SOS is a distress signal.
SOS is the name of a well-known distress signal that is used worldwide and that allows you to request help through some type of communication medium. It began to be used in the 20th century through Morse code , where it is transmitted as a sequence of three short pulses, three long pulses and three short pulses again.
The expression is usually associated with phrases in English such as "Save Our Souls" (which translates as "Save Our Souls" ) or "Save Or Succumb" ( "Save Us Or We Die" ). This is because, when someone issues an SOS , they need immediate assistance since they are in danger .
SOS on boats
If a vessel faces a problem that threatens its livelihood, its captain will likely find it necessary to send an SOS . In this way, when another ship receives the signal, it will come to provide help and, if necessary, participate in the rescue of the crew of the ship in difficulty.
One of the most famous cases of the use of SOS was that of the Titanic , which used the signal after colliding with the iceberg that ultimately caused it to sink.
Sending an SOS notice means asking for help.
The acronym CQD
Until 1906 , when the use of the SOS signal was approved at an international conference held in Berlin , CQD (from the English "Come Quickly , Distress") was used, although on a technical level its true meaning is "Copy Quality, Distress" , the first two words being a general calling code .
CQD was also used via Morse code, but SOS is much easier to transmit, and that was one of the main reasons for its success. Likewise, since two of its three letters are the same , and it is easier to remember and pronounce beyond the language of the sender or recipient, it is less likely to be misinterpreted.
Use of SOS in colloquial language
The concept of SOS is used worldwide when it has the strict sense of asking for help in an emergency situation , but, given that in English it has other meanings of prior existence and that English-speaking people can understand the acronym in much more depth and closeness, since it refers to expressions typical of their culture, they also often use it in everyday speech to refer to trivial situations in which someone desperately needs help , even if they are not true emergencies .
For example, in the middle of a party, if a group of people is criticizing the physical appearance of the other guests, a way to use this acronym to make fun of a person could be the following: «Pablo has chosen the worst combination of brands. cheap and colorful for tonight; There is no SOS that can save him . Likewise, it can be used to describe desperate situations on a sentimental or work level, although it is not common outside of English-speaking countries.
A conjugation of the verb to be
It should be noted that sos (in lowercase) is a conjugation of the verb to be . It is the second person singular, equivalent to you are . For example: «Are you Santiago López's brother? I hadn't recognized you! "I haven't seen you in many years," "If you're a football lover, you can't miss tonight's game," "I don't understand why you're like that."
The use of this conjugation is common in certain Latin American countries, mainly in Argentina . On the contrary, in Colombia , Mexico , Venezuela and Spain , for example, the you are used, although in each area there are exceptions and particular preferences, such as in Colombia the you are used in situations in which other countries would normally resort to to you