WORD POWER: CONNOTATION AND DENOTATION

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                                 WORD POWER: CONNOTATION AND DENOTATION

 Connotations and Denotations The denotation of a word or phrase is its direct meaning. Another way to think of it is as the associations that a word usually elicits for most speakers of a language, as distinguished from those elicited for any individual speaker because of personal experience.

A Connotation is a commonly understood cultural or emotional association that the same word means literally. The direct meaning is its denotation. The connotation of a word or phrase is the associated or secondary meaning. It is the idea that a word invokes for a person in addition to its literal meaning. In other words, the connotation of a word is an idea or feeling suggested by a particular word though it is not the direct meaning. It can be something suggested or implied by a word or thing, rather than being explicitly named or described. A connotation is often described as either positive or negative, with regards to its pleasing or displeasing emotional connection. For example, the words home and house have similar denotations or primary meanings: a home is “a shelter that is the usual residence of a person, family, or household,” and a house is “a building in which people live.”

However, for many, these terms carry different associations or secondary meanings, also known as connotations. Many people would agree that home connotes a sense of belonging and comfort, whereas the house conveys little more than a structure. The connotation of a word depends on cultural context and personal associations, but the denotation of a word is its standardized meaning within the English language. One way to remember the difference between the terms is to take a hint from the prefixes: con– comes from Latin and means “together with,” reminding us that the connotation of a word works with or alongside its more explicit meaning or denotation. In semantics, the connotation is synonymous with intention, whereas denotation is synonymous with extension. Three types of connotations. Connotations create emotional associations that can be either positive, negative, or neutral.

1. Positive connotation. Words that invoke a favourable emotional response are positive connotations. For example, describing someone ambitious as a “high-flier” or someone who is lively and curious as “youthful.”

 2. Negative connotation. A negative connotation presents the person or thing from a negative perspective. For example, describing someone ambitious as an “overachiever” or someone who is lively and curious as “childish.”

 3. Neutral connotation. Neutral connotations present the neutral point of view and it does not present any attached positive or negative connotation. The statement, “He is ambitious” suggests a person works hard and strives to achieve, without judgment on whether the ambition is a good or a bad thing.

Connotation is an essential part of word choice in a language. Words carry weight and can create a certain tone for a sentence, passage, scene, or entire story. Connotation is also used to draw emotion out of a language

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