(pronounced PAR-lehn(t)s)

Parlez-vous français” Oui ou non” Even if you don’t speak French, think of their word “parlez” to help you remember the English word “parlance.” It means talk or speech, as in formal debate. But it also means a way of speaking (using particular words) or a manner of speech (otherwise known as an idiom), especially related to a particular job or subject.

Example: Robert, the new graduate, hated to admit that he occasionally could not follow the parlance of his two bosses, both of whom had been in the architectural field for 30-plus years.