What is consensus? The meaning and interpretation of the word "consensus"

The great and mighty, as it is called, the Russian language is rich in various expressions. In our language, containing in its arsenal and so on the order of half a million words, it is common to borrow foreign languages for describing some things. Perhaps, that is why the Russian language is the most beautiful and complex. The vocabulary of one person does not hold up to 500 thousand. This is explained not only by an elementary ignorance of any words, but also by a lack of understanding of their meaning. Probably, you have heard a word more than once, but you could not understand what is at stake - this is exactly such a situation.

For the most part, this applies to those expressions that are borrowed from another language or belong to special subject areas.

It seems that many people have heard the word "consensus". And now let's answer the question of whether we understand its meaning. Probably not. An unusual expression that clings to the ear, but the meaning remains unsolved for one single reason: the word is perceived in context, which means that we do not need to know it to understand the meaning of the statement. This approach is not very good because of its limitations, so it will be superfluous to understand what is consensus. This will be discussed in this article.

Borrowing Words

In itself, the word "consensus" sounds unusual, not in Russian, and therefore, suggests that it came from somewhere from abroad. In general, why did this tendency appear - to borrow words? The fact is that progress in Western countries is moving at a slightly faster rate than in Russia. This also applies to scientific thought. It is for this reason that new words are "created" there, and then spread all over the world. Another reason for borrowing theory is the fact that many things, for example, the names of dishes, belong exclusively to a certain area, and the way out of it is accompanied by the appearance of new words in the lexicon of other peoples.

If you have been abroad, then for sure, even in European languages you heard expressions that are consonant with some Russian words.

On the word "consensus"

For most Russians this expression will seem, at least, strange. For our perception, an unusually large number of hissing sounds, of which there are as many as three in consensus. Perhaps for someone it will seem difficult to pronounce. Like many other words, whose homeland is ancient Greece, "consensus" is perceived as a kind of scientific expression that evokes dislike. Nevertheless, there is nothing terrible in it - for people accustomed to the scientific presentation of their thoughts, it will seem most ordinary.

Value

What is consensus? In different dictionaries there is no single wording describing the meaning of this word - everyone gives it their own way, but in general, the definition may look like this. Consensus - coming to a mutual agreement or making decisions that suit all parties to the conflict. In a real situation, this is the mutual arrangement.

In other words, to find a way that would suit everyone means to come to a consensus. The word is really used quite rarely in everyday life, as it is officially-businesslike.

When appropriate use

As already mentioned above, the word has a more official coloring, so most often it is used in various reports, reports on the negotiations. It is often possible to hear this expression on TV in news releases. Of course, the word "consensus" can also be used in everyday life, but it is much more convenient to say "Vasya and Masha agreed" than "Petya and Sasha came to a mutual consensus". Also, because the expression is unusual and occurs infrequently, the interlocutor can simply not understand you, which can affect the result of the conversation.

Semantics of the word in the word-combinations

By itself, "consensus" does not mean anything. The important thing is how this word is combined with others. There is such a phrase as "reaching consensus". Its meaning lies in the fact that the parties were able to regulate their relations in such a way that they found a way out of the situation. Such phrases take place, in most cases, in news releases, information articles about any social or political events, and may also sound in reports at various conferences.

Thus, the adoption of decisions in the form of the word "consensus" is more an expression for the business style of the language using in the areas listed above. For everyday communication, it is inherent rarely, rather, this is an exception, rather than a rule.

Synonyms

With what is a "consensus", we decided. As it became clear, this expression serves for official communication, therefore in everyday life we need words that are commonly used. From the definition it follows that this is a kind of decision making that suits both sides. Therefore, for the word "consensus" a synonym is an agreement. This expression sounds much clearer and is more often used in everyday life.

In synonyms one can also write down such words as "consent", "agreement". Knowing what "consensus" is, it is easy to check whether the word is suitable as a substitute. To do this, it is necessary to substitute it in the expression "The parties came to a consensus". Thus, when substituting, for example, "consent", it will be "the Parties came to an agreement".

As you can understand, the meaning has not changed at all, so for the word "consensus" the synonym "consent" is legitimate. As a nasty example, we use the word "consultation", since it is consonant and can be easily confused. The word "consultation" means a meeting. When substituted in our phrase, something will come out: "The parties came to the meeting," which completely distorts the meaning of the original statement. By the same principle, it is easy to check absolutely any synonyms.

Types of consensus

Like any word, "consensus" can only outline a certain range of meanings. Among them, for example, political consensus.

Such an expression means consent in a political case, for example, when discussing a bill, different factions had the same views on the issues described in the document, but could come to an agreement.

Also, this expression can mean an agreement between the two organizations on any controversial issue. Thus, everything that concerns settlement in the sphere of political actions either in the state, or in the management of the company and rivalry with competitors, can be considered a political consensus. His achievement is considered extremely important in situations where it is necessary to resolve a conflict.

There is another common form - social consensus. An expression can denote any agreement between different social groups on issues affecting their interests. You can give an example: half of the tenants of the apartment building have personal cars, and the other does not. Owners of vehicles insist on the construction of parking spaces, but they are opposed by the others, for example, because there is no place left for walks in the courtyard. Consensus will be reached in this situation in the fact that during the construction of parking spaces, owners of vehicles will conduct a subbotnik to improve the territory in order to create a zone for walking and rest. It is easy to reach a consensus - it is enough to hold a meeting at which all parties will express their points of view.

Errors of use

Perhaps one of the most serious mistakes is that the meaning of the word "consensus is confused with the semantics of the expression" compromise. " If the first case means such an outcome, in which everyone will receive exactly what was originally laid in their requirements, then a compromise is a way of settling the conflict, in which the parties go for small indulgences to achieve one goal.

Also, as already mentioned above, there is often confusion due to the consonance with the word "consultation".

Another common mistake is the use of the word in the opposite sense, namely the concept of it as disagreement and divergence. In order to avoid such errors, there must be a clear idea of what a consensus is. The meaning of this word is unique, and it must be remembered.

Conclusion

Russian language is considered to be one of the most beautiful on the planet. It includes not only words and expressions, but also a huge number of different syntactic constructions, and the level of borrowing is quite high. Of course, there are many opponents of this way of organizing the language, but this process can not be controlled.

Moreover, already a considerable number of words are so firmly entrenched in our language that we consider them relatives. Why does it happen that some expressions quickly "raze", and others take years, and sometimes centuries, to take their place? The answer is simple: for those words to which many synonyms have been chosen, as for "consensus", it is rather difficult to win your place. People are reluctant to use unfamiliar expressions. Nevertheless, they help to improve the language, and their use would be very desirable in everyday communication.