A jargon is a special language as well as speech or expression. The jargon is a socioelectric because it is often understood only by the members of a particular group or milieu, which can be characteristic of certain groups (eg artists, students, pupils) or occupations. Accordingly, the jargon can not be understood by every person and is often perceived by outsiders as gibberish (confused speech). The jargon was also the secret language, especially the special word treasure, the crooks, criminals in the Middle Ages, and a mixed or corrupted dialect
The term can be derived from French and translated with incomprehensible murmur / speech. The French slang goes back to the old French gargun, which means “chirping”. The term probably came into being in the fifteenth century, when the criminal gang of the Coquillards, in German also shell-brothers, invented a secret language, which outsiders could not understand. They referred to this secret language as jargon (certain langaige de jargon).
The shell brothers were a loose community of deceivers, beggars, robbers, tricklers, highwaymen, deceivers, robbers, and murderers, although there were no comprehensive members. The secret language of the mussel brothers is still not fully deciphered today. It is assured that they addressed their peers with coquillards or compagnons de la coquille, and their head as king of the coquille (roy de la coquille). In addition, they bore recognition marks shells on the body.
Copper engraving of the mussel brothers, who called their language as jargon.
Note: Satirical copper engraving of the shell brothers, who called their language as jargon, Jacques Lagniet, 1657.
The form of the jargon can also be the Argot, which describes a secret language of the beggars and crooks of medieval France. Here grammatical rules were intentionally broken or played with linguistic patterns. Thus partial cryptic word creations were made, which were very difficult to understand for persons who were not inaugurated.
For example, the term “zonzon” was used as a form of encryption, and acronyms were also used to encrypt a content (TDC for tombé du camion ~ stolen) or borrowing from foreign languages (Mabul [arabic]) mahbûl ~ crazy), with numerous other forms of encryption being common.
Specialist yargon and scene jargon
In general, jargon is regarded as a non-standardized variety of language, that is, as a very specific form of an individual language. Usually, however, two basic types of jargon can be identified: the scene and the technical jargon. The various groupings that can influence a jargon can be assigned to this overlap. However, there are exceptions.
A scene jargon is the characteristic colloquial language of a scene, that is, a social network that is characterized by common interests, preferences, or peculiarities. The scene jargon shows the belonging to a scene by a common language. For example, the language of the youth is separated from the older by a jargon of its own, with its own concepts which seem incomprehensible to outsiders and are only known to the respective scene (cf. neologism, occasionalism).
The specialist yargon is a colloquial language between the members of a certain profession. It is generally understood only for employees in this area, although it is not standardized and controlled. This means that not every employee has to be familiar with the individual specialist yargon. The specialist yargon is nevertheless concrete and efficient, but differs from the technical language.
Technical and technical jargon
The terms technical vocabulary and technical jargon are similar in many parts. The main difference, however, is that the technical language is standardized, whereby the technical yargon is a non-standardized language. The specialist yargon, however, can be the expression of a technical language.
The specialist language is therefore recognized by all members of the respective group and is also used. For example, the hunter’s speech is generally known to all members of the profession, even if the whole can be perceived as a kind of jargon for outsiders.
As a result, the specialist language is controlled and protected by their speakers. This means, however, that she can easily be translated into foreign languages and also applies here to the group she speaks. The specialist yargon does not know these restrictions. He is spoken only by a small group, but he is not standardized. For example, a group of hunters could maintain their own jargon, which is derived from their specialist language, but is not generally binding for all other hunters.
Thus, it is a logical consequence that some terms are formed in specialist circles and yet can not be regarded as a binding technical language. For example, the term sentence plumber, which means a typographer in the printing trade, is clearly jargon. The term is incomprehensible for outsiders, but it is not part of the standardized vocabulary of all printing technicians.
The location of the specialist jargon within a technical language
Example of the technical language: Hunter’s language
An exemplary technical language, which is also used today, is the hunting language. As a special language, she is a specialist language and, of course, the professional language of the hunters. She uses a lot of hunting words, which is why she is sometimes incomprehensible to outsiders.
The hunting language serves to preserve and preserve hunting traditions, but is equally important in order to ensure correct communication among hunters. In most cases, a huntsman avoids the harshness of his profession before non-hunters, in order to prevent misunderstandings. The hunter’s speech was strongly marked in the 12th century, when it was extended by many terms of hunting.
Although this language is incomprehensible to many people and is only used by a particular group, it is standardized and accepted by the group members. However, due to her age, she has already entered into the language of conversation. Some formulations have been anchored in the everyday language of non-hunters. For example, the professional hunter describes the ears of the hare as a spoon. Nevertheless, the wording is known to somebody one behind the spoon.
Other formulations of the hunter’s speech are often foreign to outsiders. Examples are the honoring of the deer, the ear of the deer, the halali, the witches’ rings, the lynx, the lamb, the strings are straightened with rags and the game , which mostly does not pass under the rags, can be driven so purposefully), Parforcejagd (hunting on horse with dogemeute) or also solution (left excrements).
Short overview: The most important thing about jargon at a glance
Jargon is the speech or expression of a particular group or profession. The jargon is usually not understood by persons who do not belong to this group. However, it is not standardized and is not controlled.
This feature distinguishes the (specialized) jargon from the technical language. Although this is spoken and understood by some people only, they are subject to clear rules which are controlled and protected by their speakers. Nonetheless, specialized linguistic and technical jargon are forms of the special language, as they are used and understood by only a part of the members of a linguistic community.
Originally the language of the crooks and criminals was called jargon. The term probably goes back to the so-called “shell brothers,” a criminal gang of the fifteenth century, who used a language called “jargon.”
Moreover, the term means a mixed or corrupted dialect. In everyday usage, too, the term is often used in this sense, meaning a formless, uninhibited, but also neglected expression.