4.2. The word desescalada

Moving on to the next word, owing to the fact that its English translation (lockdown easing) is very different, the Spanish term will be analysed here. Desescalada is formed by the lexical base escalar (i.e. to climb, to mount, to scale) to which is added the prefix des- (i.e., un-). A prefix is a lexical particle that, added to a word, influences its meaning, thus providing individuals with a specific outlook which they would not possess without the addition of that particle.

One of the classifications of prefixes refers to their Latin or Greek origin. In this respect, the DLE (2014) also offers an explanation for the origin of the prefix des-:

Confluence of the Latin prefixes de-, ex, dis- and sometimes e-. 1. pref. It denotes the negation or inversion of the meaning of the simple word in front of which it is placed. Distrust, deshacer [to undo]. 2. pref. It indicates privation. Desabejar [to remove bees from]. 3. pref. It indicates excess or boldness. Deslenguado [insolent, loquacious]. 4. pref. It signifies ‘outside’. Descamino [error, going astray], deshora [unseasonable or inconvenient time]. 5. pref. It sometimes denotes affirmation. Despavorido [terrified].

The Nueva gramática de la lengua española (2009, hereinafter NGLE) also establishes that the prefix des- signifies, among other things, ‘privation’ and ‘negation’, as well as ‘to return to a previous state’.

In this case, the prefix has been added to the verb escalar, which the Diccionario Enciclopédico Universal (1990) defines as follows:

1. To enter a place by means of a ladder.

2. To climb a steep slope or a great height.

The entries appearing in the DLE (2014) are similar:

1. v.t. To enter a stronghold or another place by means of a ladder.

2. tr. To climb a steep slope or a great height.

In view of the comparative analysis of the two sources, the following can be concluded:

1) That the concept of escalada diachronically maintains a gradual character of ascent.

2) That both sources also indicate the need to resort to equipment or tools to achieve the objective in question.

These conclusions are useful for performing a pragmatic analysis on the euphemism desescalada (a possible translation for which is descent), in which the following features are worth mentioning: