Responding implies answering.
Respond is a concept that has its etymological origin in the Latin word respondĕre . This verb is the result of the sum of two clearly differentiated parts:
- The prefix re- , which indicates reiteration.
- The verb spondere , which can be translated as “offer” or “promise” .
It may be about providing a response , responding or acting upon a message or request . For example: “If the language teacher asks me what happened to my books, I don't know what I'm going to answer,” “It took you fifteen minutes to answer: can I know where you were?” , “Don't worry, I'll take care of answering all your questions so you can rest easy.”
Respond in everyday life
Throughout the day, we must answer various queries. A child, to cite one case, is likely to have to answer his teacher's questions , while an employee must answer what his boss asks him . Even animals , when reacting to a call or stimulus, respond.
Depending on the context , the action of responding can have different meanings or acquire different nuances. On certain occasions, responding implies the satisfaction of a demand or a request , or even a positive reaction : “I am satisfied because the architect answered all my questions,” “The doctor believes that Luján will respond correctly to the treatment.”
When a person takes over the responsibility or obligation of another, on the other hand, he is said to be responsible for them . In this sense, a man who recommends a friend for a job can assure the employer that he will be responsible for his good performance. This means that if the recommended subject makes mistakes or does not perform correctly, his friend will take care of the problems.
Today a person usually responds to dozens of messages per day.
The concept associated with technology
Today the term respond is closely associated with technology . And it is not only the calls that can be received on the phone that are answered, as was the case until a few decades ago, but also the messages from the WhatsApp application and the emails that may reach the inbox of the email in question.
The proliferation of communication tools means that people must respond constantly. During the day, dozens of calls or messages are received from family, friends, co-workers, etc.
Questions that cannot be answered
We may think that all questions can be answered by giving a solution, but this is not the case. It is considered that there are a series of questions that remain unanswered because the best way to do it cannot be found or because there is no answer directly.
Examples of this type of question are “What mysteries are causing disappearances in the Bermuda Triangle?” " , " What do clouds smell like? and “What came first: the chicken or the egg?”
An entertainment
Currently there are many television programs that revolve precisely around the verb at hand: to respond. They are cultural contests, where participants have to record everything they know, correctly answering the questions asked by the presenter.
That is the way for them to go home with a large sum of money or with different prizes. Among the best-known spaces of this type is, for example, “Who wants to be a millionaire?” .