Jargon

Slang is the name given to a linguistic variety of speech different from the standard language and sometimes incomprehensible to its speakers, frequently used by different social groups with the intention of hiding the true meaning of your words, at your convenience and need. Normally, the terms used in the jargon of specific groups are temporary (except for professional jargon), falling out of use shortly after being adopted.

Slang, slang and dialect

Unlike dialect, slang is not a geographical variant of a language, it has a smaller extension and is exclusive to certain social groups. If the jargon lasts over time and becomes general, it ends up being integrated into the regional dialect; losing its slang name.

The concept of jargon includes that of slang, although the latter only contains jargon of a social nature. In the use of the word, the difference between slang and jargon is not clearly demarcated and they are often confused terms. In general, the term jargon is used to refer to the technical language between social or professional groups and slang for all kinds of words and phrases between people of the same position, rank or lineage.

Types of slang

Particular jargons are those of certain groups for different reasons:

• Professionals: they need a certain vocabulary that is not common to the rest of the language for certain processes, instruments, etc. For example, a person outside the teaching field would say: "I like the teaching of the teacher", while another teacher would say: "I like the teaching of the teacher".
• Social: different ways of communicating with the purpose of not being understood by others (e.g. in prison) or with differentiative intent (of some neighborhoods and adolescents).
• Cultural and regional: terminology and modisms used in specific regions, cities or countries, adding characteristics that identify them culturally, differing them by their dialectics of other peoples or nations. Many of these come to change generic words in their own language, to personalize them so much that those who speak their own language, but they are from other regions, it is difficult to understand, as examples of this phenomenon we can observe the jargon of certain neighborhoods in New York or like El Bronx.