Eliminating jargon
Looking at the origin
The word ‘jargon’ is derived from a Middle English word
meaning ‘meaningless chatter’. The derivation suggests a
very good reason why jargon should be avoided. Anyone
who is a member of a group uses jargon that is intelligible
only to other members of the same group. Lawyers have
their own jargon and so do politicians, schoolteachers and
nurses.
Today we are bombarded with words ending in ‘ise’.
Privatise, normalise, prioritise, nationalise are all words that
are now embedded in our language. But they are jargon and
should be avoided, as should all forms of jargon. Use words
and expressions that will be easily understood by anyone
who reads your work. Strive always for originality and
simplicity in your writing. Look at the following example:
The local council is producing a programme to
normalise the work experience schedule of students in
its employ. Any input from department heads to finalise
this should be submitted by the due date.It’s full of jargon. But it is an internal note so should be
understood by its readers. The following example is very
pompous:
Louis had fed in the appropriate information before
finalising his entry. Now he hurtled along the race track
hoping to maximise his potential.86 / PART ONE: THE BASICS