• According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the

term jargon first appeared in the English

language in the mid-fourteenth century in England.
At the time, it meant “gibberish, jabbering,
chattering, unintelligible talk.”
• The word came from the Old French word Jargon,
which meant “language, speech, idle talk, thieves,
or the chattering of birds.” The French term came
from the Latin word Garrire, which means “to
chatter.”
• This term was adopted into French and then Middle
English, in which the verb jargounen, carried the same
meaning as its Latin equivalent. Simply put, the
definition of jargon comes from a sense of the listener
not being able to understand the meaning behind
a noise.
• It was not until the 1650s that the term also
meant “phraseology peculiar to a profession or sect.”
• Jargon refers to the specialized language of a
professional or occupational group. While this
language is often useful or necessary for those
within the group, it is usually meaningless to
outsiders.
• This specialized vocabulary comprises words,
phrases, and abbreviations that are technical or
esoteric and are used for precision, brevity, or
identification within the group.
• Refers to a job-specific vocabulary – the technical
terms used by lawyers, politicians, doctors, etc.
• Jargon plays a vital role in professional communication.
It allows for concise and specific exchanges among
industry insiders, which can be essential for efficiency
and accuracy. However, when overused or used
inappropriately, jargon can alienate or confuse
outsiders, leading to miscommunication.
 EXERCISE 1

• Group the words according to the field of their usage.

(medicine, Law, Finance, IT, Linguistics)

firewall habeas corpus asset

lexicon benign phishing
myocardial sentence parsing cash flow
appellate encryption neoplasm
counterclaim semantics equity
 KEY TAKEAWAYS

 Specialized Language: Jargon is a specialized language

used by particular groups, typically professions, that
facilitates succinct and precise communication about
complex ideas or practices within that group.
 Efficiency: It allows for quick and efficient
communication among experts, as complex concepts are
encapsulated in specific terms that are well-understood
within the group.
 Identity Marker: Jargon can serve as an identity marker
that signifies membership within a particular professional
or social group.
 Barrier to Entry: For outsiders, jargon can be a barrier to
understanding, potentially creating an exclusionary
environment. This is why clear communication with
laypeople often requires the translation of jargon into more
commonly understood language.
 Misinterpretation Risk: Using jargon in the wrong
context, especially with those unfamiliar with the
terminology, can lead to misunderstandings and
misinterpretations.
 Accessibility: In an effort to make information accessible
to wider audiences, it’s essential to either avoid jargon or
provide clear explanations when its use is unavoidable.
 Evolution: Jargon is not static; it evolves as new
technologies, processes, and theories develop within a
field.
 Overuse Caution: Overuse of jargon, even among
professionals, can lead to confusion and can also be seen
as a way to obscure meaning or inflate the importance of
a message.
 JARGON VS. SLANG

• Jargon should not be confused with slang, which is

informal, colloquial language sometimes used by a
group (or groups) of people. The main difference is one
of register;

• A lawyer discussing an "amicus curiae brief" is an

example of jargon. A teen talking about "making dough"
is an example of slang.
• Due diligence: A business term, "due diligence"
refers to the research that should be done before
making an important business decision.
• AWOL: Short for "absent without leave," AWOL is
military jargon used to describe a person whose
whereabouts are unknown.
• Hard copy: A common term in business, academia,
and other fields, a "hard copy" is a physical printout
of a document (as opposed to an electronic copy).
• Stat: This is a term, usually used in a medical
context, that means "immediately." (As in, "Call the
doctor, stat!")
• Phospholipid bilayer: This is a complex term for a
layer of fat molecules surrounding a cell. A simpler
term is "cell membrane."
• Detritivore: A detritivore is an organism that feeds
on detritus or dead matter. Examples of detritivores
include earthworms, sea cucumbers, and millipedes.
• Holistic: Another word for "comprehensive" or
"complete," "holistic" is often used by educational
professionals in reference to curriculum that focuses on
social and emotional learning in addition to traditional
lessons.
• Magic bullet: This is a term for a simple solution that
solves a complex problem. (It is usually used derisively,
as in "I don't think this plan you've come up with is a
magic bullet.")
• Best practice: In business, a "best practice" is one that
should be adopted because it has proven effectiveness.
 ARGOT

• A secret language or conventional slang peculiar to

thieves, tramps and vagabonds
• A specialized idiomatic vocabulary peculiar to a
particular class or group of people, especially that of an
underworld group, devised for private communication
and identification
• The specialized informal vocabulary and
terminology used between people with special
skill in a field, such as between doctors,
mathematicians or hackers
• The word argot was originally used to describe the
slang of thieves and rogues, who spoke in sneaky
ways that the upright citizen couldn’t understand.
• We can also use argot to describe less criminal
kinds of vocabularies. Any specialized practice can
create an argot: boxers talk of bodyshots and jabs,
just as grammar teachers complain of split infinitives
and dangling participles.
• Argot is a specialized vocabulary or set of
idioms used by a particular social class or group,
especially one that functions outside the law. Also
called cant, cryptolect, anti-language.
• French novelist Victor Hugo observed that
“argot is subject to perpetual transformation
– a secret and rapid work which ever goes
on. It makes more progress in ten years than
the regular language in ten centuries” (Les
Miserables, 1862).
• ESL specialist Sara Fuchs notes that argot
is “both cryptic and playful in nature and it is
… particularly rich in vocabulary referring to
drugs, crime, sexuality, money, the police,
and other authority figures “ (“Verlan,
l’envers,” 2015).
 ARGOT OF THE RACETRACK

• Piker – small town gambler

• Ringer – illegally substituted horse
• Shoo-in – fixed race
 PRISON ARGOT

• Ace duce – best friend

• Banger - a knife
• Billy – white man
• Dog – homeboy or friend
• Ink – tattoos
• Man walking – signal guard coming
 OTHER EXAMPLES

• Awesome (great)
• Smoke (cigarette)
• Spooky (scary)
• Grub (food)
 THE LIGHTER SIDE OF ARGOT

• “A streak of humor runs through the traditional argot.

Prisons were often described as schools, as in the
contemporary College of Correction, and the hulks
used to accommodate prisoners were the floating
academies. Brothels were convents or nunneries, the
prostitutes who worked in them were nuns, and the
madam was an abbes.” (Barry J. Blake, Secret
Language, 2010).
 ARGOT VS. JARGON

• Both refer to a language specific to a certain group of

people.
• Jargon is difficult to understand because it is technical,
while argot is difficult to understand because the people
using it don’t want you to understand.