Jargon Perception from a Sociolinguistic View: Gender and Social Class

Abstract

This study deals with jargons used by workgroup members who are Mosuli Arabic speakers. It investigates how jargons are perceived by laypeople-certain group of outsiders. It tests the hypothesis saying that laypeople do not understand jargon terms used in specific occupations despite that these terms are used and perceived by the same dialect- Mosuli Arabic. It also tests whether perception rates vary according to social factors such as gender and social class. The data of the study are qualitative, represented by the jargons used by workgroup members, and quantitative, represented by the statistics and numerals of the questionnaire results. After collecting the qualitative data and conducting the questionnaire, laypeople were asked about some jargons to assess their perception of these terms. The terms are related to six workgroups: three of them are professions (physicians, electric engineers, and IT programmers), and the other three occupations are crafts (goldsmiths, car mechanics, and construction workers). Then, the results of the questionnaire were analyzed and discussed concluding that workgroup outsiders do not understand jargons used by workgroup members or insiders, and their rate of perception does not reflect social class nor gender distinctions.