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Today, we will cover: 3.1 Reference and Denotation 3.2 Connotation

Today, we will cover: 3.1 Reference and Denotation 3.2 Connotation. The dimensions of meaning (Introduction): A linguistic expression or form is anything meaningful in a language. Three units of meaning (i.e. Meaning is expressed by):

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Today, we will cover: 3.1 Reference and Denotation 3.2 Connotation

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  1. Today, we will cover: 3.1 Reference and Denotation 3.2 Connotation

  2. The dimensions of meaning (Introduction): A linguistic expression or form is anything meaningful in a language. Three units of meaning (i.e. Meaning is expressed by): 1. Morphemes (may be less than a word either free or bound (i.e. affixes). 2. Lexemes (roughly speaking, words and idioms). 3. Sentences.

  3. We can recognize three aspects of meaning in lexemes: 1. The relation to phenomena outside language. 2. The relation to people's attitudes and feelings. 3. The relation to other lexemes. Example: 1. Two lexemes that have the same form (spelling and pronunciation) are homonyms. 2. A single lexeme with a wide range of meanings is polysemous.

  4. 3.1 Reference and Denotation: - Words like tree, door, apple, etc. have an obvious relation to objects and events in the world around us. - Children learning their native language learn words in association with observable items and situations and events. This simple fact gives rise to an overly simple idea about what meaning is. - We are likely to think that a language consists of a large number of words and each of these words has a direct correlation with something outside of language, which is its meaning. - And since we are communicating with one another through language, it must be that we all have the same idea or concept associated with each word.

  5. - The best elaboration of this view was made by Ogden and Richards (1923) who explained meaning in terms of what is in people’s minds. (The Mentalistic Theory of Meaning). - Their explanation centers on this scheme:

  6. Ogden and Richards called: - The bond between word and concept an “association’, - The bond between concept and object “reference”, - The bond between object and word “meaning”. When we hear or read a word, we often form a mental picture of what the word represents and so we equate 'concept' with a mental picture. Mental picture of some words such as door: what is the mental image you have of a door? It does not take any time to understand the meaning .. but what is the image you visualized inside your brain when I said door? I will hear your answers to that:

  7. A revolving door? A folding door? A sliding door? A wooden door?Ok, what about words like PRETEND, PROBLEM what is the image that you formed to these words?1. The meaning of a door is more than what is included in a single image.2. and your knowledge of these words is much more than the ability to relate them to single objects.3. you can use these words successfully in a large number of situations because you have the knowledge that makes it possible.

  8. The problems with the Mentalistic Theory: 1. not all words can be associated with mental images. 2. some words have a range of meanings greater than any single association. 3. The biggest problem to this theory is that they don't have any access to other people's minds. 4. Also, words are not the only semantic units. Meanings can be expressed by units that may be smaller than words morphemes. Not only that meanings can be expressed in units- sentences –that are larger than words.

  9. Example: a) The dog bit a man. b) The man bit a dog. Both contain the same words but they don't express the same meanings. 5. Furthermore, meaning is more than denotation. People not only talk and write to describe things, they also express their feelings, opinions, favorable and unfavorable. Language furnishes the means for expressing a wide range of attitudes which is called connotation.

  10. 3.2 Connotation is the attitudes/feelings that a lexeme may evoke. How does a particular person/society value a certain thing? - The relation to people’s attitudes and feelings that a lexeme can evoke. - Example: dog to Christian and to Muslims. - It is the pragmatic aspect of a linguistic expression. It is important to know that part of any meaning of a word is its connotation.

  11. - The effective or emotional associations an expression elicits, which clearly need not be the same for all people who know and use the word. - They vary according to the experiences of individuals but some words have shared connotations. - It is the degree of formality or style of the use of an expression. - Knowledge of what associations are favorable and which are not according to the speech community. - E.g. (fiddle and violin)

  12. What is the difference between denotation and connotation? · Denotation identifies the central aspect of word meaning, which everybodygenerally agrees about. · Connotation refers to the personal aspect of meaning, the emotion association that the word arouses. - A stubborn person may be described as being either strong-willed or pig-headed. Although these have the same literal meaning (i.e. stubborn), strong-willedconnotes admiration for the level of someone's will, while pig-headed connotesfrustration in dealing with someone. Likewise, used car and previously owned car have the same literal meaning, but many dealerships prefer the latter, since it is thought to have fewer negative connotations.

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