Buzzword
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A buzzword (also known as a fashion word or vogue word) is an idiom, often a neologism, commonly used in managerial, technical, administrative, and sometimes political environments. Though apparently ubiquitous in these environments, the words often have unclear meanings.[citation needed]
Buzzwords are typically intended to impress one's audience with the pretense of knowledge. For this reason, they are often universal. They typically make sentences difficult to dispute, on account of their cloudy meaning.[1]
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.
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[edit] Reasons for using buzzwords
- As 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.[citation needed] (See also newspeak, Machiavelli.)
- 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
- To retain power as a leader effectively, Machiavelli noted that 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. [2]
- 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." [3]
- 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.
[edit] Individual Examples
Below are a few examples of common buzzwords. For a more complete list, see list of buzzwords.
- Dynamic
- Empowerment[4]
- Enterprise[5]
- Framework[4]
- Immersion[6]
- Leverage
- Long Tail[7]
- Next Generation[5]
- Paradigm[8]
- Paradigm shift[9]
- Proactive[10]
- Synergy[10]
- Web 2.0[4]
[edit] See also
- Buzzword bingo
- Buzzword compliant
- Dilbert — cartoon series which occasionally satirizes use of buzzwords in management.
- Golden hammer
- Memetics
- Marketing speak
- Power word
- Psychobabble
- Weasel Word
- List of buzzwords
[edit] External links
- Buzzword Blends
- The Buzzword Generator Generates buzzwords and sample sentences containing such generated buzzwords
- LanguageMonitor — Watchdog on contemporary English usage
- Mission Statement Generator (on Dilbert website)
- Buzzword Hell
- BuzzWhack
- N-Gage At E3 Showcases Immersive Games And Next-Generation Mobile Gaming — an example of buzzwords in action.
- The Web Economy Bullshit Generator
- http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ThomasSowell/2007/05/29/a_war_of_words -- on livng wage, affordable housing, etc.
- View buzzwords, add buzzwords, comment on buzzwords
- The Online Dictionary of Language Terminology
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ Dictionary.com Buzzword Definition
- ^ N. Machiavelli, The Prince trans. by H.C. Mansfield, Jr. (Chicago: University, 1985) 70-2.
- ^ Bertrand Russell, "On Being Modern-Minded," Unpopular Essays (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1972) 66.
- ^ a b c Buzzword Hell
- ^ a b Evolt: Buzzword Bingo
- ^ N-Gage At E3 Showcases Immersive Games And Next-Generation Mobile Gaming
- ^ The Register: The Long Tail's maths begin to crumble
- ^ "The Buzzword Bingo Book: The Complete, Definitive Guide to the Underground Workplace Game of Doublespeak", author: Benjamin Yoskovitz, publisher: Villard, ISBN-13: 978-0375753480
- ^ Cnet.com's Top 10 Buzzwords
- ^ a b Maine Today - Business: Business buzzword hall of fame
da:ModeordPropaganda techniquesBandwagon effect · Buzzword · Card stacking · Code word · Dog-whistle politics · Doublespeak · Framing · Glittering generality · Lesser of two evils principle · Loaded language · Newspeak · Public relations · Plain folks · Testimonial · Weasel word de:Schlagwort (Sprachwissenschaft) fr:Mot à la mode he:באזוורד ka:მოდური სიტყვები nl:Buzzwoord ja:バズワード pl:Buzzword ru:Модные слова sv:Modeord uk:Модне слово zh:潮詞
- Web 2.0[4]
- Synergy[10]
- Proactive[10]
- Paradigm shift[9]
- Paradigm[8]
- Next Generation[5]
- Immersion[6]
- Framework[4]
- Enterprise[5]
- 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." [3]
Categories: Wikipedia articles containing buzzwords | Cleanup from January 2008 | NPOV disputes from December 2007 | Accuracy disputes from December 2007 | Wikipedia articles needing style editing from January 2008 | All articles to be expanded | Articles to be expanded since January 2008 | All pages needing to be wikified | Wikify from January 2008 | All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced statements since April 2007 | Rhetorical techniques | Buzzwords
