Double Talk, Euphemisms,
and Professional Jargon
This Web page gives recommendations of resources to use and the terms to search in them for topics related to double talk, doublespeak, euphemisms, and professional jargon. Language Research Topics has links to pages with suggestions for other language topics.
Search the online catalog SAGE using:
- Americanisms
- English language euphemism
- English language euphemism - dictionaries
- English language jargon
Search Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature (AI 3 .R48 REF--Index) using:
- jargon
- euphemisms
- computers--terminology
- education--terminology
- internet--terminology
- law--terminology
- politically correct movement
- politics--terminology
- Watergate case terminology
- Clinton, Bill 1946- White House sex scandal--terminology
Search Academic Search Premier using:
- double talk
- euphemism (SU subject search)
- euphemisms
- jargon
- jargon (terminology)
- terms & phrases
- vocabulary
- medicine terminology
- science terminology
- literature terminology
- psychiatry terminology
- computer systems terminology
- business terminology
- law terminology
- biology terminology
- information technology terminology
- electronics terminology
- geography terminology
- mental retardation terminology
- economics terminology
- finance terminology
Search Article First using:
- euphemisms
- jargon
- doublespeak
Search Business Source Premier using:
- English language -- Jargon
- euphemism
- slang
- cliches
- terms & phrases (note: add additional words to this search)
- doublespeak [Note: search this term in default field]
- double talk [Note: search this term in default field]
Search Communication & Mass Media Complete using:
- euphemism
- terminology
- malapropisms
- jargon (terminology)
- medicine terminology
- business terminology
- terms & phrases
- telecommunication terminology
- computers terminology
Search Humanities Index International using:
- euphemism
- terms & phrases
- double talk [Note: search this term in default field]
- jargon (terminology)
Search New York Times 1851-2001 (The Historical New York Times) using (sort large search results by relevance):
- doublespeak and language
- jargon and language
- doubletalk and language
- politically correct and language
- euphemisms and language
- political and language
Be certain to combine terms in the databases below to find more precisely what you need. Also, you don't want to be searching through large sets of search results. See Advanced Searching Tips for suggestions.
Search Linguistics & Language Behavior Abstracts using:- euphemism
- professional language
- vocabulary
- euphemisms
- doublespeak
- double talk
- jargon
- scientific terminology
- consumer education
- jargon
- doublespeak
- language usage
- euphemism
- vocabulary
Search MLA Bibliography using:
- euphemism
- relationship to euphemism
- doublespeak
- jargon
You may want to limit "jargon" results to sources in English (unless you can read German).
Reference books with examples of jargon and euphemisms:
- A Dictionary of Euphemisms PE 1691 .H6 1995 REF
- Dictionary of Jargon PE 1689 .G73 REF
- The Faber Dictionary of Euphemisms PE 1691 .H65 1989 REF
- How Not to Say What You Mean: A Dictionary of Euphemisms PE1449 .H548 2002 REF
- Kind Words: A Thesaurus of Euphemisms PE 1449 .N34 1990 REF
- Rawson's Dictionary of Euphemisms and Other Doubletalk: Being a Compilation of Linguistic Fig Leaves and Verbal Flourishes for Artful Users of the English Language PE 1449 .R34 1995 REF
Be sure to evaluate the sources you find. Use How to Evaluate Books and How to Evaluate Articles for suggestions of things to examine.
Note: CSU no longer subscribes to the indexes listed below, but the terms should work if your library has them:
Search ABI/Inform using:
- euphemisms
- euphemisms and language
- jargon
- euphemisms
- jargon
- double talk
- doublespeak
Search Humanities Abstracts using:
- English language--Euphemism
- euphemisms
- doublespeak
Search Newspaper Abstracts using:
- jargon and language
Search Periodical Abstracts using:
- euphemisms
- language and jargon
- doublespeak
Search Political Science via IBSS using:
- slang-
Search Readers' Guide Abstracts using:
- jargon
- euphemisms
- terminology
- art terminology
- computers terminology
- education terminology
- internet terminology
- law terminology
- military art and science terminology
- nature terminology
- politically correct movement
- politics terminology
- Watergate case terminology
- White House sex scandal terminology
Search Wilson Select using:
- euphemisms
- jargon
- truthfulness and falsehood
- business terminology
- computers terminology
- education terminology
- food terminology
- internet terminology
- journalism terminology
- kinship terminology
- law terminology
- mathematics terminology
- meteorology terminology
- public relations terminology
- religion terminology
- White House sex scandal terminology