interrupcions

Interrupcions, the Catalan term for interruptions, denote breaks or cessations in the continuity of a process, sequence, or service, whether planned or accidental. They disrupt ongoing activity and can occur in speech, work, electronic signals, or media. The English equivalent is interruptions.

In human interaction, interrupcions happen when a speaker cuts in or when listening is disrupted. They can alter topic, signal emphasis, or reflect social dynamics such as politeness or dominance. Linguists study their timing, intrusiveness, and effects on turn-taking.

In computing, interrupcions are signals that pause the current program to handle a higher-priority task. Hardware interrupts come from devices; software interrupts are generated by programs. Proper handling, through interrupt service routines and latency management, is essential for system responsiveness.

In communications and media, interrupcions include signal loss, buffering, outages, or service degradation that interrupt delivery. In workflows, interruptions break concentration and disrupt task sequences, potentially reducing productivity. Some interruptions are planned (breaks, maintenance); others are unplanned (faults, emergencies).

Mitigation focuses on reducing negative effects: scheduling to minimize context-switching, buffering, asynchronous processing, graceful degradation, clear status indicators, redundancy, and effective user notifications. Understanding interrupcions draws on linguistics, human factors, computer science, and operations management.