Abstract

This study made an effort to achieve the goals of the study, which were to define the word formation and meanings of the military jargon used in the book Untold Tales of the Pakistan Air Force. The researcher has examined the lexical study of particular military jargon. By using the theoretical viewpoints of Gurage Yule (2010), this research intends to explain word formation and meanings via the lexical analysis of jargons and to discover the literal and associative meaning of chosen jargons used in Kamal Ahmad's book Untold Tales of the Pakistan Air Force. The study was conducted using a qualitative research approach. To accomplish the study goals, a variety of jargons were chosen through careful reading of the chosen book and thereafter analyzed in accordance with the models chosen. The research's conclusions reveal the uses and meanings of many distinct military jargons. It is important to note that several military jargon phrases have various interpretations; the military utilizes associative meanings, whilst the public interprets terms literally.

Key Words

Jargon, Lexical Analysis, Word Formation, Literal Meaning, Associative Meaning

Introduction

Jargon is specialised language related to a certain situation. It is used to exhibit mastery, offer expert knowledge, or allude to incredibly specialised ideas. Attorneys, scientists, and healthcare professionals are just a few examples of groups or professions where jargon is often utilised; it is less frequently used or understood outside of these specific groups or professions (Bullock et al., 2019). Many linguists sought to show how some jargons differed from other versions by defining or explaining them in lexicology. The study of words, their components, and word connections, including semantic linkages, as well as their nature and meaning is done within the subject of linguistics known as lexicology(Urazalieva, 2022). 

Jargon is also one of the many different languages that sociolinguistics has identified. It is a unique language that is exclusively spoken by those who work in that particular industry. In addition, jargon is a specific language that is only employed in a certain sector of society. Its goal is to enhance connections and communication within the group (Crystal, 2003). It implies that people use jargon only to seem knowledgeable and serves as a means of communicating the group's identity to outsiders (Seli, 2019). The military is another organisation that uses jargons to communicate. Military texts also fall under the category of LSP texts (Language for Special Purposes) and have a specific communication function. These materials support the unique lingo and its use in the military. These materials support the unique lingo and its use in the military.  The bulk of non-military persons frequently misinterprets military language in real life. Protecting the confidentiality of any operation or mission is one of the main goals of military jargon.

Additionally, the Pakistan Air Force Book Club Peshawar released this book, which covers the history of the Pakistan Air Force and was printed by Army Press. There are several libraries within the Pakistan Air Force where you may find the book Untold Tales of Pakistan Air Force. It aids the personnel in developing a strong connection with the PAF's history and traditions. Both active-duty and retired military members as well as several contemporary readers who are interested in learning more about the past of one of the nation’s most important institutions favorably receive the book.  Additionally, this work contributes to present English language instruction, particularly in acquiring jargon language, and it will help linguistics students better comprehend the meanings and uses of words. The research has covered the literal meaning, associative meaning, and purposes of jargon used by the Pakistan Air Force.

According to the justification provided, the writers were specifically interested in examining the word development and meanings of military jargon in the context of the Untold Tales of the Pakistan Air Force. It also made a considerable impact on the reading and writing habits of gadget users, especially the younger generation, who are increasingly interested in keeping up with the situation of the world’s military. It will be easier for the reader to assess numerous military blogs, news sites, articles, journals, novels, and books once they are familiar with the terminology. The military jargon used in Pakistan also broadens one's vocabulary. The material was taken from the Untold Tales, which was published in 2004. This study clarified the meaning of several words contained in a chosen book while illustrating how military jargon is frequently used.




Research Objectives

1. To determine the word formation process of Pakistan Air Force jargons given in Untold Tales of Pakistan Air Force by Kamal Ahmad

2. To explore the literal and associative meanings of Pakistan Air Force jargons used in Untold Tales of Pakistan Air Force by Kamal Ahmad




Research Questions

1. How is the word formation process of Pakistan Air Force jargons given in Untold Tales of Pakistan Air Force by Kamal Ahmad?

2. What are the literal and associative meanings of Pakistan Air Force jargons presented in Untold Tales of Pakistan Air Force by Kamal Ahmad?




Significance of the Study

The current study contributes new knowledge to the subject of lexical analysis of jargons contained in Kamal Ahmad's (2004) chosen book. In Untold Tales of Pakistan Air Force, jargons employed by the Pakistan Air Force is explained as a result of the research. Theoretically, this research can support current jargon terminology teaching in English language training. Practically speaking, this study will be useful for students and foreign military professionals who desire to comprehend the many jargons employed by the Pakistan Air Force as well as their meanings and goals. This work has also contributed and given important information to people who want to do more research in this area.




Research Gap

Numerous studies have been done on the subject of identifying US military jargons (Seli, 2019), medical jargons (Nurbaiti & Rianugraha, 2021), and political jargons (Syafitri & Ikhsan, 2019). Regarding the jargons used by the Pakistan Air Force, no study has been done. The purpose of this study was to examine the word formation process and meaning of the Pakistan Air Force jargons utilized in the chosen book. The investigation of the jargon used by the Pakistan Air Force was conducted using the theoretical views of George Yule (2010).




Delimitations of the Study

There is a long list of Military jargons used in the Pakistani Military, as well as, by international Military personnel across the World, so it is impossible to cover all the jargons used in the military across the globe. This research is delimited to the selection of specific Military jargons commonly used in the Pakistan Air Force as mentioned in the book, Untold Tales of Pakistan Air Force by Kamal Ahmed. Moreover, the research is also delimited to the theoretical perspectives of George Yule (2010) regarding word formation and meanings of jargons. 

Literature Review

A detailed analysis of past research on a certain topic is called a literature review. The literature review examines scholarly publications, books, and other resources that are relevant to a particular topic of research. It should offer a theoretical framework for learning and help the researcher identify the focus of the examination. The literature review identifies the contributions of earlier researchers, giving the reader confidence in the soundness of the study. It aids the researcher in developing a connection with the research's epistemology and a clear knowledge of the major subject matter.




The Concept of Jargon

 Jargon is a term used to describe specialized languages developed by users for certain purposes. It resembles miniature dialects but is exclusively employed in the context of the intended activity. Another meaning of jargon, more particularly expressed in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary (2001: 693), is that it is a technical language expression used by a particular profession or set of individuals that is challenging for others to understand: for example, computer, legal, or medical jargon. As a result, members of specific organizations or communities use jargon for a variety of reasons. Jargon is typically understood to refer to a group's unique language that is only understood by members of that group. People who operate in the area are familiar with the specialized terminologies used in trades and professions (Syafitri & Ikhsan, 2019). 

According to Khumairah (2017), jargons emphasizes its specialized nature, which is frequently created and utilized by those who operate within a certain profession or group, because it may contain technical terminology, acronyms, or other particular vocabulary that is not frequently used in regular English. This dedicated language might be challenging for outsiders, whereas according to Ali, & Satti, (2021), jargon is the technical vocabulary employed in a certain area of society. The purpose of jargon is to facilitate communication and relationships among group members. In other words, this linguistic variance also reflects the identity of the group or person. The usage of jargon or other unusual lexical elements is not technically coded words or secrets. It is the main cause of comprehension issues. These types of jargons are used everywhere, including in the medical, computing, and armed forces fields for internal communication.




The Use of Word Formation Process in Jargon 

The process of creating new words or changing old ones to take on new meanings or forms is referred to as word formation. Affixes (prefixes or suffixes), word combinations, word part-of-speech changes, word borrowing from other languages, acronym creation, and other strategies can be used in this process. Word formation is a means to increase or extend a language's vocabulary so that speakers can communicate more accurately and efficiently.

According to Kahar (2019), Word formation, also known as morphology, is the process of modifying a word's meaning to fit its syntactic and communicational structure. As a result, this indicates that the act of altering word formation or creating new words by changing a morpheme or morphemes exists in the morphological process.

The word-formation process, according to Putriana and Chulsum (2020) is a method of adding or removing one word to produce new words and meanings. Every method of creating, a new word has its own distinctive characteristics in the construction of words and meanings. There are several procedures, including coinage, borrowing, compounding, blending, clipping, back-formation, conversion, acronym, derivation and multiple processes. The study analyses the data by using George Yule's (2010) theory of word development. According to Yule, words come into existence in ten ways:-




Coinage

Plag (2018) defined coinage as the act of generating new words by producing completely original forms, such as "Google" or "quark.” According to Crystal (2006), coinage refers to the invention of a new term that has never been used earlier in the language, like "brunch" from "breakfast" and "lunch." According to Seli (2019), Coinage is the process of creating new words or phrases by combining preexisting words in inventive ways, such as, when you create the term "pupperazzi" from the words "puppy" and "paparazzi."




Borrowing

According to Yule (2010), borrowing is "a process by which one language takes over a linguistic feature from another language, either by adopting a word or phrase from that language or by copying a grammatical structure or some other aspect of its linguistic system. Matras (2017) describes the linguistic incorporation of one or more donor language traits into the recipient language’s structure, with or without change, as borrowing. According to Durkin (2019), borrowing is the process by which a language takes words, morphemes, phrases, or other linguistic elements from another language and integrates them into its own system. For instance, the Japanese term for baseball, “besiboru" has been borrowed from the English language.




Compounding

According to Yule (2010), a compound word is the combination of two or more lexemes to form a new lexeme, which has its own meaning, and properties that cannot be predicted from the meanings and properties of its components. Lieber and Stekauer (2021) define compounding as a combination of two or more base elements to form a new lexical unit which is different from its parts in terms of its meaning, structure, and occasionally its phonological or morphological properties. Bookcase, doorknob, fingerprint, sunburn, textbook, etc. are examples of common English compounds.




Blending 

According to Yule (2010), blending is the process of merging components of two or more existing words to create a new lexeme. Each of these adds to the meaning and form of the final product, whereas, according to Plag (2018) blending is the creation of a new word by combining elements from two or more source words, where the source words are partially overlapped and the new word is a partial overlap of the source words. Examples include “brunch” from breakfast and lunch, “smog” from the words smoke and fog, and “motel” from the words motor and hotel.




Clipping

Yule (2010) defines clipping as the process of reducing an existing word, often to its initial syllable or syllables, to produce a new term. According to Muller et al. (2015), clipping is the act of eliminating one or more syllables from a term that has two or more syllables in order to make it shorter. Other frequent comparisons include the phone from the telephone and math from the mathematics.




Back Formation

Yule states (2014) that a new word is created through the linguistic process of "back-formation," which involves deleting an element from an existing word that is thought to be an affix. This method is frequently employed to back-form a new verb from an already-existing noun, as in the example of the verb "edit" coming from the noun "editor". The act of forming a new word by deleting what is incorrectly thought of, as an affix from an existing word is known as a back-formation. According to linguist Mark Aronoff (2015), the outcome of back-formation is frequently a verb, which is created from a noun. The verb "televise" was created from the word "television", and other examples of back-formation include "donate" from donation, housekeeping from housekeeper, etc.




Conversion 

The conversion described by Yule (2014) that it is a mechanism in which a word switches its grammatical category without altering its form. For instance, the verb "to cover with paper" may be created from the noun "paper." This method is often referred to as zero-derivation. Similar to this, Plag (2018) explains zero-derivation or functional shift, as a process in which a word changes its syntactic function without any change in form. Using the noun "hammer" as a verb, for instance, would imply "to hit with a hammer."




Acronym 

According to Yule (2014), an acronym is a word made from the initial letters of other words, such as 'UNESCO' (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization). According to convention and one's acquaintance with the phrase, acronyms can be pronounced either as a word or as a string of letters. Plag (2018) defines an acronym as "an abbreviation consisting of initial letters pronounced as a word, such as NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration)." Plag points out that initializes, which are similarly made up of initial letters but are spoken letter by letter, such as FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation), are distinct forms of acronyms. 




Derivation

George Yule (2010) defines derivation as a process, which involves many little "bits" of the English language that are typically not included separately in dictionaries. These little "bits", are commonly referred to as affixes. The prefixes un-, mis-, pre-, full, less, -ish, -ism, and -ness which exist in words like unhappy, misrepresent, prejudge, cheerful, carefree, boyish, terrorism, and melancholy are some well-known examples. According to Plag (2018), the act of creating new lexemes by appending derivational affixes to already-existing ones is known as derivation. They draw attention to the fact that a base word's lexical category, meaning, or both might change because of derivation. The authors also give a thorough explanation of the concepts and procedures which govern word formation in English, including how affixes are chosen and combined to form new words and how phonological and morphological variables influence word formation.




Multiple Processes 

Yule (2014) states that it is conceivable for a word to go through multiple processes. Multiple processes take place when a specific word is required. For instance, the term "television" was created by fusing the nouns "tele" (which means "far") with "vision" (which means "sight"). The suffix "-ion" has been added to the verb "televise" to create a word that means "the transmission and reception of images through electromagnetic waves," therefore, "television" may also be considered as a derivation. Additionally, the term "television" can be seen as a clipping because it was previously called a "televisor" before being abbreviated to "television". As a result, "television" is an example of a word, which is created by a variety of word formation techniques.

To conclude, in word formation discussion, words come into existence in ten ways: coinage, borrowing, compounding, combining, etc. Coinage is the creation of new terms within a word, borrowing is the appropriation of words from other languages, and compounding is the merging of two different words to create new words. Examples include "Indomie" for instant noodles and "Kleenex" for tissue. Blending is the process of combining two root words to create a single word. Clipping is the process of changing a term with more than one syllable into a shorter form. Back Formation is the process of changing a noun into a verb. Conversion is the process of changing a noun into a verb. Conversion is the process of changing a word's function without any decrease. Acronyms are shortened words or phrases created from the first letters of a group of other words. The derivation is the process of changing a word's meaning and categories by adding affixes and other modifications. Multiple processes can take place when a specific word is required. For example, deli is a phrase borrowed from the German word delicatessen and then clipped to become a familiar American English expression.




Meanings of Jargon

The term "meaning" discusses the logic or importance, which is carried by a word, phrase, or text. It can refer to the classification of a word, as well as the extensive associations, which are connected with it. Since specific meanings that a person could attach to a word have already been ruled out, we can further distinguish between conceptual and associative meanings. According to Yule (2010)'s view, there are two different kinds of meaning: conceptual meaning and associative meaning. According to Mwihaki (2004), there are seven different categories of linguistic meanings. They have thematic, intellectual, connotative, social, emotive, and other meanings as well. However, it may be broadly categorized into conceptual meaning and associative meaning. Conceptual meaning is a fundamental aspect of grammatical proficiency and refers to the logical sense of the expression. It may be expressed logically and is the fundamental or universal meaning. A group of distinguishing qualities at the lexical level (lexeme) also expresses conceptual meaning. For instance, the lexemes for "people" are "human," "adult," and "male." Associative meaning, on the other hand, refers to a collection of language usage patterns, which depend on certain mental connections. Its meanings are derived from the connotations a word picks up through time. The meaning is ambiguous, unstable, and unknowable and it depends on a variety of factors like culture, period, geography, class, personal experiences, etc. Connotative, stylistic, emotive, and collocate meanings are all examples of associative meanings. According to such variables as culture, historical era, socioeconomic status, and overall real-life experience of a speaker or group of speakers, it differs substantially.

According to Yule (2010), society has already ruled out any unique meanings that one person may assign to certain terms. However, society can go one step further and draw a clear boundary between conceptual and associative meaning. Therefore, there are two different kinds of meaning, conceptual meaning and associative meaning, according to the theory of Yule. Kahar (2019) explains that lexical and contextual meaning are two basic forms of meaning. Typically, the meaning of a word is regarded as its lexical meaning. Lexical meaning is the meaning of a word apart from how it is used in any phrase. As a result, when words are used in sentences, the meaning is altered accordingly. Consequently, lexical meaning is a meaning that is defined in a dictionary or lexicon. Whereas, the meaning of words in relation to the context in which they are used is known as contextual meaning. Different circumstances convey various meanings. Furthermore, contextual meaning is defined as the information sent in the manner in which a language component is used in a social context.

According to Nikelas in Sari (2020), a language has three characteristics. First, language has sound; second, it is organized; and third, language always conveys some sort of meaning. Language and meaning have a significant relationship. People therefore also require a study of meaning that offers a concise explanation of meaning in everyday life. One of the basic qualities of any language is arbitrariness; the ability to communicate various situations with limited words. In addition, Pratama (2021) stated that words are not limited to a single meaning. Most words have multiple meanings, which are categorized as denotative and connotative meanings. A word always has a denotative meaning, but it can also be comprised of other meanings; which are called connotative meanings. The denotative meaning is the literal meaning and true meaning, without turning on it, is meant to persuade. Connotative includes emotions and various meanings associated with a word. The same connotative meaning is what the word suggests after such a loop is applied. Connotative tends to carry retentions, feelings, emotions, attitudes, or images.

The importance of meaning is essential for language and can be divided into four categories: grammar, lexical, textual, and contextual. Yule (2010) distinguishes between conceptual and associative meaning, while denotative meaning is the ordinary, objective meaning, which may not be affected by particular feelings, values, or tastes. Connotative meaning is an associative meaning that develops because of social attitudes and individual attitudes and is usually connected to the logic of value of the individual or assembly of people who use the word.




Previous Related Studies

Military Jargon in the Call of Duty Video Game by Rinaldi, Alfian, and Rahmi (2018) carried out a socio-linguistics analysis of jargons. The goal of this study was to scrutinize how jargons, which appeared in the Call of Duty, were formed. According to the findings, 56 items fall under the category of military jargon. In this investigation, conversion emerges as the most common technical term. Seli (2019) investigated the structure, significance, and purposes of US military jargon used in "The Expendables 3". There are four types of jargon depending on the word class, according to the data analysis. They are jargon in word, phrase, acronym, and abbreviation form. The study concluded that the US military vocabulary used in The Expendables 3 had three purposes: to establish the group's identity, to deepen the sense of community among its users, and to demonstrate a military specialist's proficiency.

Muhammad and Vitosafero (2020) analyzed the form and meaning of military jargons used in the Act of Valor, a movie by Scott Waugh Military. The study was focused on finding the form and meaning of military jargons used in the Act of Valor. They have also discussed different meanings of jargons, which are used in the movie; they are conceptual meaning and associative meaning. They concluded that military and navy jargons are formed as per the classification of jargons. 

Ali and Satti (2021) discussed the many English jargons employed by Pakistani military leaders and soldiers. The variances made by the troops were discovered to be caused by micro-acquisition rather than their geographical, social, or educational backgrounds. The study investigated a comparative analysis between soldiers and officers to identify phonological distinctions between them utilizing Hallidiyan's (1960) functional perspective theory.

Research Method

Conclusion

There are particular matters that can be concluded in light of the findings and discussion presented in the preceding chapter. The results show that there are two types of meanings processes in jargons, which are consistent with Yule's theory and are found in Untold Tales of Pakistan Air Force. In addition to discovering new ways to understand literal and associative meanings of jargons according to Yule (2010), particularly when analyzing military jargons. Based on the study's primary goal, the research reveals that the jargon utilized in Untold Tales of the Pakistan Air Force has both literal and associative meanings. Out of the 32 pieces of data discovered, jargons have different literal and associative meanings. This information can be used in classroom instruction to broaden vocabulary development and find new words in military literature. Students can be inspired to learn English by understanding and being familiar with the jargon words that are frequently used around us. 

This research can be used as a reference by researchers who are interested in conducting research on jargon words to make their tasks easier. The researcher anticipates that this research will provide details regarding the jargon terminology. Researchers, who want to examine word formation, and learn about the literal, associative meaning of military jargon should look for another theory or compare the two theories to ensure a full assessment. The same theoretical perspective may be utilized by new researchers to carry out studies on jargons employed in various institutions, organizations and groups .

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