Editing Jargon (section)

{{Short description|Specialist terminology often understood only by a certain group}}
{{Other uses}}
'''Jargon''', or '''technical language''', is the specialized [[terminology]] associated with a particular field or area of activity.<ref>{{cite book|last=Murray|first=Neil|title=Writing Essays in English Language and Linguistics: Principles, Tips and Strategies for Undergraduates|year=2012|isbn=9780521111195|publisher=Cambridge University Press|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EyoifO5vqAAC|page=147}}</ref> Jargon is normally employed in a particular [[Context (language use)|communicative context]] and may not be well understood outside that context. The context is usually a particular occupation (that is, a certain trade, profession, [[vernacular]] or academic field), but any [[ingroups and outgroups|ingroup]] can have jargon. The key characteristic that distinguishes jargon from the rest of a language is its specialized vocabulary, which includes terms and definitions of words that are unique to the context, and terms used in a narrower and more exact sense than when used in colloquial language. This can lead [[In-group and out-group|outgroups]] to misunderstand communication attempts. Jargon is sometimes understood as a form of technical [[slang]] and then distinguished from the official terminology used in a particular field of activity.<ref>{{cite book|last=Polskaya|first=Svetlana|chapter=Differentiating between various categories of special vocabulary (on the material of a professionals speech of English-speaking stock exchange brokers)|editor-last=Raţă|editor-first=Georgeta|title=Academic Days of Timişoara: Language Education Today|year=2011|isbn=9781443833165|publisher=Cambridge Scholars Publishing|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jBorBwAAQBAJ|page=519}}</ref>

The terms ''jargon'', ''slang,'' and ''[[argot]]'' are not consistently differentiated in the literature; different authors interpret these concepts in varying ways. According to one definition, jargon differs from slang in being secretive in nature;<ref>{{cite book|last=Piekot|first=Tomasz|title=Język w grupie społecznej: wprowadzenie do analizy socjolektu|year=2008|isbn=9788388425387|location=Wałbrzych|publisher=Wydawnictwo Państwowej Wyższej Szkoły Zawodowej im. Angelusa Silesiusa|oclc=297524942|page=28|language=pl}}</ref> according to another understanding, it is specifically associated with professional and technical circles.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Outsmarting Your Competitors: Techniques of Sales Excellence to Build Profitable Business|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4kqqeox-tlAC|page=88|publisher=Marshall Cavendish|date=2007|isbn=9789812614483|language=en|first=Patrick|last=Forsyth}}</ref> Some sources, however, treat these terms as synonymous.<ref>{{cite web|first=Jan|last=Grzenia|url=https://sjp.pwn.pl/poradnia/haslo/gwara-a-zargon;6208.html|title=gwara a żargon|date=2005-04-25|access-date=2019-04-26|work=Poradnia PWN|publisher=sjp.pwn.pl|language=pl}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |page =385|last =Mistrík |first =Jozef|title =Encyklopédia jazykovedy|year=1993|isbn=8021502509|edition =1|location =Bratislava |publisher =Obzor|oclc=29200758|language =sk}}</ref> The use of jargon became more popular around the sixteenth century attracting persons from different career paths. This led to there being printed copies available on the various forms of jargon.<ref>{{Cite book |date=1993-12-21 |editor-last=Stearns |editor-first=Peter N. |title=Encyclopedia of Social History |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.4324/9780203306352 |doi=10.4324/9780203306352|isbn=9781135583477 }}</ref>