Buzzword

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A buzzword (also known as a fashion word or vogue word) is a vague idiom, or a neologism, that is commonly used in managerial, technical, administrative, and sometimes political environments. Although buzzwords can impress one's audience with the pretense of knowledge, they typically make sentences difficult to dispute, on account of their cloudy meaning. [1] According to George Orwell's "Politics and the English Language," people use buzzwords because they are convenient. It is much easier to copy the words and phrases that someone invented than it is to come up with one's own. [2]

Buzzwords differ from jargon in that they have the function of impressing or of obscuring meaning, while jargon (ideally) has a well-defined technical meaning, if only to specialists. However, the hype surrounding new technologies often turns technical terms into buzzwords (see Buzzword compliant).[citation needed]

A buzzword may or may not appear in a dictionary, and if it does, its meaning as a buzzword may not match the conventional definition, because it is often used outside of it.

Contents

[edit] Reasons for using buzzwords

  • With any stipulative neologism, such as "quark," to describe new concepts, without the danger of over-simplification and confusion that can arise from using words and phrases with previously established, commonplace meanings.
  • To control thought by being intentionally vague. In management, stating organizational goals by using words with unclear meanings but positive connotations prevents anybody from questioning the directions and intentions of these decisions, especially if many such words are used.[2] (See also newspeak.)
  • To boost creativity among listeners by compelling them to think of the applications and particulars on their own.
  • To make something trivial seem freighted with greater import and stature.
  • To impress a judge or examiner by seeming familiar with a theory or principle by dint of mere name-dropping, as with "cognitive dissonance" or the "Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle."
  • To provide a camouflage for saying nothing in particular.

[edit] Detailed examples

  • Machiavelli noted that, to retain power as a leader effectively, a prince should speak of mercy, humanity, peace, and faith, while preparing for war all-the-while, ready to wage it quickly and mightily. Thus, his speech-writers would be encouraged to use the appropriate buzzwords liberally. [3]
  • In 1950, the year he won the Nobel Prize for literature, Bertrand Russell wryly observed, "It is not difficult to learn the correct use of such words as 'complex,' 'sadism,' Oedipus,' 'bourgeois,' 'deviation,' 'left,' and nothing more is needed to make a brilliant writer or talker." [4]
  • In some cases, knowing buzzwords may be a sign that is part of a certain community. For example, law students often speak of using buzzwords in order to get full credit on essay questions and bar examinations. For example, on a torts question concerning a case of negligence, saying the defendant's conduct was close enough in time and place to be deemed the legal cause of the plaintiff's injuries may be literally correct but lose points, since the buzzword, "proximate cause," was omitted. The omission sends a signal to the professor or grader that the student has not read the cases carefully and not gained the proper legal vocabulary. Thus, the student's desire to employ the words that create a special effect, or buzz, in another's mind. This kind of grading teaches students to use buzzwords. In this case, the buzzword is a sign that one is familiar with the language that lawyers normally use.

[edit] Individual examples

Below are a few examples of common buzzwords. For a more complete list, see list of buzzwords.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

Look up Buzzword in
Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

[edit] Footnotes

  1. ^ Dictionary.com Buzzword Definition
  2. ^ a b Politics and the English Langauge
  3. ^ N. Machiavelli, The Prince trans. by H.C. Mansfield, Jr. (Chicago: University, 1985) 70-2.
  4. ^ Bertrand Russell, "On Being Modern-Minded," Unpopular Essays (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1972) 66.
  5. ^ a b c Buzzword Hell
  6. ^ a b Evolt: Buzzword Bingo
  7. ^ N-Gage At E3 Showcases Immersive Games And Next-Generation Mobile Gaming
  8. ^ The Register: The Long Tail's maths begin to crumble
  9. ^ "The Buzzword Bingo Book: The Complete, Definitive Guide to the Underground Workplace Game of Doublespeak", author: Benjamin Yoskovitz, publisher: Villard, ISBN-13: 978-0375753480
  10. ^ Cnet.com's Top 10 Buzzwords
  11. ^ a b Maine Today - Business: Business buzzword hall of fame


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