Название: Английский язык

Жанр: Филология

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Section v. connotation

Many words have both a PRIMARY and a SECONDARY meaning. The PRIMARY meaning of a word is its denotation — i.e., what the word explicitly signifies. The SECONDARY meaning of a word is its CONNOTATION. This is the ADDITIONAL 'meaning that a word takes on from the types of contexts in which it is most frequently found. Some word have POSITIVE CONNOTATIONS, some have NEGATIVE CONNOTATIONS, and some are NEUTRAL (i.e., they simply denote a concept without coloring it positively or negatively).

Often a writer implies his attitude or point of view by choosing words that have positive or negative connotations when there are neutral equivalents that he might have chosen instead. Conversely, he might express his unwillingness to take sides on an issue by using neutral terms wherever possible.

Consider the effect of the words having positive or negative connotations (in contrast to their neutral equivalents) in the following pairs of statements.

1. He purports to be happyin his work. (negative, implying a false claim) He claims to be happy in his work. (neutral)

2. He built himself a house, (neutral)

He built himself a home. (positive, implying a place of warmth, comfort and affection)

3. He entered the studio, (neutral)

He invaded the studio, (negative, implying an unwelcome intrusion)

4. He was youthful in appearance, (positive) He was juvenile in appearance, (negative, implying   immaturity )

5. He decided to leave his job. (neutral) He decided to abandon his job. (negative, implying desertion)

6. She dedicated herself to feeding her family, (neutral) She dedicated herself to nourishing her family, (positive, implying that the feeder maintains life)

7. He was a profound thinker. (positive, implying extreme penetration into the subjects of his thought) He was a deep thinker, (neutral)

Sometimes the same word has somehow acquired various connotations. The reader must then pay close attention to the context in which it appears if he wants to infer an implied attitude. Consider the way in which the change of context changes the connotation of the underlined words in the sentences below.

8. Hercules was a mythical figure, (neutral).

        The story he gave the press was entirely mythical.

(negative, implying falsehood)

9. He told a funny story, (neutral)

There's something funny about the letter, (negative,  implying cause for suspicion) What connotation does the  underlined word have in the following sentences?

10. That was a fantastic meal. (       )

He was troubled by fantastic dreams. (        )

 


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