Technical Terminology

Partes: 1, 2

Introduction
Desarrollo
Bibliography

INTRODUCTION

This paper is about technical terminology, which is the
specialized vocabulary of a field. These terms have specific
definitions within the field, which is not necessarily the same
as their meaning in common use. Jargon is similar, but more
informal in definition and use, while legal terms of art or words
of art have meanings that are strictly defined by law.

Technical terminology exists in a continuum of
formality. Precise technical terms and their definitions are
formally recognized, documented, and taught by educators in the
field. Other terms are more colloquial, coined and used by
practitioners in the field, and are similar to slang. The
boundaries between formal and slang jargon, as in general
English, are quite fluid, with terms sliding in and out of
recognition. This is especially true in the rapidly developing
world of computers and networking. For instance, the term
firewall, meaning a computer or network device used to
filter network traffic, was coined as technical slang. As these
devices became more important and the term became widely
understood, the word was
adopted as formal terminology.

Technical terminology evolves due to the need for
experts in a field to communicate with precision and brevity, but
often has the (usually) undesired effect of excluding those who
are unfamiliar with the particular specialized language of the
group. This can cause difficulties as, for example, when a
patient is unable to follow the discussion of medical
practitioners, and thus cannot understand his own condition and
treatment. Differences in jargon also cause difficulties where
professionals in related fields use different terms for the same
phenomena. For instance, substantial amounts of duplicated
research occur in cognitive psychology and human-computer
interaction partly because of such difficulties.

The term jargon can, and often does, have pejorative
connotations, particularly when aimed at "business culture". The
marketing and
public relations industries are particularly relevant here, and
have made substantial contributions to the ever expanding lexicon
of jargon that permeates the global business
environment.