Spanish Vocabulary: Terminology, Abbreviations, Word Relationships and Journalistic Genres

Somatization and Psychological Disorders

Somatization is the transformation of psychological disorders into physical or organic symptoms.

Terminology and Word Formation

Terminology is the set of technical terms used in a specific field.

Neologisms are new words or expressions created in a language.

Word formation refers to the processes that create new words, such as composition, derivation, or loans, which change the meaning of a word.

Abbreviations, Acronyms and Initialisms

Abbreviations are shorthand representations of a word or phrase.

Acronyms are terms formed by the initial letters or syllables of the words that make up a name, such as UAB (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona) and DVD (Digital Versatile Disc).

Other common examples include:

• ACB: Asociación de Clubs de Baloncesto
• IPC: Índice de Precios al Consumo
• cDNA: complementary DNA
• CDRO: Centro Inglés de Dibujos Reprográficos
• CSIC: Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas
• SER: Sociedad Española de Dermatología
• INM: Instituto Nacional de Empleo
• CCOO: Comisiones Obreras
• AAE: Autoridad Europea de Alimentación
• AAS: ácido acetilsalicílico
• DNA: ácido desoxirribonucleico

Semantic Relationships Between Words

Synonymy occurs when two or more words are interchangeable. It can be total, when words are fully interchangeable, or partial, when they exist in some grammatical contexts only.

Antonymy is the opposition of meaning between words. It includes:

• Gradual antonyms: opposites that admit degrees of meaning.
• Complementary antonyms: the affirmation of one term excludes the other.
• Reciprocal antonyms: the existence of one term implies the other.

Polysemy occurs when a word has two or more related meanings.

Homonymy occurs when words of different origin share the same form. It includes:

• Homographs: words written the same way but pronounced differently.
• Homophones: words pronounced the same way but written differently.

Paronymy occurs when words have a similar form and different meanings.

Hyponymy describes words whose meanings are included within the meaning of a more generic term (hypernym). Hyponyms are semantically related when they share a common hypernym, and this relationship can be one of succession, linear inclusion, or both.

Structure of a Journalistic Article Review

An article review has an argumentative structure made up of exposition, introduction, and conclusion. It addresses a current topic in an agile and clear style, usually in the first person, with the intention of disseminating a fact of today.

Personal Column

A personal column is a space reserved for a recognized author, usually with prestige. It is a hybrid between journalism and literature.

Editorial

An editorial is an unsigned text with an introduction, body, and argumentative conclusion. Its style is cultured and clear, and its intention is to reflect the ideological line of the newspaper.

Letters to the Editor

Letters to the editor are addressed to the director of a publication. They report unjust situations or offer reflections on a current topic. They are signed by readers and written in a correct, standard language.