Mrs Coker tells her students the meaning of jargons
The Unique, a private secondary school, stands out as one of the best in town. One thing that stands their students out is their command of the English language. They speak fluent English. You're a secondary student and you speak fluent English, then you're assumed to be a student of The Unique. Teachers and parents are glad of this reputation. It is however to the credit of Mrs Coker, the pioneer English Language teacher, that most of the students have a good command of the English language. She is now the Vice-Principal of the school.
The students were always conscious of how they spoke English before her. They often would rehearse what they want to say before appearing before her for anything. They were that mindful. The students often mimicked her pronunciation of words and it helped them. Anywhere was good enough for Mrs Coker to teach. If you're caught speaking bad English in the dormitory, there, she corrects the 'offender'. And if it were in the chapel, other classes could be delayed in her bid to correct the error or mistake.
For the first time in the school, the Drama Club presented a playlet on the assembly. Mrs Coker stood at the back, listening to every word. After the presentation, she came up and demanded a round of applause for the cast. "I am proud of all the members of the cast," she said in that distinct golden voice of hers. "Kayode the Professor, kudos to you. Nkem and Ewa, students of Prof, you acted that role well. You would want to pursue a career in acting? A round of applause for them once again. Before we proceed, I should like to call your attention to something in the playlet. In the scene that Nkem and Ewa gossiped about Prof that he usually spoke jargons. In my many years of teaching English Language, I have observed that many students assume that jargon means meaningless expressions or words, or like many would say, rubbish. May I tell you students, that jargon—you shouldn't even add 's'—does not and should not refer to rubbish or something meaningless. What does jargon mean? She reads from an electronic dictionary on her Samsung Galaxy Note 9 Duos. 'Jargon: special words or expressions used by a profession or a professional group such as doctors, lawyers, engineers that are difficult for others to understand.' She read it out loud again. Did you hear that? Your English Language teachers teach you jargon in class. I do, too! When you are taught vocabulary development in class, it is to expose you to certain words that are used in different fields. Words peculiar to different fields, isn't it? That is jargon! When you study vocabulary development on medicine, that is, words used in medicine or by medical professionals, that is jargon. When it is on building, that is also jargon. You can go on and on. Another word for jargon is register. Do you understand? Now, stand right for the first stanza of the national anthem. One! Two! Go!"
DISCUSSION
Now that the wrong notion on jargon has been corrected, let's check out some jargons used in the following fields.
LAW
defendant, plaintiff, brief*, suspect, jury, charge*, warrant, bail, verdict, file*, sentence*, suit*, dock*, litigation, plea, libel, minor*, count*, proceedings, amnesty, appeal, conviction*, custody, allegation, ruling, prosecution, attorney, tribunal, execution*
MEDICINE
diagnosis, prescription, palliative, surgery, ward, transplant, bruise, immune, vaccine, dehydrate, pill, sedate, seizure, gynaecologist, hypertensive, insulate, allergy, prenatal, postnatal, antenatal, amputate, sterilize, dialysis, infection, vaccine, insulate
GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS
legislature, judiciary, executive, enact*, coup, exile, campaign, constituency, budget, opposition, reform, policy, party system, veto, bill, legislation, ascent, executive order, decree, by-law
MEDIA
column, correspondent, editor, editorial, headlines, proofreading, reporter, broadcast, coverage, copy writer
FOOTBALL
hat-trick, brace, throw-in, off-side, free-kick, dead ball, shot, lines man, referee, rebound, penalty*, attacker, midfielder, gloves, cap, booking*, cross*, bar, nutmeg*, kick off, mark*, playoff, substitute, tackle, foul, touchline, derby, playoff, dribble, extra-time, spot kick, draw*, dug out, strike*, attack*, knockout
Some of the words are asterisked because they are can have more than one meaning. Remember we discussed them last week: http://olabanjititles.blogspot.com/2019/03/poor-chike-struggles-with-words-with.html?m=1
Additional Discussion on jargon from Wikipedia
Jargon is a specialized terminology used to define specific words and phrases used in a particular profession, trade, and/or group.
Jargon is a type of language that is used in a particular context and may not be well understood outside that context. The context is usually a particular occupation (that is, a certain trade, profession, vernacular, or academic field), but any in a group can have jargon. The main trait that distinguishes jargon from the rest of a language is special vocabulary—including some words specific to it, and often different senses or meanings of words, that out-groups would tend to take in another sense—therefore misunderstanding that communication attempt.
Jargon is thus "the technical terminology or characteristic idiom of a special activity or group". Most jargon is technical terminology (technical terms), involving terms of art or industry terms, with particular meaning within a specific industry. A main driving force in the creation of technical jargon is precision and efficiency of communication when a discussion must easily range from general themes to specific, finely differentiated details without circumlocution. Jargon enrichess everyday vocabulary with meaningful content and can potentially become a Catchword.
A side-effect of Jargon, a higher threshold for comprehensibility, which is usually accepted as a trade-off but is sometimes even used as a means of social exclusion (reinforcing ingroup-outgroup barriers) or social aspiration (when intended as a way of showing off). Some academics encourage fellow academics to use jargon-free language because it pervades disciplines, history, and different research strategies. When using jargon people tend to become less engaged as they become lost in the Technical language.
Thank you for reading. Sure you have learnt one of two things. Next week Monday promises to be another exciting time.
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