Do some of the words or phrases you use have a specialized meaning?
Remember, not everyone speaks your language. Some expressions that are second nature to you and those within your circle may be unclear to outsiders. So unless you’re writing primarily to people who already talk the talk, you need to define your terms for the uninitiated. Help them understand your jargon; then you can use it freely without bewildering anyone.
My religious history includes a background in charismatic and Pentecostal churches. People in these churches talk freely about “the anointing.” It’s an acceptable term for people communicating within their own camp, but at first I hadn’t a clue what it meant. A song or a singer was “anointed.” A Bible teacher “had the anointing.” Someone once looked at me, began to weep, and said, “It’s the anointing! It’s the anointing!” I had no idea what he meant or how to respond.
The problem lay not in the word anointing; it lay in people’s assuming I knew what they meant by it. No one had ever told me, and the meaning wasn’t self-evident.
It took a while before I understood that people were referring to the presence of the Holy Spirit. The word was used loosely enough that it was, and often still is, fuzzy around the edges. But that’s not my point. My point is this:
Identify and explain your jargon.
If you have none–no common words with an uncommon or particular meaning; no unusual expressions outsiders have probably never heard–then great. Don’t fix a problem you don’t have.
But if you do use specialized terms, whether two or twenty, make sure you clarify what you mean by them. Do so at each word’s or phrase’s first appearance or soon after.
- You can formally define the word, either in the running text or as a footnote (e.g., “By ‘self-sanitizing,’ I mean [your explanation follows]). If you quote a dictionary or other reference, provide a proper citation.
- You can give an illustration of the principle behind your term. (“So on and so forth and such and such an example. . . . That is what I mean by ‘self-sanitizing.'”)
- If you use lots of special terms, you can even create a glossary.
Whatever means you use, whether any of the above or some other solution, your goal is to preempt confusion for your readers. Once you’ve explained your lexicon, you can use it as you please.