What do you call the practice of using (overly) complex words specific to a subject?

Question

What do you call the practice of using (overly) complex words specific to a subject? I am thinking of scientific or academic fields where the common terminology used in the field is very unapproachable to someone not in the field. The situation I am imagining is when one professor gives a lecture using field specific language and the topic seems very difficult to approach to the lay person. On the other hand, another professor may give a lecture conveying the same information using terminology and phrasing easily understood by outsiders.

Is there a word to describe this difference in style practice?

single word requests

Is there a word to describe this difference in style practice?

Graffito · Accepted Answer

To describe such pedantic style, consider jargon.

From dictionary.com:

the language, especially the vocabulary, peculiar to a particular
  trade, profession, or group, e.g. medical jargon. 
  unintelligible or meaningless talk or writing; gibberish. any talk or writing that one does not understand. 
  language that is
  characterized by uncommon or, pretentious vocabulary and convoluted
  syntax and is often vague in meaning.

Example: Use technical terms and Jargon to impress the customer!

Doug Warren · Answer

Consider "esotericism".  The word "esoteric" is defined by oxforddictionaries.com as

Intended for or likely to be understood by only a small number of
  people with a specialized knowledge or interest

Jeutnarg · Answer

If the topic is not natively impossible to understand, but the speaker is choosing overly-complex words, consider "sesquipedalian". ("Sesquipedalian" has a negative connotation.)

from vocabulary.com

Sesquipedalian can also be used to describe someone or something that overuses big words, like a philosophy professor or a chemistry textbook. If someone gives a sesquipedalian speech, people often assume it was smart, even if they don’t really know what it was about because they can’t understand the words. Each of those long words is referred to as a sesquipedalia.

If you feel like this choice of overly-complex words is more a product of their education and scholarly background and less a product of their ego, you may use 'erudite', although this doesn't necessarily imply that the lecture was difficult to follow. I believe that 'erudite' is neutral-positive in connotation.

Merriam-Webster:

having or showing knowledge that is learned by studying

If you think that the topic material itself is the primary source for their use of jargon, then you can just call it 'technical'. The following sources refer to this exact type of material as 'technical', and they appear to be using the word 'technical' to describe what you are describing.

blog post about how you should 'clarify' instead of 'dumbing down' technical details

different blog post about how to explain 'technical' things to non-technical people

rmunn · Answer

If the first professor is deliberately using obscure terminology in order to confuse people, then you could call that obfuscation, from the verb obfuscate.

From http://www.thefreedictionary.com/obfuscate:

To make so confused or opaque as to be difficult to perceive or understand: "A great effort was made ... to obscure or obfuscate the truth" (Robert Conquest).
  To render indistinct or dim; darken: The fog obfuscated the shore.

If the professor is not deliberately trying to confuse people who aren't expert in the field, then obfuscation is NOT the right word. In that case, as others have already pointed out, jargon is the best word to use. "His explanation was full of jargon, and I was lost immediately. The other guy did a much better job of explaining it."

James Dean · Answer

The most appropriate term for the use of unnecessarily complex language or jargon in order to convey a message is convoluted.

(esp. of expression in speech or writing) having a complicated structure and therefore difficult to understand
Convoluted sentences, explanations, arguments, etc. are unreasonably long and difficult to understand:

Example:

"His grammar explanations are terribly convoluted."

Cambridge

Annika · Answer

Officialese is the word that describes jargon not used only by academics but in general by all sorts of posers. Especially in state offices.
See Garner on Language and Writing (page 92).

What do you call the practice of using (overly) complex words specific to a subject?

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