The context is a set of circumstances both material and abstract created or originated according to a fact or situation and also can be checked through testimonies written, spoken by grafías, old documents, radio, television, internet or any Currently existing audiovisual medium (applied in context in communication) and that can be transmitted without distortion of the senses. The environment of the situation defines if the framework is material and symbolic, in addition, the term has a series of characteristics, types, elements and importance that will be explained extensively in this post.
What is context
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This term comes from the Latin contextus, which refers to the environment that surrounds both symbolically and physically a specific situation. It is thanks to the framework that the facts of an event can be understood, since it is made up of different characteristics such as time and physical space that make people understand the message.
There is a synonymous context widely used in our language, this is environment, although the term framework or environment can also qualify. The rae context is defined as a linguistic environment that deserves understanding and interpretation.
A classic example of this is when someone says that Maria went to work; really, people are not going to fully understand the message they are trying to convey, on the other hand, if someone says, after 6 months of unemployment, Maria went to work, the message can be interpreted without any inconvenience.
Context characteristics
These characteristics allow the complete interpretation of situations or events and are made up of the material and symbolic environment.
Material context
It is a real factor that makes people interpret the true background of a specific situation. To better understand this, the example of the existence of the sea in two or more countries whose environment or material environment is its geographical location can be captured.
Symbolic context
This criterion has to do with intangibility, that is, something that cannot be seen or touched. The example of this aspect has to do with the culture of a society that influences the behavior of its citizens.
Types of context in linguistics
This occurs both in speech and in writing (literary context) that is why the criteria will never be the same because they can be interpreted in different ways and right in this section all types of existing frames will be explained.
Strictly linguistic context
They are factors related to the generation of a statement that promote its interpretation, this means that the message to be transmitted depends on the grammar, lexicon and syntax, which is why it is known as a literary context.
Extralinguistic context
It deals with the place, the registers, interlocutors and the moments in which the linguistic acts are carried out. These situations affect the understanding of the event and are classified into 3 aspects.
- Social context: it is about global knowledge, what one person thinks and what another knows, the meaning or interpretation will always depend on the knowledge of the people.
- Cultural context: it is about the customs, norms, habits and beliefs of a society.
- Historical context: are all those situations that surround a person, text or place and that mark or individualize them.
Communicative context
It is the one that organizes and gives a total meaning to the message, managing to fully describe the situation. This is also divided into 3 slopes.
- Linguistic context: refers to the cults that accompany the production of nicknames and that totally affect the interpretation, that is, the idioms.
- Situational context: it has to do with the information that all people have and that can be provided, that is, frequently asked questions to understand events and be able to interpret them without problems.
- Sociocultural context: it has to do with the social, political and historical conditions given in the communication, and it may be the case that the sender and the interlocutor never agree because the communication is not the same.
Importance of context in communication
The context is a fundamental element within the communication process and if certain details are not taken care of, the message is likely to be distorted. For example, in the context of the tabloid press, celebrities regularly comment that certain statements published in an interview were taken out of context and when this happens, it seems that the person said something when, in reality, what was mentioned was very different and it is there where decontextualization arises.
The same phrase may sound different depending on the details, therefore, when there is communication with friends and family, these types of details should always be taken into account. In fact, taking things out of the box can also be a reason for discussions as a couple or between friends.
10 context examples
To better understand everything discussed in this post, a series of examples of this term will be left:
- María went jogging to exercise and keep fit: here, it can be easily understood that the person was exercising through jogging, the interpretation is simple.
- Fabiana never mentioned that she was going to marry my friend Carlos: the term is simple, it talks about a situation (wedding) and the non-participation or communication of both friends.
- The law that supports legal abortion is currently applicable in some nations: if this had been written as “Legal abortion” there would be no exact framework, just two words that are difficult to interpret.
- Sports are necessary both in young people and in adults: the same happens with this text, if only “necessary sport” is placed there is no message to interpret.
- Studies must be compulsory in all countries: here we speak of a school context in which the value of education predominates.
- Teachers need to continue to nourish themselves with information to educate people: this is also an educational context and explains the value of education.
- Older adults need better self-care and more medical attention: the term is simple and is aimed at the care that older people need.
- Written answers will always have better value than words: the linguistic test of the speaker and speaker is discussed.
- The statements cannot be valued if the subject is not explained well: here it is seen that someone does not understand the situation because they do not have a fixed environment.
- Erasing the value of the words does not make them stop being true: the framework is related to the ignorance of a message and the truthfulness of the words.
