Vocabulary

[vanveen]

Hello,
I'd like to know if there is a more or less overarching English term for a discourse shared by a small group of people, like in-jokes, but not just jokes, I'd also include nicknames, shared memories etc., i.e. everything that would not be understandable outside a narrow circle of friends, classmates or something like that. Thanks.

 

[Rover_KE]

I'll start by suggesting a word for part of what you are asking about:

jargon.

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:

jargon1

▶noun - words or expressions used by a particular profession or group that are difficult for others to understand.

(WordReference dictionary)

Rover

 

[Barb_D]

There's also "argot" but it's not a word that gets used much. It's probably too specific for your meaning. I agree that "jargon" is probably better for that.

 

[SoothingDave]

We use the term "tribal knowledge" at work, meaning things that are known only among the people who have been around. Things that aren't written down or otherwise captured in any formal way.

I don't think anyone uses it in a general, non-corporate way, but it's a good term for the concept you are trying to name.

Tribal knowledge - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia