We explain what antecedents are, their use in grammar, logic and in research. Also, what are criminal records.
What is the background?
Background can be called any type of elements that come before something taken into considerationthat is, they precede it in time, space or in a specific order. In fact, the word antecedents comes from the Latin backgroundmade up of the prefix in view of- (“before”) and the verb I will give in (“walk”, “march”). It is translatable as “what happens before.”
this word It is used in two fundamental areas: logic and grammarto refer to the premises or previous elements of a set.
For example, in Spanish grammar an antecedent is a noun (noun, proper name or noun phrase) to which a pronoun or determiner refers within the sentence, and which therefore precedes it. Thus, in the sentence “my brother bought a house and rebuilt it”, the particle “the” refers to an antecedent, which is the house.
For its part, In the field of logic, the first part of a hypothetical proposition is called antecedent or protasis.usually introduced by the word “If” and continued with a “then”. That is, the premise that comes before a consequent statement is called: “If P, then Q” consists of an antecedent (P) and a consequent (Q).
In conclusion, we call an antecedent an element, action or reference prior to what interests us, and that in some way has to do with it. If we are analyzing a historical event, its antecedents will be those events that, without being directly linked to what happened, prefigured the historical panorama so that it could occur.
For example, the antecedents of Latin American Independence are in different revolutionary movements that took place in the previous century.
Background of an investigation
In the specific case of the research methodology, background information is considered all previous research that has addressed the topic the research deals withwhether directly or indirectly, totally or partially.
A researcher is expected to, before beginning his experiments or research procedures, review what has already been said about the subject to be investigated. This, logically, is vital to not repeat what has already been said and not believe that, as is popularly said, we are “inventing warm water.”
In general, the background of an investigation (especially in the academic or professional field) are made explicit in the project or preliminary project. There they usually have a section more or less linked to that of justification, and between the two they answer the question of what things have already been said about the matter and how current research will contribute to the state of things.
Thus, the background usually lists essays, monographs, documents and academic theses that are relevant to the current work, which have delved into the same topic. Their successes, failures and characteristics are usually explained, in order to differentiate them from the research in progress.
Criminal record
On the other hand, in the legal and citizen sphere, we usually speak of criminal records to refer to a document of proof of the citizen conduct of an individual, which reflects the crimes that have been committedor precisely his absence of crimes and demonstration of good behavior.
These types of documents are issued by States through their corresponding bureaucratic offices (such as the Ministries of Justice, for example), and usually have a specific validity.
It is common to need a criminal background check before starting other more complex procedures, especially when they have to do with obtaining residency in another country, foreign citizenship or access to discretionary services that, if you have a criminal history, could be denied. by the State.
Criminal records should not be confused with police records, since the former reflect the crimes (or their absence) that have been legally sanctioned and on which a sentence has been made, while the latter only record the interactions that a subject has had with the body. of police and their respective investigations, without necessarily leading to a criminal sentence.
Continue with: Introduction
References
- “Antecedent” in the Dictionary of the language of the Royal Spanish Academy.
- “Antecedent (grammar)” on Wikipedia.
- “Background (logic)” on Wikipedia.
- “Criminal record” on Wikipedia.
- “What is the background in the research project?” in El Sancarlista (Guatemala).
