based on your results along with several
a. words are used outside the group symptoms such as severe pain in your retroperitoneal area, pinkish-
b. words do not have a dictionary entry brown urine, and occasional urinary retention, you have kidney
c. words are newly created stones.” Hearing this, Olivia was relieved. She had thought she has
d. words are rarely used cancer all this time.
4. Choose a set of words considered as legal jargon. a. medical jargon c. business jargon
a. double jeopardy, court, witness b. computer jargon d. legal jargon
b. human body, nervous system, kingdom Animalia 10. What type of jargon is used in this paragraph?
c. freethrow, traveling, jump shot “So, we have established the actus reus, what was the mens rea,
d. fashion, trendy, couture Mr. San Gabriel?” She asked. A clueless Patrick was startled upon
5. Choose a set of words considered as engineering jargon. hearing his name. He was not able to answer. Ms. David answered
a. construction, design, structure herself by explaining the terms and followed the explanation with
b. textbook, syllabus, lesson plan the question, “So, what was Mr. Sodawsky’s mens rea, Mr. San
c. novel, play, short story Gabriel?” and “It isn’t that hard, it’s really just common sense.”
d. blueprint, paint, walls a. legal jargon c. computer jargon
6. Choose a set of words considered as literature jargon. b. business jargon d. medical jargon
a. fiction, essay, flashback
b. linguist, alphabet, letters
c. anthropology, history, economics
d. television, radio, cinema
7. Choose a set of words considered as business jargon.
a. inflation, income, tax
b. poetry, novel, drama
c. immunology, epidemiology, physiology
d. plane, x-axis, y-axis
8. What type of jargon is used in the paragraph below?
Renegade hackers, gritty urban landscapes, and oppressive mega
corporations are all hallmarks of the cyberpunk genre. They also
often draw on traditions of film noir and detective fiction that explore
dystopian near futures. Technology is central as well. While
cyberpunk celebrates Internet-like virtual spaces, it also considers
the moral ambiguity involved in technological advancement. As a