Technobabble: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 16:40, 6 October 2016

Revision as of 16:41, 6 October 2016

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{{redirect-distinguish|Technospeak|technical jargon}}

Stupid,,,,

'''Technobabble''' (a [[portmanteau]] of ''technology'' and ''babble''), also called '''technospeak''',<ref name="OED">{{cite book| title=Oxford Desk Dictionary and Thesaurus| publisher=Spark Publishing| ___location=Oxford|year=2007| edition=2nd |isbn=978-1-4114-0508-0}}</ref> is a form of [[jargon]] that uses [[buzzword]]s, [[wiktionary:esoteric|esoteric]] language, specialized technical terms, or technical slang that is incomprehensible to the listener. Various fields of practice and industry have their own specialized vocabularies, or jargon, that allow those educated within that industry to concisely convey ideas that may be confusing, misleading, or nonsensical to an outside listener.<ref name="CB">{{cite web|url=http://www.criminalbrief.com/?p=10866| title=Buzzwords– bang * splat !| last=Lundin|first=Leigh| date=2009-12-31| publisher=Criminal Brief |work=Don Martin School of Software}}</ref> The difference between technobabble and jargon lies with the intent of the user and the audience: a dishonest person might use overly technical (and often meaningless) language to overwhelm and confuse the audience, masking their dishonesty, while a fiction writer might use it to cover [[plot hole]]s or to invoke [[suspension of disbelief]] of story elements that defy current understandings of science and technology. Use of jargon within technical circles and with no intent to obfuscate is not usually included in the definition of technobabble.<ref name="CB" />

== Common uses ==