"Parlance" derives from Old French "parlance" (speech, talk), from "parler" (to speak), and refers to a distinctive manner or style of speaking characteristic of particular groups or contexts. While not exclusively archaic, the term appears in poetry to denote specialized vocabularies, regional dialects, or historical modes of expression. Poets use "parlance" when discussing language itself—how different communities or eras employed words differently. The term acknowledges that language varies by context and that understanding poetry often requires familiarity with particular linguistic conventions. Its use signals awareness of linguistic registers and historical change, making it valuable for poems exploring communication, misunderstanding, or the evolution of language. The word's French origin lends it sophistication appropriate to literary and critical discussions of diction and style.

Parlance appears in contexts distinguishing specialized vocabularies, group-specific language, or characteristic modes of expression. The term emphasizes the social dimension of language—parlance belongs to groups. "Legal parlance," "common parlance," and "in x's parlance" are typical constructions. Related to French "parler" (to speak). Essential for analyzing sociolects, jargon representation, and how literature represents language variation by profession, class, or group. The term suggests not merely vocabulary but entire expressive manner characteristic of community. Useful for discussing how texts represent specialized languages, whether technical jargon creates or excludes communities, and literature's metadiscursive awareness of its own linguistic register as one parlance among many.