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In linguistics, colloquialism is vernacular language including everyday language, everyday speech, common parlance, informal language, colloquial language, general parlance, and common expressions. It is the most used linguistic variety of a language, the language normally used in conversation and other informal communication.

A specific instance of such language is called a colloquialism. The most common term used in dictionaries to label such an expression is colloquial.

Explanation

General parlance is distinct from formal speech or formal writing.^[1] It is the variety of language that speakers typically use when they are relaxed and not especially self-conscious.^[2] An expression is labeled colloq. for "colloquial" in dictionaries when a different expression is more common in formal speech, but this does not mean that the colloquial expression is inappropriate in formal speech or writing or that it is necessarily slang. Many people^[who?] misunderstand this very common dictionary label due to the widespread misconception that colloquial means "location" or a word being "regional". This is not the case; the word root for colloquial is related to locution, not location.^{[citation needed]}

Some colloquial speech contains a great deal of slang, but some contains no slang at all. Slang is permitted in colloquial language, but it is not a necessary element.^[2] Other examples of colloquial usage in English include contractions or profanity.^[2]

In the philosophy of language, "colloquial language" is ordinary natural language, as distinct from specialized forms used in logic or other areas of philosophy.^[3] In the field of logical atomism, meaning is evaluated in a different way than with more formal propositions.

A colloquial name or familiar name is a name or term commonly used to identify a person or thing in informal language, in place of another usually more formal or technical name.^[4]

Distinction from other styles

Colloquialisms are distinct from slang or jargon. Slang refers to words used only by specific social groups, such as teenagers or soldiers.^[5] Colloquial language may include slang, but consists mostly of contractions or other informal words and phrases known to most native speakers of the language.^[5]

Jargon is terminology that is especially defined in relationship to a specific activity, profession, or group. The term refers to the language used by people who work in a particular area or who have a common interest. Much like slang, it is a kind of shorthand used to express ideas that are frequently discussed between members of a group, though it can also be developed deliberately using chosen terms.^[6] While a standard term may be given a more precise or unique usage amongst practitioners of relevant disciplines, it is often reported that jargon is a barrier to communication for those people unfamiliar with the respective field.^{[citation needed]}

See also

• Oral history


• Slang dictionary

References

External links

Look up colloquialism or colloquial in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• 
  Colloquial Spanish Dictionary of Colloquial Spanish.


• 
  Urban Thesaurus An Urban Thesaurus


• Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus, Ludwig Wittgenstein