17 min listen
Jargon: We Love To Hate It
FromScience Diction
ratings:
Length:
21 minutes
Released:
Nov 2, 2021
Format:
Podcast episode
Description
Head on over to plainlanguage.gov, and you’ll find a helpful table, dedicated to simplifying and demystifying military jargon. On one side of the table, there’s the jargon term, and on the other, its plain language equivalent. “Arbitrarily deprive of life”? Actually just means “kill people.” “Render nonviable”? Also means “kill people.” “Terminate with extreme prejudice”? “Kill people.”
This table is just one of many resources on plainlanguage.gov—from 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.
But jargon isn’t 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? This episode was inspired by a question from a listener, Jafar, who asked about the word “recrudescence” 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.
Guests:
Joe Kimble is a plain language advocate and professor emeritus at WMU-Cooley Law School.
David Lipscomb is Director of the Writing Center at Georgetown University, and Vice Chair of the Center for Plain Language.
Alejandro Martínez García is a researcher at the National Research Council in Italy.
Footnotes & Further Reading:
For a challenge, try to explain science using only 1,000 of the most common words.
For all your plain language writing needs, take a look at plainlanguage.gov.
Learn more about the history of the plain language movement in the United States.
Read a study on how our brains react to concrete vs. abstract language.
Read more about how jargon affects citations in scientific papers.
Credits:
This 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.
This table is just one of many resources on plainlanguage.gov—from 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.
But jargon isn’t 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? This episode was inspired by a question from a listener, Jafar, who asked about the word “recrudescence” 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.
Guests:
Joe Kimble is a plain language advocate and professor emeritus at WMU-Cooley Law School.
David Lipscomb is Director of the Writing Center at Georgetown University, and Vice Chair of the Center for Plain Language.
Alejandro Martínez García is a researcher at the National Research Council in Italy.
Footnotes & Further Reading:
For a challenge, try to explain science using only 1,000 of the most common words.
For all your plain language writing needs, take a look at plainlanguage.gov.
Learn more about the history of the plain language movement in the United States.
Read a study on how our brains react to concrete vs. abstract language.
Read more about how jargon affects citations in scientific papers.
Credits:
This 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.
Released:
Nov 2, 2021
Format:
Podcast episode
Titles in the series (43)
Cobalt: Cobalt has been hoodwinking people since the day it was pried from the earth. Named after a pesky spirit from German folklore, trickery is embedded in its name. In 1940s Netherlands, cobalt lived up to its name in a big way, playing a starring role in one of the most embarrassing art swindles of the 19th century. It’s a story of duped Nazis, a shocking court testimony, and one fateful mistake. Want to stay up to speed with Science Diction? Sign up for our newsletter. The infamous Han van Meegeren, hard at work. (Wikimedia Commons) Guest: Kassia St. Clair is a writer and cultural historian based in London. Footnotes And Further Reading: For fascinating histories on every color you can imagine, read Kassia St. Clair’s The Secret Lives of Color. Thanks to Jennifer Culver for background information on the kobold. Read more about Han van Meegeren in The Forger’s Spell by Edward Dolnick and in the 2009 series “Bamboozling Ourselves” in the New York Times. Credits: Science Dictio by Science Diction