language

Sometimes, as in the case of criminal argots, part of the function of special languages is deliberately to mislead and obstruct the rest of society and the authorities in particular; they may even become wholly impenetrable to outsiders. But this is not the sole or main purpose of most specialized varieties of language. Professions whose members value their standing in society and are eager to render their services to the public foster their own vocabulary and usage, partly to enhance the dignity of their profession and the skills they represent but partly also to increase their efficiency. An example of this is the language of the law and of lawyers.

The cultivation and maintenance of specialized types of language by certain professions should not be regarded as trivially or superficially motivated. In general usage, languages are necessarily imprecise, or they would lack the flexibility and infinite extensibility demanded of them. But for certain purposes in restricted situations, much greater precision is required, and part of the function of the particular style and vocabulary of legal language is the avoidance, so far as may be possible, of all ambiguity and the explicit statement of all necessary distinctions. This is why legal texts, when read out of their context, seem so absurdly pedantic and are an easy target for ridicule. Similar provision for detail and clarity characterizes the specialist jargons of medicine and of the sciences in general and also of philosophy. Indeed, one might regard the formulas of modern symbolic logic as the result of a consciously developed and specialized written language for making precise the relations of implication and inference between statements that, when couched in everyday language, are inexact and open to misinterpretation. Some have gone as far as to say that traditional metaphysics is no more than the result of misunderstanding everyday discourse and that the main purpose of philosophy is to resolve the puzzles that arise from such misunderstandings.

The use of specialized types of language in fostering unity is also evidenced in the stereotyped forms of vocabulary employed in the playing of certain games. Tennis scores use the sequence love, 15, 30, 40, and game; cricketers verbally appeal to the umpire when a batsman may be out by calling “How’s that?” and the ways of being out are designated by stereotypes, “run out,” “leg before wicket,” “stumped,” and so forth. The esoteric language of horse racing and its associated wagering of money is well known, though not readily understood by outsiders.

The ancient but persistent recognition of the power of language is apparent in the respect for correctness in the use of language in any sphere of life having supernatural connections. Those credited with such connections employ special formulas and rigidly prescribed modes of diction; examples of the language of magic and of magicians are widespread, including the usages of shamans and witch doctors and the ritual “abracadabra” of the mock magic displayed by conjurors at children’s parties.

The efficacy of religious worship and of prayers is frequently associated with the strict maintenance of correct forms of language, taught by priests to their successors, lest the ritual become invalid. In ancient India the preservation in all its supposed purity of the language used in the performance of certain religious rituals (Sanskrit) gave rise to one of the world’s most important schools of linguistics and phonetics. In the Christian churches one can observe the value placed by Church of England and Episcopalian churchmen on the formal English of the Authorized Version of the Bible and of The Book of Common Prayer, despite attempts at replacing these ritual forms of language by forms taken from modern spoken vernaculars.