Jargon: We Love To Hate It
Head on over to plainlanguage.gov, and you\u2019ll find a helpful table, dedicated to simplifying and demystifying military jargon. On one side of the table, there\u2019s the jargon term, and on the other, its plain language equivalent. \u201cArbitrarily deprive of life\u201d? Actually just means \u201ckill people.\u201d \u201cRender nonviable\u201d? Also means \u201ckill people.\u201d \u201cTerminate with extreme prejudice\u201d? \u201cKill people.\u201d\xa0\xa0\xa0\nThis table is just one of many resources on plainlanguage.gov\u2014from checklists to plain language training to thesauruses. The website was created by an unfunded government group of plain language activists who make it their mission to translate government communications into regular old, plain language.\xa0\nBut jargon isn\u2019t just a government problem. It pops up in nearly every field, and it seems like it annoys most of us. So why do we use it? And is there anything actually good about it?\xa0\xa0\xa0This episode was inspired by a question from a listener, Jafar, who asked about the word \u201crecrudescence\u201d and why we tend to use fancy words when simple ones would work just fine. If you have a question about a word or phrase, leave us a voicemail! The number is 929-499-WORD, or 929-499-9673. Or, you can always send an email to podcasts@sciencefriday.com.\xa0 \nGuests:\xa0\nJoe Kimble is a plain language advocate and professor emeritus at WMU-Cooley Law School.\nDavid Lipscomb is Director of the Writing Center at Georgetown University, and Vice Chair of the Center for Plain Language.\nAlejandro Mart\xednez Garc\xeda is a researcher at the National Research Council in Italy. \nFootnotes & Further Reading:\nFor a challenge, try to explain science using only 1,000 of the most common words.\xa0\nFor all your plain language writing needs, take a look at plainlanguage.gov.\xa0\nLearn more about the history of the plain language movement in the United States.\xa0\nRead a study on how our brains react to concrete vs. abstract language.\nRead more about how jargon affects citations in scientific papers. \nCredits:\xa0\nThis episode was produced by Johanna Mayer and Senior Producer and Editor Elah Feder. Daniel Peterschmidt is our composer. Nadja Oertelt is our Chief Content Officer. Special thanks to Jana Goldman, Bill Lutz, and especially Karen Schriver for background information on the plain language movement.