86 / PART ONE: THE BASICS ELIMINATING JARGON Looking at the origin The word ‘jargon’ is derived from a Middle English word meaning ‘meaningless chatter’. The derivation suggests a very good reason why jargon should be avoided. Anyone who is a member of a group uses jargon that is intelligible only to other members of the same group. Lawyers have their own jargon and so do politicians, schoolteachers and nurses. Today we are bombarded with words ending in ‘ise’. Privatise, normalise, prioritise, nationalise are all words that are now embedded in our language. But they are jargon and should be avoided, as should all forms of jargon. Use words and expressions that will be easily understood by anyone who reads your work. Strive always for originality and simplicity in your writing. Look at the following example: The local council is producing a programme to normalise the work experience schedule of students in its employ. Any input from department heads to finalise this should be submitted by the due date. It’s full of jargon. But it is an internal note so should be understood by its readers. The following example is very pompous: Louis had fed in the appropriate information before finalising his entry. Now he hurtled along the race track hoping to maximise his potential.