Special words or expressions used by a particular profession, group, or hobby that are hard for others to understand. It can make communication faster for insiders but confusing for outsiders.
From Old French “jargon,” meaning “chattering” or “nonsense talk,” possibly imitating bird sounds. It originally described unintelligible speech. Only later did it narrow to mean specialized technical language that feels like nonsense to non-experts.
Jargon started out as a word for bird-like noise, which is exactly how expert talk can sound to beginners. Every field—gaming, medicine, coding, sports—builds its own secret mini-language. The moment you understand the jargon, you know you’ve crossed from outsider to insider.
Technical 'jargon' has sometimes been used as a gatekeeping tool in male-dominated fields, excluding women and other newcomers from full participation. Critiques of 'women’s talk' as 'jargon' or 'gossip' have also devalued specialized forms of communication associated with women.
Use 'jargon' to describe specialized language, not to belittle a group’s way of speaking. When possible, explain terms accessibly to reduce gatekeeping.
["specialized terms","technical language"]
Women have developed and used technical jargon in many fields, from computing to medicine, even when their authorship or expertise was not fully recognized.
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