Language, Military: Official Terminology
Language, Military: Official Terminology.Official military terminology takes a wide range of forms, some intended purely for internal use, others meant to represent the military to the outside. At its most basic level, official terminology functions to narrow the potential meaning of particular words. In casual speech, there is often substantial ambiguity in the way a given word is used. There can therefore be a wide range of possible interpretations. This is tolerable in informal conversation, where a misunderstanding can usually be rectified; but military organizations must be prepared to operate under great stress, in situations where misunderstanding can lead to catastrophe. Thus, official terminology for internal use attempts to foreclose as many interpretive options as possible in order to reduce the likelihood of error or misjudgment.
As with most specialized language forms, focusing on the function that language plays within an organization is...
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