As explained by FundéuRAE, a foundation promoted by the Royal Spanish Academy and the EFE Agency, the use of the word polarization, which has been included in the academic dictionary since 1884, has spread in recent years to refer to situations where there are two very defined and distanced opinions or activities (with reference to the poles), sometimes with the implicit ideas of tension and confrontation.
It is common to find examples in the media that refer to various forms of polarization worldwide: the polarization of society, politics, public opinion or positions on social networks.
Like him verb to polarize as the corresponding noun polarization, are often used to express the idea of division into two opposing blocs, positions or opinions, notes FundéuRAE.
According to him Spanish Dictionary, polarizing includes:orient in two opposite directions“, and in the essential dictionary the following example is given: “The war polarized society.”
In addition to the linguistic interest, the other reason for choosing this term is its high media presence in recent months. Applied to politics and the ideological field, to the world of sports, to debates on digital platforms and, in general, to any scenario where disagreement is common, the word polarization has spread in 2023, the foundation explains.
This word has appeared in the academic dictionary since the 1884 edition with the same definition it currently has: “Action and effect of polarizing or polarizing“.
However, more than a century ago, polarization included the brand “physics”, indicating that it was a term limited to the language of this science, in relation to the poles.
In 1985, an addition was added to that definition, which has not been preserved in the current edition, and which provided clues as to how this term began to spread beyond physics: ‘In the language of economics, a process by which in some certain areas of the economy is an area where most industries are concentrated”.
By the 2001 edition, polarization – and therefore polarization – had spread into common parlance after acquiring the meaning of ‘orient in two opposite directions”already used in a wide variety of areas.
Source: El heraldo
Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.
