Speakers are who? Or what?

For people and even that there is an undoubted pun, technical devices that say something or sound out loud, the term "speaker" is coined. Where and when is it most commonly used?

Variety of interpretations

The word comes from the English verb to speak - "speak." In general, this term is called any subject who utters something in the form of speech. Speakers are (in one possible interpretation) people talking about something in public or, for example, become heroes of a magazine interview.

There are interpretations of the term relating to completely different spheres. For example, speakers in everyday life are called ordinary speakers. The appropriateness of the use of this word, therefore, depends on the context.

Speakers in politics

There is, however, a political interpretation of the term: in modern democratic countries there are speakers of parliaments (supreme bodies of representative power). In this sense, the word is used, perhaps most often.

In the structures of the government of different countries, however, the speakers have significantly different powers. If, say, in Russia a person in a given parliamentary position can play a significant role in the hearings, in the US, as a rule, the speaker is not entitled to intervene in the discussion of legislative issues.

Excursion to the parliament: who is the vice-speaker?

Along with the person who "moderates" meetings in the country's parliament, there is an official who replaces him. Most often its official name is "vice-speaker". This is a person, usually designed to replace the chairman of the hearing because of the absence of the latter in the workplace. The procedure for its appointment can be fixed in the charter of a municipal formation (if it is a question of the city parliament) and other types of laws. The functions of the vice-speaker may be approved by deputies of the representative body. The removal of this person from official duties may occur because of systematic failure to do so. This procedure is carried out at the suggestion of the speaker himself and is discussed by the parliament. The range of issues that the deputy chairman of the representative body oversees can be very broad. If we are talking about the speaker of the City Duma, then it can be, for example, interaction with some parliamentary committees that solve issues of municipal importance.

Technical interpretation of the term

As it was said above, speakers are not necessarily people. It can also be devices for sound reproduction. Varieties of the latter set, and one of the main criteria for the classification of columns - the size. There are equipment intended for installation in large concert halls, and there are devices called "mini-speaker". What is it? Nothing more than a miniature sound column: the smaller it is, the more valuable its consumer properties. Very good, if the minimum sound quality of the device does not suffer. The weight of some columns of this class can be about 100 grams.

Examples of such equipment in the consumer market, of course, there are. In a variety of online stores and centers for the sale of home appliances you can buy miniature speakers. This is not a deficit - companies that manufacture such devices are numerous. Speakers are convenient to take out of town, to travel (including international tours, when every centimeter of baggage is important). Modifications of these devices are different - there are wireless, compatible with SD-card slots, there are those that are able to play MP3-files autonomously, without additional equipment in the form of a computer or player.

Speaker that the State Duma

The Russian Federal Parliament also provides for the post of speaker. The person holding it presides in the lower house of the legislative authority. The Speaker of the State Duma is a person who is called upon, first of all, to establish inter-party dialogue and help colleagues find compromises in resolving legislative issues. These are indicative of the greater powers of this official in Russia than, say, in the USA (we spoke a few words about the peculiarities of the work of the speakers of the Congress). Or, for example, in the UK, where the chairman of parliament is (most often) an independent "moderator" of hearings from someone else's opinion.

Representatives of the State Duma themselves in an interview with the media indicate that among the tasks of the chairman of the lower house of parliament is the desire to justify the confidence of deputies. In Russia, it is quite possible that the speaker of the State Duma is a non-partisan person. This is a rather rare phenomenon for Western parliaments. In the system of power in developed countries, speakers are sometimes examples of ideological bias dictated by party policies. There is a practice of sharing responsibilities between the chairman of the State Duma and his deputies.

Speaker instead of president

In politics, there are cases when the president of the country can not perform his functions for some reason. The head of state may be incompetent in health, he may be convicted of treason to the Motherland, violation of constitutional norms. He may also be subject to impeachment.

The president can resign voluntarily. In some countries, in case of occurrence of the above-mentioned situations, it is stipulated that the head of state is temporarily replaced by the speaker of the parliament. This rule is fixed, for example, in France.