Technobabble

Last updated

Technobabble (a portmanteau of technology and babble), also called technospeak, [1] is a type of nonsense that consists of buzzwords, esoteric language, or technical jargon. [2] It is common in science fiction.

Contents

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gibberish</span> Nonsensical language

Gibberish, also called jibber-jabber or gobbledygook, is speech that is nonsense: ranging across speech sounds that are not actual words, pseudowords, language games and specialized jargon that seems nonsensical to outsiders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Technology</span> Use of knowledge for practical goals

Technology is the application of conceptual knowledge for achieving practical goals, especially in a reproducible way. The word technology can also mean the products resulting from such efforts, including both tangible tools such as utensils or machines, and intangible ones such as software. Technology plays a critical role in science, engineering, and everyday life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Oxford</span> Collegiate university in Oxford, England

The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the world's second-oldest university in continuous operation. It grew rapidly from 1167, when Henry II banned English students from attending the University of Paris. After disputes between students and Oxford townsfolk in 1209, some academics fled north-east to Cambridge where they established what became the University of Cambridge. The two English ancient universities share many common features and are jointly referred to as Oxbridge.

Jargon or technical language is the specialized terminology associated with a particular field or area of activity. Jargon is normally employed in a particular communicative context and may not be well understood outside that context. The context is usually a particular occupation, but any ingroup can have jargon. The key characteristic that distinguishes jargon from the rest of a language is its specialized vocabulary, which includes terms and definitions of words that are unique to the context, and terms used in a narrower and more exact sense than when used in colloquial language. This can lead outgroups to misunderstand communication attempts. Jargon is sometimes understood as a form of technical slang and then distinguished from the official terminology used in a particular field of activity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warp drive</span> Fictional superluminal spacecraft propulsion system

A warp drive or a drive enabling space warp is a fictional superluminal spacecraft propulsion system in many science fiction works, most notably Star Trek, and a subject of ongoing physics research. The general concept of "warp drive" was introduced by John W. Campbell in his 1957 novel Islands of Space and was popularized by the Star Trek series. Its closest real-life equivalent is the Alcubierre drive, a theoretical solution of the field equations of general relativity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buzzword</span> Term used to impress in organizations

A buzzword is a word or phrase, new or already existing, that becomes popular for a period of time. Buzzwords often derive from technical terms yet often have much of the original technical meaning removed through fashionable use, being simply used to impress others. Some buzzwords retain their true technical meaning when used in the correct contexts, for example artificial intelligence. Buzzwords often originate in jargon, acronyms, or neologisms. Examples of overworked business buzzwords include synergy, vertical, dynamic, cyber and strategy.

The word(s) of the year, sometimes capitalized as "Word(s) of the Year" and abbreviated "WOTY", refers to any of various assessments as to the most important word(s) or expression(s) in the public sphere during a specific year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metaverse</span> Collective three-dimensional virtual shared space

The metaverse is a loosely defined term referring to three-dimensional virtual worlds in which users represented by avatars interact.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Radvision</span> Israeli telecommunication company

Radvision was a provider of video conferencing solution and enabling products for IP communication developers based in Tel Aviv, Israel. Radvision was acquired by Avaya in June 2012. Spirent Communications acquired Radvision's Technology Business Unit from Avaya in July 2014, to become Spirent Developer Tools Business Unit.

<i>Citizen Cyborg</i> 2004 non-fiction book by James Hughes

Citizen Cyborg: Why Democratic Societies Must Respond to the Redesigned Human of the Future is a 2004 non-fiction book by bioethicist and sociologist James Hughes, which articulates democratic transhumanism as a socio-political ideology and program.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sierra Wireless</span> Canadian wireless communications company

Sierra Wireless is a Canadian multinational wireless communications equipment designer, manufacturer and services provider headquartered in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada. It also maintains offices and operations in the United States, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, India, France, Australia and New Zealand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomson Reuters</span> Canadian multinational information conglomerate

Thomson Reuters Corporation is a Canadian multinational information conglomerate. The company was founded in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and maintains its headquarters in that city's Bay Adelaide Centre.

Biscom, Inc. is a privately held enterprise software company with headquarters in Westford, MA. Biscom's primary focus is to provide secure document delivery solutions to regulated industries. The company develops and markets fax server solutions that facilitate inbound and outbound electronic fax communications, as well as managed file transfer, enterprise file synchronization and sharing, and document conversion solutions. Biscom is known for its ability to scale to deliver millions of documents per day and for a history of reliability that is required for mission critical processes.

Simon H. Johnson is a British American economist. He is the Ronald A. Kurtz Professor of Entrepreneurship at the MIT Sloan School of Management and a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics. He has held a wide variety of academic and policy-related positions, including professor of economics at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business. From March 2007 through the end of August 2008, he was Chief Economist of the International Monetary Fund.

Psychobabble is a form of speech or writing that uses psychological jargon, buzzwords, and esoteric language to create an impression of truth or plausibility. The term implies that the speaker or writer lacks the experience and understanding necessary for the proper use of psychological terms. Additionally, it may imply that the content of speech deviates markedly from common sense and good judgement.

Corporate jargon is the jargon often used in large corporations, bureaucracies, and similar workplaces. The language register of the term is generally being presented in a negative light or disapprovingly. It is often considered to be needlessly obscure or, alternatively, used to disguise an absence of information. Its use in corporations and other large organisations has been widely noted in media.

A kidult is an adult whose interests or media consumption is traditionally seen as more suitable for children. It can also mean a parent who acts childish with their children, but does not take on their duties as a disciplinarian.

Technology in science fiction is a crucial aspect of the genre.

References

  1. Oxford Desk Dictionary and Thesaurus (2nd ed.). Oxford: Spark Publishing. 2007. ISBN   978-1-4114-0508-0.
  2. Lundin, Leigh (2009-12-31). "Buzzwords – bang * splat !". Don Martin School of Software. Criminal Brief.