Basic vs Fundamental
The two words basic and fundamental in English language have similar meanings and are very confusing for those who cannot make out the difference between the two. However, there is a subtle difference between the two words as they are used in different contexts. This article will attempt to make it clear in the minds of those who find it hard to choose between basic and fundamental.
Fundamental, primary, basic, elementary, and preliminary are some words that are used almost interchangeably though all are different (somewhat) to each other.
If the police are looking for clues of a suspect, it gets preliminary sketches of the suspect made by artists. Here, you cannot use either basic or fundamental. Preliminary suggests that something is in its first stages and will be developed later. This is why there are preliminary discussions to pave the ground for meaningful talks later on and not basic or fundamental talks. One talks about basic amenities and basic accommodation and not fundamental accommodation. So if a hotel provides bare necessities that are sufficient to spend time, you would say that the hotel provides basic accommodation. It only means that the facilities are of simple and ordinary nature and not very expensive. Similarly you refer to a menu of a restaurant and say that they have a quite basic menu and not fundamental menu to mean that there is not much variety in meals to choose from. Basic is also used to describe the rules and regulations in an organization that are not written and spoken but followed by all the individuals in the organization.
On the other hand, fundamental is the basis upon which theories are built such as fundamental laws of motion. Fundamental refers to the most basic concepts upon which an entire edifice is standing. When you talk about two political parties with opposing views, you say there is a fundamental difference in the outlook of the two parties.
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In brief: • Fundamental and basic are similar meaning words used in different contexts. • There are basic rules and regulations but there are fundamental differences. • There are also fundamental laws governing theories and hypothesis. • Basic accommodation means one with bare minimum amenities.
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I guess you all hadn’t been around our country and heard all us speak weirdly to each all. I can clearly re-write this to what would be better understood per the conventions of the language context of today. I assume that you have not considered the unique ability of people groups to change what a word means by the rearrangement of terms used. For instance I will use the first line above and demonstrate in written form what can be heard. “If the police are looking for clues of a suspect, it gets preliminary sketches of the suspect made by artists.” This is the line of text and here is what this looks like when changed. If law enforcement is seeking evidence of a person, it acquires fundamental drawings of the suspect made by drawers.