Jargonizing: The use of the grounded theory vocabulary

• Main Author: Barney G. Glaser, Ph.D., Hon. Ph.D.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Sociology Press 2009-03-01
• Series: Grounded Theory Review: An International Journal
• Subjects: grounded theory; classic grounded theory; qualitative methodology; jargonizing; jargon
• Online Access: http://groundedtheoryreview.com/2009/03/30/992/

When in doubt, jargonize.When you wish to belong, network, be collegial or be ‘a part of’,jargonize.When you want to sound knowledgeable, jargonize.When you wish to sound experienced, jargonize.Jargonizing is normal. All people, all human kind, jargonize in their lives to some degree or other. We use the vocabulary (jargon) of the area in which we act and talk. Jargon is a vocabulary of action by which to talk about what is going on. Most fields have their jargon. Few do not. Jargonizing cannot be stopped. It is needed. It can be very meaningful, properly so, for a field. In this book, however, I am writing about jargoning as just words with little or no real meaning, but sounding good and knowledgeable when talking about an area that one knows little or nothing about. In this way, jargonizing continually regenerates the GT (grounded theory) vocabulary wrongly as it is being applied to QDA (qualitative data analysis) concerns. Grounded theory is the buzzword in academic circles doing QDA research.