English Language - Occupation

Occupational jargon

Words or phrases used solely in a particular job or on occasion have originated in a particular occupation before becoming more widely used

Occupational register

The words/lexis, grammer and tone associated with a profession

Occupation + Acronyms

Many professions use a lot of jargon e.g.

-Education with acronyms such as AFL, CPU and EAL

-The Metropolitan Police has a lot of acronyms, with approximately entries/items under A alone

for many reasons such as saving time, protecting info and making record keeping easier

Grice’s Maxims

Conversational ‘rules’:

Quantity (don't say too much or too little), Manner (speak clearly), Relevance (keep to the point), Quality (be truthful)

Floating a maxim

Breaking a maxim on purpose to interpret a hidden meaning to your words (implicature)

Codes

a system for sending messages/information efficiently and secretly (helps quantity and revelance, floats manner)

Code examples - American police code crimes

215 = carjacking

211 = robbery

586 = illegal parking

Acronyms

an abbreviation pronounced as a word

Initialism

an abbreviation that you pronounce each letter individually

Convergence

To lower or higher your language (accent + dialect) to show that you and the other person are equals and that you respect them

Divergence

To lower or higher your language (accent + dialect) to show that you and the other person are not equals and/or you don't respect them

Legalese examples

-archaic language (‘herefore')

-multi-clausal sentences

-conditional clauses (if _, then _)

-performative langauge (preforms an act)

-declartive sentences

Reasons for divergence in occupation

-to establish domiancen/power over lower employees

-as a form of respect (talking to non-employees formally)

Business jargon

-a lot of the time it comes from humour e.g.:

Low-hanging fruit - an easy, achievable goal

Shoot the puppy - do the unthinkable

Think outside the box - be creative