Talkability

Chapter 42

Hold the jargon

‘Speketh so pleyn at this time, we yow preye, that we may understonde what ye seye.’

Geoffrey Chaucer, ‘Prologue to the Clerk’s Tale’, Canterbury Tales (late 14th century)

Here’s the ‘Modern English’ version of this statement:

‘Speak plainly at this time, we beg you, so that we may understand the words you say.’

Jargon (and its close cousin ‘business speak’) in and of itself is neither a good or bad thing. In its purest form, jargon, the specialised language used by people in the same type of work or profession, should be something used as a form of shorthand. It’s rife in the workplace and many managers use it without considering the impact it has on their staff. But jargon often results in excluding people from discussions. ...