What is jargon?

Jargon is the specialized language of a trade, progession or other group e.g. law, medicine and the sciences.

It is used as a form of verbal shorthand and enables brief, efficient and clear communication.

Jargon is often not understood by people outside of the trade or profession using the jargon, and it is sometimes used to impress or confuse other people.

Examples

Law:

• misdemeanour (a criminal offence)
• grantor (a person who sets up a trust)
• decree (an order of the court)

Medicine:

• dyspnea (shortness of breath)
• haemorrhage (loss of blood)

Computers:

• dynamic random access memory 
• applet
• simple mail transfer protocol

English teaching:

• EFL (English as a Foreign Language – for people learning English for use outside of English speaking countries)
• scaffolding (teachers' support of students' learning and development that is gradually withdrawn as students become more proficient)

Image © John Marino