Definition of SOS - What it is, Meaning and Concept

SOS is the name of a well-known distress signal that is used worldwide and allows you to request help through some type of media.It began to be used in the 20th century through the Morse code , where it is transmitted as a string of three short pulses, three large pulses and three newly short pulses.

The expression is usually associated with phrases in English such as "Save Our Souls" (which translates as "Save Our Souls" ) or "Save Or Succumb " (" Save us or we die ").This is because, when someone issues a SOS , they need assistance in a way immediate as it is in danger.

If a vessel faces a problem that puts its livelihood at risk, it is likely that its captain is in need of sending a SOS .Thus, when another The ship receives the signal, will go to help and, if necessary, to participate in the rescue of the crew of the ship in difficulties.One of the most famous cases of the use of the SOS was the Titanic , which appealed to the signal after hitting the iceberg that finally caused its sinking.

Until 1906, when the use of the international conference was approved in Berlin SOS signal, CQD ( «Come Quickly, Distress» , which means «Come Fast, Problems» , was used, although technically its true meaning is «Copy Quality, Distress» , the first two words being a code general call.

CQD was also used through the Morse code, but SOS is much easier to convey, and that was one of the main reasons for its success.Similarly, since two of its three letters are equal , and which is easier to remember and pronounce beyond the language of the sender or recipient, is less likely to be misunderstood.

This concept is used globally when it has the strict sense of asking for help in an emergency situation , but, given that it has other meanings of prior existence in English and that speaking people English can understand the acronym with much more depth and closeness, since it refers to expressions of their culture, they also often use it in everyday speech to refer to trivial situations in which someone needs help desperately, even if it's not true emergencies.

For example, in the middle of a party, if a group of people is criticizing the physical aspect of the other guests, a way to use this acronym to make fun One person could be the following: «Pablo has chosen the worst combination of cheap brands and colors for tonight; There is no SOS that can save «.Similarly, it can be used to describe desperate situations at the sentimental or work level, although it is not common outside English-speaking countries.

It should be noted that sos (in lower case) is a conjugation of the verb be .It is the second person singular, equivalent to you are .For example: “Are you the brother of Santiago Lopez? I had not recognized you! I haven't seen you for many years ”, “ If you're a football lover, you can't miss tonight's game ”, “ I don't understand why you're like that ”.

The use of this conjugation is common in certain countries of Latin America, mainly in Argentina.On the other hand, in Colombia, Mexico, Venezuela and Spain, for example, the you are is used, although in each zone there are exceptions and particular preferences, such as that in Colombia the you is used in situations in which the other countries would normally resort to the you .