Using Jargon - Aesthetics

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Saturday 30 May 2009

In the same way in which black tie suits and evening gowns are brought out for special occasions, people can also use jargon to hide linguistic wobbly bits. People sometimes like to decorate their conversations with interesting words, a perfectly legitimate thing to do. For example, I am attracted to the words repugnant, coagulate, abecedarian and embiggens for no other reason than the words themselves as well as the sound of the words. Here are the first three verses of a famous poem called the Jabberwocky, a jargon filled, but aesthetically pleasing, piece of writing:

'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.

"Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!"

He took his vorpal sword in hand:
Long time the manxome foe he sought—
So rested he by the Tumtum tree,
And stood awhile in thought.

(Click here if you missed the Introduction to my Using Jargon Series)

2 comments :

Emma said...

I love this poem. I used it for a university music technology assignment. That sounds so bizarre to me now.

Lindi said...

I loved this poem from the first time I heard it. It's one of the few that I remember off by heart.
I really love the term "uffish thought". Maybe we should all be inventing new words in the hope that they catch on, rather than adopting gangsta words, etc. Just to add to our rich language!

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