What is the best definition of the meaning of a word

There
are three classical theories of meaning:

-analytical
or referential
(F.de
Saussure’s disciples)

Meaning
is the relation between the object or phenomenon named and the name
itself;

-notional
or
conceptual (Aristotle,
John Locke, A.I. Smirnitskiy, etc.)

Meaning
is a certain representation
of an object / phenomenon / idea / relation in the mind;

—functional
or
contextual (L. Bloomfield)

Meaning
is the situation in which a word is uttered, i.e. its context.

22. Types and aspects of word meaning.

Aspects
of Meaning

-Objective
aspect (denotation): word ↔ referent;

-Notional
aspect, i.e. significant features common for classes of objects
(signification): word ↔ sense;

-Pragmatic
aspect, i.e. the speaker’s attitude to the referent (connotation);

-Systemic
or differential aspect, i.e. the relations of the signified word with
other words within a word-group or in speech.

Types
of meaning:

Word-meaning
is not homogeneous but is made up of various components the
combination and the interrelation of which determine to a great
extent the inner facet of the word.

Grammatical
meaning
is the meaning which unites words into big groups such as parts of
speech or lexico-grammatical classes. It is recurrent in identical
sets of individual forms of different words, e.g. stones,
apples, kids, thoughts have
the grammatical meaning of plurality.

Lexical
meaning
is the meaning proper to the word as a linguistic unit; it is
recurrent in all the forms of this word and in all the possible
distributions of these forms, e.g. the word-forms write,
writes,
wrote,
writing,
written
have different grammatical meanings of tense, person, aspect, but the
same lexical meaning ‘to make letters or other symbols on a
surface, especially with a pen or pencil’.

Components
of Lexical Meaning

Lexical
meaning is not homogenous either and may be analysed as including
denotative and connotative components.

Denotative
(denotational) (Lat. denotatum
‘signified’) component is the conceptual content of the word
fulfilling its significative and communicative functions; our
experience is conceptualised and classified in it.

Connotative
(connotational) (Lat. connoto
‘additional meaning’) component conveys the speaker’s attitude
to the social circumstances and the appropriate functional style,
one’s approval or disapproval of the object spoken of, the
speaker’s emotions, the degree of intensity; unlike
denotations or significations, connotations are optional.

Types
of Connotations

Stylistic
connotation
is concerned with the situation in which the word is uttered, the
social circumstances (formal, familiar), the social relationships
between the communicants (polite, rough etc.), the type and purpose
of communication, e.g. father
(stylistically neutr.), dad
(colloquial), parent
(bookish).

Emotional
connotation
is acquired by the word as a result of its frequent use in contexts
corresponding to emotional situations or because the referent
conceptualised in the denotative meaning is associated with certain
emotions, e.g. mother
(emotionally neutr.), mummy
(emotionally charged); bright
(emotionally
neutr.), garish
(implies negative emotions).

Evaluative
connotation
expresses approval or disapproval, e.g. modern
is often used appreciatively, newfangled
expresses disapproval.

Intensifying
connotation
expresses degree of intensity, e.g. the words magnificent,
gorgeous, splendid, superb
are used colloquially as terms of exaggeration.

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According to traditional grammar, a word is defined as, “the basic unit of language”. The word is usually a speech sound or mixture of sounds which is represented in speaking and writing.

Few examples of words are fan, cat, building, scooter, kite, gun, jug, pen, dog, chair, tree, football, sky, etc.

You can also define it as, “a letter or group/set of letters which has some meaning”. So, therefore the words are classified according to their meaning and action.

It works as a symbol to represent/refer to something/someone in the language.

The group of words makes a sentence. These sentences contain different types of functions (of the words) in it.

The structure (formation) of words can be studied with Morphology which is usually a branch (part) of linguistics.

The meaning of words can be studied with Lexical semantics which is also a branch (part) of linguistics.

Also Read: What is a Sentence in English Grammar? | Best Guide for 2021

The word can be used in many ways. Few of them are mentioned below.

1. Noun (rabbit, ring, pencil, US, etc)
2. Pronoun (he, she, it, we, they, etc)
3. Adjective (big, small, fast, slow, etc)
4. Verb (jumping, singing, dancing, etc)
5. Adverb (slowly, fastly, smoothly, etc)
6. Preposition (in, on, into, for, under, etc)
7. Conjunction (and, or, but, etc)
8. Subject (in the sentences)
9. Verb and many more!

Now, let us understand the basic rules of the words.

Rules/Conditions for word

There are some set of rules (criteria) in the English Language which describes the basic necessity of becoming a proper word.

Rule 1: Every word should have some potential pause in between the speech and space should be given in between while writing.

For example, consider the two words like “football” and “match” which are two different words. So, if you want to use them in a sentence, you need to give a pause in between the words for pronouncing.

It cannot be like “Iwanttowatchafootballmatch” which is very difficult to read (without spaces).

But, if you give pause between the words while reading like, “I”, “want”, “to”, “watch”, “a”, “football”, “match”.

Example Sentence: I want to watch a football match.

We can observe that the above sentence can be read more conveniently and it is the only correct way to read, speak and write.

• Incorrect: Iwanttowatchafootballmatch.
• Correct: I want to watch a football match.

So, always remember that pauses and spaces should be there in between the words.

Rule 2: Every word in English grammar must contain at least one root word.

The root word is a basic word which has meaning in it. But if we further break down the words, then it can’t be a word anymore and it also doesn’t have any meaning in it.

So, let us consider the above example which is “football”. If we break this word further, (such as “foot” + “ball”), we can observe that it has some meaning (even after breaking down).

Now if we further break down the above two words (“foot” + “ball”) like “fo” + “ot” and “ba” + “ll”, then we can observe that the words which are divided have no meaning to it.

So, always you need to remember that the word should have atleast one root word.

Rule 3: Every word you want to use should have some meaning.

Yes, you heard it right!

We know that there are many words in the English Language. If you have any doubt or don’t know the meaning of it, then you can check in the dictionary.

But there are also words which are not defined in the English Language. Many words don’t have any meaning.

So, you need to use only the words which have some meaning in it.

For example, consider the words “Nuculer” and “lakkanah” are not defined in English Language and doesn’t have any meaning.

Always remember that not every word in the language have some meaning to it.

Also Read: 12 Rules of Grammar | (Grammar Basic Rules with examples)

More examples of Word

Quiz Time! (Test your knowledge here)

Summary: (What is a word?)

• Generally, the word is the basic and smallest unit in the language.
• It is categorised based on its meaning.
• Morphology is the study of Words structure (formation) and Lexical semantics is the study of meanings of the words. These both belong to a branch of Linguistics.
• A word should have at least one root and meaning to it.

Also Read: What is Grammar? | (Grammar definition, types & examples) | Best Guide 2021

If you are interested to learn more, then you can refer wikipedia from here.

I hope that you understood the topic “What is a word?”. If you still have any doubts, then comment down below and we will respond as soon as possible. Thank You.

In semantics, conceptual meaning is the literal or core sense of a word. There is nothing read into the term, no subtext; it’s just the straightforward, literal, dictionary definition of the word. The term is also called denotation or cognitive meaning. Contrast the word with connotation, affective meaning, and figurative meaning, which go beyond the dictionary to add subtext to a word when it’s used.

In writing and conversation, it’s good to know the difference between the literal, conceptual meaning of a word and all the connotations it has before you use it, to dispel misunderstandings or any offense before you accidentally put it out there—especially if a word is loaded with negatives or stereotypes about a group of people.

«To understand a word fully,» noted authors Ruth Gairns and Stuart Redman, «a student must know not only what it refers to, but also where the boundaries are that separate it from words of related meaning.»

7 Types of Meaning

The potential layers of meaning that a word has, besides its straight dictionary definition, makes word choice in your writing so important. It’s especially important to know when those layers have historically racist or sexist undertones to them. Layers also have ramifications for those learning a language and being able to choose between similar words and use the correct one in the proper situation. 

The conceptual meaning of a word, in the field of linguistics, is just one of seven types of meaning that a word can have.

Affective meaning: what meaning is associated with it in the real world for the speaker or writer rather than just its dictionary meanings; subjective. A CEO and a nun talking about charity could mean two different things.  

Collocative meaning: words that are regularly found together. For example, take pretty and handsome. These words are more often associated with one gender or the other. If you hear someone behind you say, «Don’t you look handsome,» and you look to see one person talking to a girl and one talking to a boy, your knowledge of how handsome is used collocatively helps you figure out that the person you overheard is talking to the boy.

Conceptual meaning: the dictionary definition of the word; the descriptive definition of it. A cougar in the dictionary is a big cat. In contexts about people and not concerning wildlife, the term has other meanings. 

Connotative meaning: subtext and layers brought into the context by the use of a particular word; subjective. A word’s connotations can be negative or positive, depending on the audience. The label of being a liberal or a conservative, for example, can be good or bad, depending on the person’s intentions in using it and the person hearing or reading it. 

Connotative meanings can change over time or mean different things among different societies.

Reflective or reflected meaning: multiple conceptual meanings. For example, the literal, dictionary definition of the word gay is «happy» or «bright» (colors), though in society’s use today it has a much different meaning.

Social meaning: the meaning given to words based on the social context that they’re used in. For example, someone from the South would use y’all more often than someone from a different region of the country. People from different regions call a carbonated soft drink different things, too, from pop to soda to Coke (whether or not that is its literal brand name).

Language can have a formal or informal register too that relays social meaning, or in some contexts, usage can show social class or a lack of education, such as if someone uses a double negative (don’t have none), incorrect verb forms (have went), or the word ain’t.

Thematic meaning: how the speaker portrays the message through word choice, the order of words used, and emphasis. Notice the subtle difference in emphasis between these sentences:

• My studies are important to me.
• What’s important to me are my studies.

A writer or speaker can imbue emphasis by how he or she ends a sentence or paragraph.

Context vs. Conceptual Meaning 

Understanding a word used in context is also important. The passage where the word is used will help you choose between possible different conceptual meanings to figure out the intended message of the writer or speaker. For instance, a crane could be a bird or a piece of machinery. Context will tell the reader which meaning is intended. Or, whether the word read is intended to be in present or past tense will be clear in context. 

Listen to a person’s tone of voice and body language, when present in spoken language. Someone could say «That’s great» in many different ways. In writing, look up the background of allusions to get added layers of meaning that come along with the word choice.

Further, look at how language is used in satire, sarcasm, figurative language, or humor. Each one of those areas has terms used in a way that differs from their dictionary definition—in the case of humor and sarcasm, a word could very well mean its opposite. Consider the catchphrase of Dana Carvey’s the Church Lady on «Saturday Night Live,» said in a mocking tone: «Isn’t that special?» It doesn’t mean something’s special in a good way.

Beware of literalism. Not every word used in speaking or writing is meant to be taken to say solely its conceptual meaning. Think of that old saying, «If someone told you to go jump off a bridge, would you do it?» Obviously, the person who told you that didn’t mean for you to actually go jump off a bridge.

Sources

• Ruth Gairns and Stuart Redman. «Working With Words: A Guide to Teaching and Learning Vocabulary.» Cambridge University Press, 1986.