Jargonisms

In the non-literary vocabulary of the English language there is a group of words that are called
jargonisms. Jargon is a recognized term for a group of words that exists in almost every
language and whose aim is to preserve secrecy within one or another social group. Jargonisms
are generally old words with entirely new meanings imposed on them. The traditional meaning
of the words is immaterial, only the new, improvised meaning is of importance. Most of the
jargonisms of any language, and of the English language too, are absolutely incomprehensible to
those outside the social group which has invented them. They may be defined as a code within a
code, that is special meanings of words that are imposed on the recognized code – the dictionary
meaning of the words.
Thus the word grease means 'money'; loaf means 'head'; a tiger hunter is 'a gambler'; a lexer is 'a
student preparing for a law course'.

Jargonisms are social in character. They are not regional. In Britain and in the US almost any
social group of people has its own jargon. The following jargons are well known in the English
language: the jargon of thieves and vagabonds, generally known as cant; the jargon of jazz
people; the jargon of the army, known as military slang; the jargon of sportsmen, and many
others.
The various jargons (which in fact are nothing but a definite group of words) remain a foreign
language to the outsiders of any particular social group. It is interesting in connection with this to
quote a stanza from "Don Juan" by Byron where the poet himself finds it necessary to comment
on the jargonisms he has used for definite stylistic purposes.

"He from the world had cut off a great man,

The explanation of the words used here was made by Byron's editor because they were all
jargonisms in Byron's time and no one would understand their meaning unless they were
explained in normal English.

It must be remembered that both jargon and slang differ from ordinary language mainly in their
vocabularies. The structure of the sentences and the morphology of the language remain
practically unchanged. But such is the power of words, which are the basic and most
conspicuous element in the language, that we begin unwittingly to speak of a separate language.
Jargonisms do not always remain the possession of a given social 'group. Some of them migrate
into other social strata and sometimes become recognized in the literary language of the nation.
G. H. McKnight writes: "The language of the underworld provided words facetiously adopted by
the fashionable world, many of which, such as fan and queer and banter and bluff and sham and
humbug, eventually made their way into dignified use."9 There are hundreds of words, once
1
ken = a house which harbours thieves
2
spellken = a play-house or theatre
3
to queer a flat = to puzzle a silly fellow
4
to flash the muzzle (gun) on the high toby-spice = to rob on horse back
5
a lark = fun or sport of any kind
6
a blowing = a girl
7
swell = gentlemanly
8
nutty = pleasing (to be nuts on = to be infatuated with)
9
McKnight, G. H. Modern English in the Making. N. Y., 1956, p. 552.
jargonisms or slang, which have become legitimate members of the English literary language.

Jargonisms have their definite place of abode and are therefore easily classified according to the
social divisions of the given period. Almost any calling has its own jargon, i.e. its set of words
with which its members intersperse their speech and render it incomprehensible to outsiders.
Some linguists even maintain that: "Within the limits of any linguistic unity there are as many
languages as there are groups of people thrown together by propinquity and common interests." 10
Jargonisms do break away from the accepted norms of semantic variants of words. They are a
special group within the nonliterary layer of words.

There is a common jargon and there are also special professional jargons. Common jargonisms
have gradually lost their special quality, which is to promote secrecy and keep outsiders in the
dark. In fact, there are no outsiders where common jargon is concerned. It belongs to all social
groups and is therefore easily understood by everybody. That is why it is so difficult to draw a
hard and fast line between slang and jargon. When a jargonism becomes common, it has passed
on to a higher step on the ladder of word groups and becomes slang or colloquial.
Here are some further examples of jargon:
 Piou-Piou – 'a French soldier, a private in the infantry'. According to Eric Partridge
this word has already passed from military jargon to ordinary colloquial speech.
 Hummen – 'a false arrest' (American)
 Dar – (from damned average raiser) – 'a persevering and assiduous student'.
(University jargon)
 Matlo (w) – 'a sailor' (from the French word ‘matelot’)
 Man and wife – 'a knife' (rhyming slang)
 Manany – 'a sailor who is always putting off a job or work' (nautical jargon) (from
the Spanish word 'manana' – 'to-morrow')

The word brass in the meaning of 'money in general, cash' is not jargon inasmuch as there is an
apparent semantic connection between 'the general name for all alloys of copper with tin or zinc'
and cash. The metonymic ties between the two meanings prevent the word from being used as a
special code word. The same can be said of the words joker – 'something used to play a trick or
win one's point or object with' from card-playing; drag – 'to rob vehicles'; to soap-box – 'to make
speeches out-of-doors standing on a soap-box'. These are easily understood by native speakers
and therefore fail to meet the most indispensable property of jargon words. They are slang words
or perhaps colloquial. On the other hand, such words as soap and flannel meaning 'bread' and
'cheese' (naval), and some of the words mentioned above are scarcely likely to be understood by
the language community. Only those who are in the know understand such words. Therefore
they can be classed as jargonisms.

Vandryes, a well-known French linguist, said that "...jargon distorts (искажает) words, it does
not create them." It is must be remarked that both slang and the various jargons of Great Britain
differ much more from those of America and Canada than the literary language in the two
countries does. In fact, the most striking difference is to be observed in the non-literary layer of
words and particularly in slang and jargonisms and professionalisms.

"American slang," remarks G. H. McKnight, "on the whole remains a foreign language to the
Englishman. John Galsworthy in his novel "The Silver Spoon" makes a naturalistic use of
colloquial idiom. He exhibits the rich element of native slang in the colloquial speech of
England."11 Jargonisms, like slang and other groups of the non-literary layer, do not always
remain on the outskirts of the literary language. Many words have overcome the resistance of the
10
Baugh, Albert C. History of the English Language, p. 385.
11
McKnight, G. H. Modern English in the Making. Ldn, 1930, p. 556.
language lawgivers and entered the standard vocabulary. Thus the words kid, fun, queer, bluff, fib,
humbug, formerly slang words or jargonisms, are now considered common colloquial. They may be said to be
dejargonized.