We explain what understanding is, what understanding means and other meanings of the term. Also, examples of use in sentences.
What is understanding?
Understanding, from a very general point of view, It is the action or the ability to know the meaning or motivation of things. It is a word derived from the verb “understand” and has its roots in the Latin word comprehenderecomposed in turn of the prefix with– (“next to”) and the voices prae (“before”) and hendere (“catch” or “hold”). In this way, understanding can be understood as the action of grasping “the before” of a thing, that is, of understanding where it comes from or what its reason for being is.
The word “understanding” is used in many different contexts, the main one being that which has to do with communication. When we communicate with someone, we are emitting and receiving messages that must be captured and understood.that is, understood.
That is why if they speak to us in another language (that is, using a code that we do not know) or even if they speak to us in ours but in a very complicated, convoluted or strange way, we usually respond that “we did not understand.” And in this sense, understanding becomes a synonym for verbs such as understand, grasp and interpret.
The above applies, naturally, to both spoken and written language. The ability to understand a piece of writing depends on basic factors such as the language in which it is written, but also on the linguistic ability (that is, the level of language skills) and the prior knowledge of the person reading it. In this way, a person can read a scientific text, for example, written in a very technical language, and still not understand anything, that is, not be able to grasp the message.
On the other hand, People's reading comprehension is their ability to read and interpret a textcapturing the deepest layers of its meaning. The greater the understanding, the more levels of meaning can be captured, while the less understanding the person remains in the superficial layers of meaning.
Understanding and understanding
The term “understanding” is also used in other situations, which have to do with putting oneself in another's shoes, or understanding or justifying the actions or decisions of others. So, for example, An understanding person is one who often puts himself in the shoes of others. and who is willing in advance to listen to and reason with other people's motivations.
In fact, when we face a dilemma and look for a friend who understands us, what we long for is precisely someone who knows how to understand our motivations and who can put themselves in our shoes to help us make a decision.
In this sense, understanding is associated with empathy and tolerance, rather than intellectual capacity. to decipher a message; and for that the word is usually used understandingin order to distinguish empathy from rational and logical understanding.
Other uses of the term
The word understanding also has more technical and specialized uses, related to philosophy and the social sciences. In this context It is used as a synonym for “interpret” or “intelligence”, in the sense of a deep intellectual operation.and the German word is often used verstehen (precisely, “understand”) to distinguish this specific meaning in the texts of philosophy, history and other disciplines.
This meaning of understanding differs from the ordinary one, furthermore, in that it proposes an interpretive method, which pays attention to the internal aspects of the action studied, that is, to its purpose and intention, rather than to the objective features with which it is expressed. usually associated with the exact sciences.
Examples of use of the word “understanding”
The following are some examples of the use of the word “understanding” in various sentences and contexts:
- My parents don't understand the predicament I'm in.
- The plot of that novel is impossible to grasp.
- I understand To Miriam, I was in similar situations.
- ¿You understand the exam instructions?
- I don't have anyone to understand.
Continue with: Intelligence
References
- “Comprehension” in the Language Dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy.
- “Radication of the word Comprehension” in the Online Spanish Etymological Dictionary.
- “Understanding” in the Critical Dictionary of Social Sciences.
