The Latin word reciprŏcus came into Spanish as reciprocal . It is an adjective that, according to the first meaning that appears in the dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy ( RAE ), refers to what is the same in terms of correspondence of one element with another .
Reciprocal, therefore, refers to a mutual correspondence . In colloquial language , it could be said that reciprocal implies giving the same as one receives .
The principle of reciprocity appears in the framework of international relations . This is the name given to the position adopted by a State that grants the citizens of another State the same benefits and guarantees that it provides to its own.
This principle establishes reciprocal treatment . Suppose that the government of country X requires a visa for citizens of country Y who intend to enter its territory. The reciprocal, in this case, would be that the authorities of country Y also establish the visa as an entry requirement for citizens of country X.
In everyday life, people often resort to reciprocal exchanges , whether of material things or intangible elements. Take the case of a young man who receives help from a neighbor; If in the future the person who provided collaboration needs some type of assistance, it is assumed that the boy who was helped at the time should act just as the other did with him.
The noun associated with this adjective is reciprocity . The Royal Academy dictionary gives it two meanings: "mutual correspondence that takes place between two things or two people"; "reciprocal quality." As mentioned in the previous paragraph, it is important to act based on this principle so that life remains in balance in a society . This can happen in all types of relationships.
An exception that we can accept takes place between children and their parents, although always within a reasonable limit. During the first years of our lives we are not fully aware of the efforts our elders make to take care of us, spend time with us and support us financially. We begin with an absolutely egocentric attitude that ensures our survival when we are most vulnerable, but little by little we learn to feel consideration for those who protect us and in this way our personality is built.
It should be noted that the notion of reciprocal also appears in the field of grammar . There are reciprocal pronouns , reciprocal verbs and reciprocal sentences , which are linked to mutual relationships.
Let's start by analyzing the meaning of reciprocal verbs. First of all, we must point out that they belong to the group of transitives , so the action has a direct impact on another individual, that is, one different from the one who executes it. A very common transitive verb in everyday speech is , since it cannot be used without a direct object: "Carlos said he would come" (it would not be correct "Carlos said" , since data would be missing to understand the sentence).
In the case of reciprocal verbs, the action not only affects the direct object but is also received by the subject itself. This means that we can only use them in the plural persons: we, you and them. Let's look at some examples: "The other day we met by chance, and we chatted for a long time," "I know they get along wonderfully, so there won't be any problem if they share a table."
Something they have in common with reflexive verbs (those in which the action only affects the subject itself) is that they allow us to add some phrases to emphasize the nuances of their meaning: "They congratulated (each other)" .