Designspeak is a beautiful thread at Speak Up about design discourse -- weather if "we're killing design by talking it to death" or not.

A quick browse through a few comments:

«I think critical theory is an essential part of the discipline. Such a young discpline is still developing its academic vocabulary, which is probably why so many terms seem "wishy-washy"(look at that term, eh?). But if we believe that graphic design is more than a craft, and has real social implications, then a language to speak about it is necessary.

I don't like the implications of "killing design by talking". How has talking about something ever killed anything? If anything, I think we need more dailogue within the discipline, about many more complex issues than how to get the next contract (no offense to the previous, useful posts, but....).» [Kevin Lo]

«I can't help but feel that this is somehow related to our collective inferiority complex re: e.g. architecture and our uneasy relationship with art and craft. It seems like we want something very badly: recognition, elevation, status and in our attempts to attain that something we set these artificial milestones: "we need our own language" because what we do is so important and esoteric, and if we create an ivory tower for it, everyone else will look up in awe. Maybe this is how we separate ourselves from the desktop publishers at last and rise out of the muck of the client-designer relationship.» [Marian]

«Live design to me is design that excites me. It transfers energy from a nonliving thing to a living thing -- me. The first time I saw a MINI Cooper on the road my pulse quickened and I made unsafe efforts to view more of it. Why? Design. I can't fully explain why. I just know that something about it produced powerfully positive emotions. I could give many other examples, but I'll spare you. The death of design, for me, would be the death of that feeling. I hope that day never comes.
...
Design is a gift. It should not be wasted on those who do not see its value. Energy can be better spent giving the gift to those who appreciate it and can not afford it, rather than converting those who can. Because in the end, some fat people like wearing stretch pants.» [Zoelle]

In the end the conclusion is that designers need to talk their jargon to each other and further develop their professional ethos, but also talk to the public in a responsible, understandable manner so they will actually educate the audience while talking.