Adequacy is a term whose etymological root is found in the Latin word adaequatĭo. It is the act and the consequence of adapt: adapt, adjust or fix something that fits else.

The concept of adequacy is used in different contexts. In the field of communication, the idea of ​​adequacy refers to the respect that a text must have for different parameters and criteria linked to the communication situation, the matter, the receiver and the sender. See ABBREVIATIONFINDER.ORG for abbreviations related to Adequacy.

The adaptation of a text, in this way, implies that it complies with various principles to be understandable and relevant. In order for the text to be interpreted by the receiver, it must take into account its knowledge and linguistic variations, to mention two questions. The emitter, on the other hand, has to use the intertextual resources with precision.

A doctor, for example, must be in a position to match his message to the environment and the recipient. The professional cannot speak in the same way to a colleague as to an eight-year-old child.

It is possible to qualify a text in different ways, depending on the element for which we analyze it: for example, it may be opportune or inopportune depending on the situation; appropriate or inappropriate according to the recipients; adequate or inadequate in relation to the topic covered in its lines. This concept is found in the group of the so-called classical rhetoric, along with elegance, clarity and correction, three other stylistic notions, and was coined in the 1960s.

As can be seen, adaptation is not a process or a property that can take place automatically and spontaneously, but requires consideration of other concepts, such as non-verbal communication, the relationship between text and context, knowledge encyclopedics, polyphony, empathy, voices of discourse and presuppositions, among others.

When we speak of encyclopedic knowledge in this context, we refer to the culture that the receiver possesses, to the tools that are available to him to interpret the message that the sender sends him, make inferences or make predictions. The framework is also mentioned at this point, since it is the basis on which the receiver can locate the information, to compare it with his previous notions.

The two concepts just exposed have a directly proportional relationship with the understanding of the message: the less encyclopedic knowledge the receiver has and the less the frame of reference in the topic, the less possibilities he will have to understand the information exposed by the sender, and therefore The latter must make an effort to adapt it.

The empathy and perspective are two other essential concepts for communication to take place successfully. The adaptation of the message to the particular situation of the receiver, its history and the relationship it may feel with the information is very important to avoid any negative repercussions. Taking up the case of a doctor talking to his patient, you should also consider the impact his words may have on his patients, especially before giving them bad news.

Adequacy may also refer to adaptation to a new regulatory framework. In Argentina, after the enactment of the Audiovisual Communication Services Law (Law 26,522, also known as the Media Law), the State forced Grupo Clarín to modify its structure to adapt to the new legislation. Said adaptation should be carried out according to the deadlines set by the Judiciary.

In the case of the Clarín Group, adaptation involves removing licenses to reduce their market share. The Argentine government maintains that, in this way, freedom of expression is favored since new communication actors can join.