What is the meaning of the word connotations - Word и Excel - помощь в работе с программами

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«Connote» redirects here. For Connote number, see Waybill.

A connotation is a commonly understood cultural or emotional association that any given word or phrase carries, in addition to its explicit or literal meaning, which is its denotation.

A connotation is frequently described as either positive or negative, with regard to its pleasing or displeasing emotional connection.^[1] For example, a stubborn person may be described as being either strong-willed or pig-headed; although these have the same literal meaning (stubborn), strong-willed connotes admiration for the level of someone’s will (a positive connotation), while pig-headed connotes frustration in dealing with someone (a negative connotation).

Usage[edit]

«Connotation» branches into a mixture of different meanings. These could include the contrast of a word or phrase with its primary, literal meaning (known as a denotation), with what that word or phrase specifically denotes. The connotation essentially relates to how anything may be associated with a word or phrase; for example, an implied value, judgement or feelings.^[2]

Logic[edit]

In logic and semantics, connotation is roughly synonymous with intension. Connotation is often contrasted with denotation, which is more or less synonymous with extension. Alternatively, the connotation of the word may be thought of as the set of all its possible referents (as opposed to merely the actual ones). A word’s denotation is the collection of things it refers to; its connotation is what it implies about the things it is used to refer to ( a second level of meanings is termed connotative ). The connotation of dog is (something like) four-legged canine carnivore. So saying, «You are a dog» would connote that you were ugly or aggressive rather than literally denoting you as a canine.^[3]

[edit]

It is often useful to avoid words with strong connotations (especially pejorative or disparaging ones) when striving to achieve a neutral point of view. A desire for more positive connotations, or fewer negative ones, is one of the main reasons for using euphemisms.^[4]

Semiotic closure, as defined by Terry Eagleton, concerns «a sealed world of ideological stability, which repels the disruptive, decentered forces of language in the name of an imaginary unity. Signs are ranked by a certain covert violence into rigidly hierarchical order. . . . The process of forging ‘representations’ always involves this arbitrary closing of the signifying chain, constricting the free play of the signifier to a spuriously determinate meaning which can then be received by the subject as natural and inevitable».^[5]^[relevant?]

Synonyms[edit]

Implied. The denotation of a heart implies love.
Impressionistic
Evocative
Indirect
Inferred
etc.

Examples[edit]

The denotation is a representation of a cartoon heart. The connotation is a symbol of love and affection.

The denotation of this example is a red rose with a green stem. The connotation is that it is a symbol of passion and love – this is what the rose represents.

The denotation is a brown cross. The connotation is a symbol of religion, according to the media connotation. However, to be more specific this is a symbol of Christianity.

References[edit]

^ Peter A. White (27 March 2017). «Feelings and JEA Sequences». Psychological Metaphysics. p. 315. ISBN 978-1315473550.
^ «Connotation and Denotation» (PDF). California State University, Northridge. pp. 1–8.
^ BK Sahni (2017). BPY-002: Logic: Classical and Symbolic Logic.
^
Note that not all theories of linguistic meaning honor the distinction between literal meaning and (this kind of) connotation. See literal and figurative language.
^ Terry Eagleton (1991). Ideology: An Introduction. Verso. p. 197. ISBN 0-86091-538-7.

Источник

Definition of connotation: Connotation is a further association that a word suggests other than its literal dictionary meaning.

What Does Connotation Mean?

What is connotation? The connotation of a word is an idea or feeling that the word invokes in addition to its literal meaning. Words evoke many meanings to people that extend beyond the technical definitions known as denotations.

Connotations are what we associate with words based on our personal experience with them.

Examples of Connotation:

A good example of connotation in words is the word spider.

Word = spider
Denotation = an eight-legged arachnid.
Connotation = many people are terrified of spiders, so fear is a common connotation when spider is used. Others might simply find them gross.

Animals make for good illustrations of connotation, so let’s look at another.

Word = snake
Denotation = long, limbless reptile
Connotation = Many people associate snakes with liars and tricksters. This may have biblical origins, but it obviously differs from the denotation of the word.

What is the Difference Between Connotation and Denotation?

Connotation and denotation both deal with the meanings associated with words, but they are opposite in their approach.

Denotations are simple and straightforward; everyone will arrive at the same meaning by using the dictionary.
Connotations are subjective and will differ from person to person based on their social experience with the words.

Connotation vs. Denotation Example:

Word = mushroom
Denotation = the fleshy cap-like, spore-bearing organ of various fungi
Connotation = pizza, gross, pests, delicacy, psychedelic, Mario Brothers

Notice how the denotation of mushroom is its technical definition that everyone will see when he or she looks the word up in a dictionary. The connotation, however, varies widely on what individual people associate with mushrooms.

The denotation of a word is limited while the connotation has the potential to be endless.

The Function of Connotation

When writing, it is important to be cognizant of a word’s denotation as well as the connotation your audience may have with it. Denotations are essential for meaning and understanding, while connotations are important in setting the mood of a piece of literature.

For example, if the purpose is to establish the mood of the story to be cool and calm, you may want to use words that evoke these feelings such as the colors green and blue.

In literature, connotation is often used to set the mood of the piece.

Here are some examples of this:

In James Hurst’s “The Scarlet Ibis,” connation is used in order to set the mood in the introduction. It is also used to foreshadow the events to come in the story.

“It was in the clove of seasons, summer was dead but autumn had not yet been born, that the ibis lit in the bleeding tree. The flowering garden was stained with rotting brown magnolia petals and ironweeds grew rank amid the purple phlox.”

This example includes words that are often associated with death such as dead, bleeding, stained, rotting, brown, and rank. By using words with this connotation, Hurts sets the somber mood and foreshadows the death of the young character, Doodle.

Another example of the use of connotation is in William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.

“But soft, what light through yonder window breaks?/ It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.”

In Romeo’s line, he compares Juliet to light and the sun. Shakespeare does this because light and sun have positive connotations. Many people associate these words with happiness; therefore, we are able to understand how Romeo feels about Juliet and that creates and exciting and romantic mood.

Positive vs. Negative Connotation

Oftentimes, words evoke either a positive or negative connotation, depending on a person’s experience with the word.

When writing, it is important to be aware of the words you are using and how they often translate to the audience. While most people may see one word in a positive light, some people may have a negative association with it, which would affect their connotation.

For example,

Word = baby
While most people associate babies with positive connotations, someone who has had fertility issues may have negative connotations with the word.

Summary

Define connotation: The connotation of a word is a feeling or idea that is evoked from associations with the word itself. These feelings may well extend beyond the dictionary definition.

Writers must be aware of a word’s connotation when writing in order to set the mood of their work effectively.

Final example,

From Emily Dickinson’s “ ‘Hope’ is the thing with feathers,”

“ ‘ Hope’ is the thing with feathers—/ That perches in the soul—/ And sings the tune without words—/ and never stops—at all—“

In this example, Dickinson uses words with positive connotation such as feathers, soul, sings, and tune to establish the positive outlook she has regarding the concept of hope.

Contents

1 What Does Connotation Mean?
2 What is the Difference Between Connotation and Denotation?
3 The Function of Connotation
4 Examples of Connotation in Literature
5 Positive vs. Negative Connotation
6 Summary

Источник

What is Connotation?

Connotations are meanings and interpretations that do not particularly associate with the literal meaning of the words but have an added layer of meanings. These meanings are often derived from emotional or incidental relations with the words concerned. Colours are often implied as having certain attributes or representing particular unrelated emotions or feelings and that is one of the most common connotations. Blue is characterized to be representing sadness or red for desire.

Types of Connotations

There are a few types of connotations used in the English language depending on the kind of emotions or preset associations already engraved in people’s minds. Let’s see what these types of connotations are listed below —

Positive Connotations

Ulterior meanings that are positive in essence are the positive connotations. Good associations with any word make them categorized under this label. For example, “Affordable” almost always refers to a minimal price point that is manageable for the buyer but has a welcoming association with the socioeconomic state of people.

Negative Connotations

The words become automatically associated with something negative for primarily the feelings they arouse. To give an example, affordable things can be called “Cheap” which has a negative additional meaning of being average in quality.

Neutral Connotations

Words with additional meanings that do not have particularly positive or negative associations are neutral connotations. These meanings are often the closest to literal meanings of the words. Carrying on with the example, “Inexpensive” is an adjective used to refer to something that is not expensive. It has the same meaning as affordable and cheap but has neither very positive nor very negative connotations.

Positive	Neutral	Negative
Indulgent	Pre-occupied	Obsessive
Gentle	Timid	Cowardly
Interested	Curious	Nosy
Bold	Confident	Brash
Inexpensive	Affordable	Cheap
Strong-willed	Fervent	Stubborn
Dynamic	Energetic	Hyperactive
Thrifty	Calculative	Miserly
Sentimental	Soft	Mushy
Stylish	Well-dressed	Faddish
In-shape	Thin	Scrawny
Content	Satisfied	Smug
Vintage, Antique	Old	Decrepit

Connotations in Use

Connotative meanings are often used in various situations and ways in speech. Some connotations are harder to pick out than others but we use them every day in different aspects of our lives. Let’s discuss a few of these sectors where connotations are used with the greatest effect and frequency.

Connotations in Everyday Speech

There are many connotative terms and phrases we use in our everyday speech without even realizing that we are using connotations. Using it or listening to it being used left and right makes these connotations stick and places them in our daily use vocabulary. One good example is —

Monday Blues

“Monday” here is not any other day of the week and “Blue” is not the colour of the sky. This phrase is used heavily to refer to the sadness of already having passed the weekend in regions of the world where Saturdays and Sundays are natural weekends and “Monday” marks the start of a new workweek. “Blues” are used to refer to the “Sadness” drawn mostly from the colour’s literary associations.

Connotations In Literature

With the liberty of literary devices like metaphor, simile and imagery, literature is the best sphere to test your skills of using connotations and assigning them as authors and readers. To name one —

Sheep

In the classic, Animal Farm, George Orwell assigns societal connotations to the animals on the farm. “Sheep” referred to the portion of the society that is comfortable with just following others’ lead and lacking the urge to take a stand drawn from the animals’ gentle characteristics to be obedient farm animals who calmly follow their shepherd. People have been called “Sheep” for their timid submissive tendencies numerous times by authors and poets and that is the negative connotation added to the word itself.

Connotations In Media

News and social media exposures require the use of connotations and certain set of wordings to be very calculative since it depends directly on the effect they will have on the readers and writers in most cases.

If the writer decides to use a headline it will determine how their words will affect the readers but if the headline is given to them by their editor that often dictates the wording the entire article will have as well as how the readers will receive that. The two headlines below can exemplify this matter adequately-

Terrorist Attack Kills 21 at UK School

The word “Terrorist” involuntarily paints a picture of an individual dressed in Arab-style clothing complete with a red-white checkered headscarf in the mind of most readers. The politics behind Islamophobia comes into play in this case where this very precise negative association is generated by the use of this word across various media platforms. So, unless the news reporter wants to draw on that imagery, they would stay away from this particular wording.

School Shooting Kills 21 in England

“School Shooting” lacks any such politicized connotations yet delivers the news very effectively. “Shooting” is a negative action and it refers to the exact act of firing a gun at someone without any added layer of meaning. It has a neutral connotation and the news writer here is calling a spade a spade.

Источник

Ever wonder why a word could have so many meanings attached to it? The definition of connotative meaning, or connotation, has to do with the socially acquired value of words. In other words, connotative meaning explains the extra meaning of words that goes beyond the dictionary definition.

Connotative meaning and connotation synonym

The definition of connotative meaning is also known as associated meaning, implied meaning, or secondary meaning. Associated meaning is the meaning that becomes attached to a word because of its use but is not part of the core sense of the word.

The opposite of connotative meaning is denotative meaning, which is the literal meaning of the word.

Each individual has a different association with a word based on their personal feelings and background, which means that connotative meaning is a cultural or emotional association to a word or phrase. The word ‘baby’ has a literal, or denotative, meaning. A baby is an infant. But if a grown man is called a ‘baby’, the connotation is negative; he is acting like a child.

Tip: the ‘con’ in the word ‘connote’ comes from the Latin for ‘in addition’. So the connotation of the word is ‘extra’ to the main meaning.

Connotation examples: connotative words

Connotation is a meaning in addition to the definitional meaning you find in a dictionary. Because of this, it is not always easy to interpret the meaning of a word based on the word’s literal meaning alone.

For example, when we use the word ‘dinner’, there is a range of possible connotations. Aside from the dictionary definition (‘a meal’), there are associated meanings that we would claim as connotative meanings:

For one person, dinner is a time of joy, togetherness, conversation or debate, and laughter.
For another person, dinner evokes feelings of loneliness, conflict, or silence.
For a third, it evokes memories of kitchen aromas and certain childhood foods. The word ‘dinner’ has a range of connotations based on individual experiences.

Fig. 1 The connotative meaning of dinner could be either positive or negative.

Here’s another example of connotative meaning. If we call someone rich we can use a number of different words: loaded, privileged, wealthy, affluent. These words all have the literal meaning of rich. However, connotative words introduce negative and positive meanings that inform the reader about how an individual views a rich person.

Negative connotation, positive connotation, neutral connotation

There are three types of connotative meanings: positive, negative, and neutral. The classification is based on what kind of response the word generates.

Positive connotation carries favourable associations.
Negative connotation carries unfavourable associations.
Neutral connotation carries neither favourable nor unfavorable associations.

Compare the sentences below and see if you can feel the different tones each connotation provokes:

Tom is an extraordinary guy.
Tom is an unusual guy.
Tom is a weird guy.

If you think extraordinary implies positive emotions, unusual implies a neutral value, and weird gives negative associations, you’d be correct!

Here are some examples of the different types of connotative words:

Positive connotation	Neutral connotation	Negative connotation
unique	different	peculiar
interested	curious	nosy
extraordinary	unusual	weird
determined	strong-willed	stubborn
employ	use	exploit

Connotative meanings are not only classified according to the positive / negative / neutral value a word or phrase has. Instead, there are certain forms of connotative meaning we must look at to understand the many emotional and cultural associations involved in connotative meaning.

Forms of connotative meaning

Forms of connotative meaning were first offered by Dickens, Hervey and Higgins (2016).

Forms of Connotative Meaning	Explanation	Example
Associative Meaning	The overall meaning which has expectations associated with the individual.	A nurse is commonly associated with the female gender, which has meant society has adopted male nurse to counteract the feminine association with the word nurse.
Attitudinal Meaning	The part of an overall meaning of an expression that is influenced by a more widespread attitude to the individual.	The derogatory term ‘pigs’ is assigned to police officers. It is implied that the speaker or writer dislikes police officers in general by referring to the collective as pigs rather than a dislike for a particular police officer.
Affective Meaning	The additional meaning of the word is conveyed by the tonal register, which includes vulgar, polite, or formal. Politeness itself carries a meaning according to how a speaker addresses other individuals or learned behaviours such as holding doors open.	Can you think of a difference between UK and US speaker’s idea of politeness?
Allusive meaning	When an expression evokes an associated saying or quotation in a certain way. This shows that the meaning of the saying becomes part of the overall meaning of the expression.	When an author unconsciously refers to other novels in its title, or if the title of their book involves an allusion: Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World (1932) alludes to Shakespeare’s The Tempest (1611).
Reflected Meaning	This is a function of polysemy, and involves the existence of two or more denotative meanings for one word.	If we were to refer to a person as a rat: Advice — a person who betrays their friend. Rat — the image of a dirty animal.
Geographical Dialect-related Meaning	The speech variety in regions or geographic borders and the meanings we attach to an individual’s accent or dialect.	If we know what a Yorkshire or Scottish accent sounds like, we can understand that an individual is from Yorkshire or Scotland. We also associate stereotypical values with the individual’s character or personality.
Temporal dialect-related meaning	This is another speech variety that tells us when the speaker is from.	An example includes Shakespeare’s plays, which tell us that his speakers are from the sixteenth century and have a specific attitude towards sixteenth-century politics and religion.
Emphasis (emphatic meaning)	This involves effect/affect in language and literature.	Emphasis is found in devices such as parallelism, alliteration, rhyme, exclamation marks in writing, metaphor, and emphatic particles including ‘so’. (That’s so funny!)

Connotative meaning in literature

Writers often use various connotative meanings, such as emphasis, to create multiple layers of meaning in a story. Connotation is found in figurative language which is any word or phrase used that has different meanings from the literal meaning.

Figurative language involves figures of speech such as metaphors, similes, metonymy, and personification. Let’s look at some examples of figures of speeches which have non-literal, or connotative meanings, in Literature.

Metaphor

Metaphor directly refers to one thing as another thing to express the similarities between them.

«Hope» is the thing with feathers —

That perches in the soul —

And sings the tune without the words —

And never stops — at all —

— ‘»Hope» is The Thing with Feathers‘ by Emily Dickinson (1891).

In this poem, the literal meaning of hope is used. However, hope is referred to as a feathered entity that is perched in the human soul and constantly singing. In other words, Dickinson gives the word hope a connotative meaning. The thing then has emotional meaning in addition to its literal meaning.

Simile

Simile compares two things using connecting words such ‘as’ or ‘like’ to make the comparisons.

O my Luve is like a red, red rose

That’s newly jump in June;

O my Luve is like the melody

That’s sweetly played in tune

— ‘A Red, Red Rose‘ by Robert Burns (1794).

Burns compares the narrator’s love to a red rose that is freshly sprung in June and to a beautiful tune being played. Love is described as something beautiful, vivid, and soothing, like a rose. The connecting words ‘like’ help to add additional and emotional meaning to the red, red roses.

Metonymy

Metonymy refers to a replacement of a thing by the name of something closely associated with it.

When I consider how my light is spent,

Ere half my days, in this dark world and wide,

And that one talent which is death to hide

Lodged with me useless, though my soul more bent

— ‘Sonnet XIX‘ by John Milton (1652).

This requires some background information. By 1652, Milton had become totally blind. The poem can be interpreted as Milton replacing the word ‘sight’ with my light. The sonnet reflects how the speaker faces both the physical and psychological challenges brought about by his blindness, for as a writer and translator he depended on his sight. As a poem about faith, how can Milton use his talents to serve God? Can he totally achieve an enlightened path without his sight?

Personification

Personification is the use of human characters to represent abstract ideas, animals, or inanimate things.

Earth trembl’d from her entrails, as again

In pangs, and Nature gave a second groan,

Sky lowe’r’d, and muttering Thunder, some sad drops

Wept at completing the mortal Sin

Original.

— ‘Paradise Lost‘ by John Milton (1667).

In ‘Paradise Lost’, Milton portrays Nature as if it had human qualities or characteristics. Nature, thunder, and sky are given extra associated meaning because they cannot literally weep about mortal sin. The poem describes Nature as having the human trait of being able to weep. This suggests an emotional association with the image of a weeping nature.

Connotation and denotation

Connotative meaning is the opposite of denotative meaning, but how different are they? What happens if a writer uses denotation instead of connotative meaning to describe a scene? To answer these questions, let’s start with the meaning of denotation.

Denotative meaning

Denotative meaning is the literal definition of a word. Unlike connotative meaning, it does not involve cultural or emotional associations to a word or phrase. Because of this, denotative meaning is also often called the literal meaning, explicit meaning, or dictionary definition.

Denotative vs. connotative meaning in writing

Now we know the difference between the two terms, let’s use our knowledge for writing purposes!

Let’s say we are writing a scene about a man who has just arrived in Hollywood. What do you think about when you hear the word ‘Hollywood’?

Hollywood has a denotative meaning because it is a literal place in Los Angeles.
Hollywood also has a connotative meaning because we associate the word Hollywood with the film industry.

The man could be returning to Hollywood, his home. Or, he could be an aspiring actor who hopes to ‘make-it-big’ in Hollywood.

Fig. 2 — The connotative meaning of Hollywood is associated with the film industry.

The connotative meanings a word carries can be different for different people, and we must watch out for implied or extra meanings in literature and everyday language.

Connotative Meaning — Key takeaways

The definition of connotative meaning is that it explains the “extra”, associated, implied, or secondary meaning of a word.
Examples of words that have connotative meanings include ‘rich’, ‘baby’, and ‘dinner’.
Types of connotative meaning include positive, negative, and neutral.
Forms of connotative meaning include associative, attitudinal, affective, reflected, geographical dialect-related, temporal dialect-related, and emphasis.
Connotative meaning in literary devices appears in metaphors, similes, metonymys, and personification.
The difference between connotative and denotative meaning in writing depends on the tone and setting of the story.

Источник

English[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from Medieval Latin connotātiō, from connotō (“I mark in addition”), from Latin con- (“together, with”) + noto (“I note”); equivalent to connote +‎ -ation.

Pronunciation[edit]

(General American) IPA^(key): /ˌkɑnəˈteɪʃən/
(Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌkɒnəˈteɪʃən/
Audio (Southern England) (file)
Rhymes: -eɪʃən
Hyphenation: con‧no‧ta‧tion