It can be said that someone is aware of a subject when he has a vague and insufficient idea about it. In a second sense, being aware of something means having general knowledge of a topic. Anyway, in both senses it refers to a form of elementary knowledge and little elaborated. Notion
The knowledge process in any activity
When we learn something new, we become familiar with the essentials of an area or activity. Let’s think about learning to read : a child begins by studying letters and sounds and is gradually able to read, first single words and then small texts. In this initial phase, the child has certain notions, that is, he knows some basic tools such as the alphabet, but he is not yet able to carry out an elaborated reading. Thus, when we start an activity we only use primary tools and claim to have notions, which can be a foreign language, gardening, drawing , guitar or any other activity that involves a gradual learning process . Notion
When you acquire a certain dexterity or skill in an area, we stop being beginners or passionate and become a gifted person who can become a well-qualified professional. In fact, we can say that a person is a professional in such an area when he knows the subject very well, so his knowledge goes beyond simple notions.
The trend towards specialization
Following the learning process of any area or activity, there is a general outline :
1) initial phase that relies on rudimentary notions;
2) knowledge consolidation;
3) definitive specialization.
Let’s illustrate this scheme with the example of the medical profession:
1) the university student has notions of medicine;
2) the acquired knowledge is consolidated; Notion
3) a doctor may not know all of medicine as a whole, but he needs to specialize in some specific area.
Being aware of something is an important step, but not enough
Any activity, however complex it may be, starts in a basic way. In most cases, in a short time it is possible to have notions about any subject or subject . But the notions are for few.
Let’s think of an English student who knows a little grammar, has a limited vocabulary (around 500 words ) and understands simple conversation only when spoken slowly. In this case, it can be said that this student has some notions of English, which it is possible to deal with the language in a limited and insufficient way. Notion
