- What is the expression?
- Oral and written expression
- Body expression
- Algebraic expression
- Freedom of expression
We explain what expression is and what are oral, written, body and algebraic expressions. Also, what is freedom of expression.
What is the expression?
An expression is any communicative act of the human being, who through some means or language (verbal or non-verbal) are made manifest. This word acquires its most concrete meaning in each of the different areas of life and knowledge, as we will see later, but it always retains the same original meaning: that of information that is revealed, made legible or recognizable , that is, it is expressed.
The term "expression" comes from Latin expressio, from where the verb "squeeze" also comes. It is formed by the prefix former- (“outside”) and premere ("Squeeze"), in the sense that an expression is what comes out of something when it is squeezed, and figuratively, it is what also "comes out" from our bodies.
Thus, what is expressed is what is communicated to others, while what remains hidden is, precisely, unexpressed, buried within ourselves. Expressing oneself, therefore, is equivalent to drawing from within oneself what one wants to say.
What we call expression is, at the same time, the act and the result of said process of manifestation of information. For this reason, it is often spoken of expressions to refer to words, phrases and idioms of the verbal language with which we can communicate (as in "foreign expressions"), or to the different manifestations of other types of information ("genetic expression" in biology, or "analytical expression" in math).
Similarly, when we talk about taking something to its lowest expression or its highest expression, we mean taking it to its lowest manifestation (weak, discreet, small, etc.) or highest possible (strong, scandalous, large, etc. ), respectively.
Oral and written expression
Normally, human beings have two main ways of expressing ourselves consciously: the oral (spoken) and the written. The two are very different, despite being related and depending on verbal language.
- Oral expression implies the set of factors that affect the communication human through a language shared between sender and receiver. It involves elements such as voice, diction, fluidity of the speaks, as well as paralinguistic elements, such as gestures, proxemics, etc. Unless recording devices are involved, oral expression is face-to-face and ephemeral, that is, it occurs in the place and time in which the transmitter and receiver are, and then disappears, and it is the oldest and most natural mechanism of the human being, which uses the different organs that make up its speech apparatus.
- The written expression, on the other hand, responds to the invention of one of the most important and revolutionary technologies invented by the humanity around the year 4,000 a. C., that is: the writing. With it, an attempt is made to solve the problems of presence and disappearance of oral communication, since writing remains in time and can communicate to two or more persons let them know read, even if they are separated by kilometers of land or by the passage of centuries. Written expression, thus, requires a learning and a practice, since it is something acquired and artificial. It involves both the reading like writing, that is, the ability to generate and interpret visual symbols embodied in a physical medium.
Body expression
By corporal expression is the ability to transmit information in a non-linguistic way, through postures and movements of the body. This type of expression usually accompanies speech and often even transmits information contrary to happiness, since the way the body acts can unconsciously express content that it is desired to hide.
Mastery of body language is common in public speakers, politicians, and other professions where full control over the message conveyed is required. It is a continuous source of information that obeys certain codes cultural and social.
For example, arms solidly crossed over the chest are often interpreted as a message of mistrust, defensiveness or even superiority (the latter, which is why we will see this gesture repeated in superheroes and other fictional characters whose strength we want to highlight).
In the case of body expression that only concerns the positions and movements of the face, it is commonly known as a facial expression.
Algebraic expression
In the case of mathematics, and more specifically of algebra, an algebraic expression is called a combination of letters and numbers, interrelated by mathematical signs, which allows establishing or posing different mathematical relationships, especially when there are unknown variables or values.
These expressions allow to manifest certain logical or formal relationships. Algebraic expressions are handled as if they were composed of ordinary numbers, and can be monomials, binomials, or polynomials, depending on whether they have one, two, or multiple terms.
Freedom of expression
The ability to express the thought is something highly valued in the different cultures, since through language it is possible to influence others and share our ways of seeing the world. For this reason, many authoritarian regimes persecute or limit the possibilities of free expression of the individuals who govern, applying methods of censorship, intimidation or directly ending the communication media of society.
Thus, freedom of expression is the right to freely express one's own thoughts, to express an opinion, show discontent or say what you want to say, without any type of institution prevents it and without suffering retaliation based on an opinion. It is one of the fundamental rights of the Universal Declaration of the Human rights, and should be guaranteed for all citizens from any country.