The Latin word deformatio came to our language as deformation . It is about the process and consequence of deforming : causing something to stop having its natural or usual shape.
For example: "Telephony and social networks have caused a deformation of language" , "To avoid deformation of the fetus's spine, the mother must consume folic acid" , "The fire caused the deformation of the iron structure " .
In some cases, deformation is a physical phenomenon . A body can change shape or size when forces are applied to it. These deformations can be permanent or reversible .
Permanent deformation occurs when, once the load is removed, the body does not return to its original shape. This happens if a car hits a pillar and its body is dented. In reversible deformation , on the other hand, the body returns to its original state when the force that has deformed it is no longer applied: we can take an elastic band with our hands and stretch it but, when we release it, it will return to its previous shape.
The deformation can also be symbolic or abstract. We speak of professional deformation when a person tends to observe reality according to the perspective of their profession. Faced with an increase in the unemployment rate, to cite one case, an economist can focus on statistics, while a psychologist can emphasize the personal drama suffered by those who have lost their job.
This phenomenon is very common, especially among people who are very passionate about their work or vocation, and it can be fun if it occurs outside of their professional sphere. In order for it to be appreciated more clearly, it is necessary for the individual to be surrounded by people who do not share their knowledge or interests, so that their comments seem even more unexpected and out of place.
The concept arises from the idea that the professional has suffered a distortion in the way he sees the world, due to the training he received to reach his current work situation. In this case we must take into account both formal and individual study, in addition to the training offered by the companies for which you have worked.
Of course, the conversations we have every working day with our coworkers do not help us move away from professional deformation, since among specialists in the same field they often use jargon, or refer to very specific concepts out of context .
Language deformation , on the other hand, refers to a change in the code used to communicate. This alteration can be produced, among other factors, by technology : a person who communicates through text messages ( SMS ) with their phone can write expressions such as "Thank you for what you have done" (instead of "Thank you for what you have done" you've done" ) or "I'll see you later" (for "I'll see you later" ).
Older people often criticize the way young people speak and write, accusing them of using practically incomprehensible language and making all kinds of errors, such as spelling and grammatical errors. Although it is an almost natural part of our development to follow different paths from those of our ancestors, and this includes the imposition of new fashions, the deformation of language is a serious and absolutely unjustifiable problem.
The irrefutable proof that we are facing a harmful phenomenon is that it prevents communication both to those who cause it and to those who must endure it. In addition to the use of abbreviations when writing text messages, the deformation of the Spanish language is characterized by the excessive adoption of Anglicisms.