Definition of reformulation - What it is, Meaning and Concept

Formulation is the process and the result of formulating (indicate, declare or externalize something; explain it with precise words).From this definition, we can understand that The concept of reformulation refers, even if the term is not part of the dictionary prepared by the Spanish Royal Academy ( RAE ).

For this we can first observe the prefix re-, whose presence indicates that the reformulation is do something again .In other words, when a person carries to carry out this action, it is based on a previous formulation, also by its author.

It can be indicated that a reformulation consists of the introduction of changes .For example, if a scientist reformulates a theory , what he does is add or remove postulates according to the new evidence that he has discovered.

The reformulation of a soccer tournament, meanwhile, implies modifying the format of the competition.A tournament of twenty teams playing 19 matches each one can be reformulated so that forty teams begin to compete, which all face against everyone in the match and revenge.

In certain contexts, rephrasing can be said again but with other words .An Argentine can enter a store in Spain and ask for a "cell" : before the bewilderment of the seller, reformulates the query and asks for a "mobile phone" , since that is the concept used in Spain to refer to the device known in Argentina as " cell phone ”.

In the latter case, we can see that reformulating is not always about modifying the essence of something, but that it can also be a change in the way of communicating it .

The reformulation is a procedure that offers us the possibility of transforming one message into another, so that the communication is effective in any context.To do this it is not enough to know the syntax rules, but that we must develop the ability to choose the appropriate words and structures for each situation, each interlocutor, since a correct text is also one that can be understood and exploited .

From our student stage, we learn almost unconsciously to reformulate our words and those of others: when we try to express an idea and go through the same phrase several times, changing words or structures, until find the clearest version of our explanation, or when we need to summarize what another person has said, orally or in writing, we are putting into practice this essential communication skill.

The reformulation can be carried out following various strategies, one of which is the substitution .It is about presenting in another way a portion of text (which can be a sentence or a paragraph) or a whole text , without the information being altered; In other words, no data should be removed or added to the source, so we can use:

* the synonyms : it is the resource we use most to rephrase a sentence, although sometimes finding the right word is more difficult than it seems.For example, although it is correct to say that blow and beating are synonymous, cannot be used interchangeably in any situation;

* the hyperonimos : these are the terms whose meaning includes that of others, as is the case with furniture , which encompasses the concepts table , chair , armchair and closet , for example;

* pronouns : roughly speaking, these are words that can designate a thing without naming it directly.For example, we can say that « Leave the bag on the desk »is another way of saying" Leave it on the desktop ", provided that the context allows us to understand what" lo "refers to;

* the paraphrase : when we don't find a synonym, a hyperonimo or a pronoun that allows us to reformulate, we can always construct a phrase that has the same meaning of the original.For example, " dug for hours " can be replaced by " made wells for hours ".