Windmills & Giants

Jargon, slang, colloquialisms are all interesting parts of diction (To sum up the previous section: interesting writers choose interesting words over boring ones in order to infuse their writing with more information). Jargon is a word for any set of words devoted to a particular task usually used by a particular group or organization. For example, there can be sailing jargon ("aft," "starboard," "boom," etc.), as well as sailing slang and colloquialisms ("avast matey," "shiver me timbers"). I assume you are all familiar with the slang of previous generations: "cool," "gnarly," "far out," etc. (For this, [i.e. your] generation, I use UrbanDictionary.com.) So, slang is used in everyday conversation, but never in academic or professional writing.

Colloquialisms are similar. Droppin' the "g" after words ending in "-ing" is a Southern colloquialism. These words are usually defined by a geographical location (a good dictionary will tell you the location in which these words are used), but as you can see, slang and colloquialisms are very similar. The second word is just longer. Jargon, however, is quite different from the other two. Jargon is used amongst people that are familiar with the topic being discussed. For English students, "gerund," "apostrophe," "synecdoche," and "metonymy" are jargon words. Those who have never studied the language would not understand the technical terms. I am sure you can come up with a few for computer programming, gaming, sports, auto repair, astrophysics, or any other hobby or study.

When an author uses jargon (without defining it), he or she is speaking to a specific audience. So, if you find your author using several words that you are unfamiliar with, grab a dictionary and look them up. If, for example, you look up "humor" in the Merriam-Webster dictionary, you will find ^"hu·mor noun . . . 2 a in medieval physiology" below the standard definitions. "In medieval physiology" applies to the word when it is used as jargon.