The lovers of the English language have some interesting material coming their way. The UK mobile network SMARTY has teamed up with award-winning comedian and actor Guz Khan to create a book that deciphers tricky jargon phrases we hear every day. Soon we will have the chance to browse through the listings in the first Jargonary – a hilarious dictionary of Britain’s most loathed jargon phrases.
Those who studied classical literature will never forget the influence that the writings of eloquent writers had on the way that leaders communicate. Cicero, Homer and Dante are just a few of the old masters of eloquence. Budding and seasoned politicians know that the way that they speak can make or break their careers and ambitions.
We are a generation obsessed with communication. Business leaders, like politicians, employ professional writers to prepare their speech texts. They hone their skills to invent soundbites that will hopefully be remembered and rewarded by their followers for a long time.
Keeping business and political speeches short and simple is no longer a loved communication guideline. The Queen’s English is of little use to those who no longer believe that communication is about conveying ideas in a simple and intelligible way. Verbal fireworks are considered more impressive. Form rather than substance is what makes good communication for those who crave for admiration from passive audiences.
The first book of Jargonary is based on social research conducted by SMARTY. Not surprisingly, this research found that the place we most frequently see or hear jargon is social media. Government announcements and the media are other abundant sources of annoying jargon.
Business leaders and politicians can no longer resist the urge to repeat a hackneyed phrase that they think makes them look eloquent with their followers. They often spice their posts on Facebook with inspirational quotations hoping that the wisdom of those who originally coined these messages rubs off on them.
Many no longer take the words of their political and business leaders at face value. We need to decipher the hidden truth in their mellifluous language
Let us look as some of the most popular phrases included in the world-first Jargonary.
‘Touch base’ is the most loathed jargon. It just means making or renewing contact with someone.
‘Think outside the box’ is another obnoxious phrase usually used by business leaders trying to motivate their employees to think differently to achieve the objectives of their company.
Such leaders are also likely to urge their managers to engage in ‘helicopter thinking’. What they mean is to rise above a situation and see the bigger picture.
‘Bang for the buck’ is a nasty Americanism that has replaced the much more practical ‘value-for-money’ phrase.
If managers fail to achieve this bang, the board may decide to ‘play hardball’, meaning act ruthlessly to make sure that desired financial results are achieved.
Not surprisingly, many office workers admit that every single day they go along with a conversation or reply to an e-mail pretending to know what’s being said. Most of the time, they have no idea what the jargon being used means.
COVID has generated its own jargon that many find confusing.
‘Lockdown’ has been declared by Collins dictionary as the word of the year.
When asked what the word ‘lockdown’ really means, a US epidemiologist said that if one were to ask 50 people what they meant with lockdown, one was likely to get 75 different meanings.
Politicians wanting to be cheerleaders for the communities they serve have not shied away from creating their favourite neologisms during the pandemic. ‘Travel corridors’, ‘herd immunity’ and ‘flattening the curve’ are some of the phrases that may outlive the pandemic.
The older generations already have a formidable challenge trying to understand the way that younger people use the English language. Khan is right when he comments that “life is complicated enough without us using crazy jargon”.
It is confusing enough to hear the most powerful leader of the free world asserting that he has won the election when the mathematics of the result shows otherwise. If we no longer understand what the simple word ‘win’ means, then it is no wonder that our obsession with fancy communication is doing us more harm than good.
Admittedly, we are living in a world of double-speak. Many no longer take the words of their political and business leaders at face value. We need to decipher the hidden truth in their mellifluous language.
This language ambiguity is why it is worth investing in a Jargonary that can be placed proudly next to the Concise Oxford Dictionary or Fowler’s Modern English Usage on our bookshelves.