The purpose of Jargon?

Question

esp.intellectual and academic jargon?

Is it really to express ideas that are frequently discussed between members of a group?

or is it a deliberate and intentional attempt to make things appear more difficult and complex than they are?


e.g instead of "conflicting thoughts" we have "cogntive dissonance"

"pious transformation of old cognitive constructs" bla bla,do concepts or ideas really need all this excess language littering?

Keith you forgot to add the handy power/status perks of exclusion and the fact that it helps justify a megasalary.

Ive also never heard truckers engage in excess or exclusionary jargon.

get your secret passwords at the gate of knowledge!

I understand most academic jargon and I certainly dont think the use of it simplifies communication! hence my whinging.It appears to smell of snobbery.

suki,I agre call it lightblub dont call it a "Lamp Lumen Depreciation"

suki,I agre call it light bulb dont call it a "Lamp Lumen Depreciation"

or worse the technical term for light bulb in lamp manufacturer catalogs is lumen incandescent technology.

Answer 1

You're confusing Jargon with double speak. It's there to make people feel their area of expertise is complicated and no one outside that area could ever understand it.

Like that commercial where they're "Idee-ay-ting". The IBM commercial. A bunch of corporate touchy feely crap to do business in a new age.

Answer 2

Wittgenstien suggested that if "I spoke a different language, I would see a different world" and that language was a game. This thought suggests that language precedes perception (language as causal for a world view); however, what if the opposite were true? Language could be the product of seeing the world a certain way.

I think your question overlooks that jargon (in the form of cant, argot, and/or slang) circulates through other groups outside academia. If a trucker says, "I don't want to deadhead my reefer too far because I think I found a lot lizard," would you claim that they are being deliberately complex? Various social groups construct meaning through creative language construction. I would hold that such language use (i.e., jargon) both constructs the group's identity as well as creates a barrier to outsiders seeking entry into the group. Thus, the use of latin, Greek, and scientific terms by Medical Doctors is not only a way to have them feel a sense of community with each other, but it is also crucial so that no fraudulent individual can "perform" their role and possibly hurt another.

Addendum:
You say you haven't heard truckers talk in jargon but the very example I used is cant (which is the nonprofessional equivalent of jargon). Could you understand it? Read the statement of the trucker I use above. It really says: "I don't want to drive my refrigerated trailor empty to go pick up a new load because I think I found a prostitute working at the truck stop." You bring in salaries because of my statement about Medical doctors, but trucker lingo also helps exclude some idiot from getting behind an 18 wheeler and running someone over. For example, if you went to pick up a rig and they said, "Do you need a 48 or 53, van, reefer, step-deck, or drop-deck?" If you said, "I'll take the 53, reefer, step-deck," they would know automatically that you don't have a clue (and thus not give you the keys). While all elements of being human can be rerouted to their economic aspects (and jargon is no different), I would hold that jargon does not necessitate salary it merely creates a boundary condition for separating those you can "speak the language" and those that can't.

Addendum2:
You should also realize that the use of Latin (for the most part) in the medical field is a way not only to create "group-ness" but universality. A French doctor and a German doctor can "roughly" talk to each other if doing an emergency surgery even if they don't know any of the other's "language" (ie., French or German). Standardization of wording and language are crucial for the growth and development of a field.

Answer 3

I agree jointly with your end and the 1st answerer. yet I take exception with calling cognitive dissonance Jargon, That word incorporates a concept lots greater suitable than "conflicting techniques". It incorporates the assumption-approximately how human beings % conflicts in judgment. yet there is lots jargon in each and every container, the two academic and technical. each and every team of workers invents a jargon if there is not any longer one for the sphere they're in already. And as first answerer stated, the purpose of jargon is to assert, "we belong, and no one else is familiar with our particular know-how to boot as we do."

Answer 4

There is a great difference between technical language between people who know what they are talking about, and in slang comes under this category, and Jargon, which is usualy employed to dazzle the uninitiated with the brilliance of the speaker. There is very little which cannot be boiled down into simple plain English. English is one of the simplest and most descriptive languages on earth, and if you don't believe me then compare the labelling on just about any product printed in other languages. The trouble is of course, that if you do put things into plainspeak then the poverty of much claptrap is revealed to a mocking world! Try it sometime. Plough your way through some load of drivel and translate it into plain language. You can usually boil it down to a sentence or two.
There used to be a catchphrase when I was in the forces long ago, "Bullshit Baffles Brains" It is still true.

Answer 5

Jargon generally conveys a more specific meaning than laymen's language, and is thus more useful for conversations on very specific subjects, though only amongst those who understand the more specifically coined terms. It exists to actually simplify communication, but likewise make it more exclusive in that only certain others (within the trade) can understand it.

Answer 6

GREAT QUESTION!!

I believe the purpose for jargon is a combination of nearly all the premises you raised.

Yes, it is common place to establish and utilize jargon within a profession, work place, or other socialized setting. However, the use of jargon is designed with the intention of creating an efficient means for communication while, for some, the use of jargon is a deliberate attempt to make things appear more complex or difficult to understand resulting in cognitive dissonance, per-say.

E.g. The use of Latin in medical terminology is specifically established in order to prevent the complete understanding of conditions by the layman and to communicate effectively among colleagues of the medical profession.

In this situation, the use of jargon allows for effective communication while preventing anyone without familiarity from grasping the information and thus establishing a position of control for those who have established familiarity.

Answer 7

I think all words and meanings start out aiming for clarity but through usage in time become common and tend to reflect their place in the common world by obscuring meaning and appearing more difficult and complex (as is the world order they are a part of).

The words actually mean something. It's fine to have creative ways of saying things if that is what is actually meant. If someone is just saying complex things to bullshit, then I agree it's nonsense, but why limit thought to only words that are created for practical application? That would be like trying to sew clothing with a hammer.

Answer 8

Lol, after reading the question in bold, you've already placed the answer in your sub text, but regardless.

The three main reasons for jargon are as follow:

1. It gives a greater understanding to a conversation of those who understand the topic, e.g, "whats that glowy thing that gives out light?" "You mean a light bulb?" Basically, an electrician would be much more suited off talking in jargon (if talking to a three year old) than a glowy thing, giving him greater understanding of the topic.

2.To communicate more quickly. "Whats that glowly thing that gives out light" is long than a "Light bulb"

3. To annoy/ confuse/ belittle the common man =S.

Answer 9

Jargon is short hand terms that people learn or make up -- just easier to communicate. Much jargon is acronyms; people forget what the full name is, since they always reference the acronym.

'e.g instead of "conflicting thoughts" we have "cognitive dissonance"'
This type of talk is done by managers, not workers.

Answer 10

There is a fine line between jargon and technical language. Jargon is to alienate, technical language is a short cut.