Modern language, whatever it may be - Russian, English, Arabic or any other - contains a huge variety of lexemes. Each of them is individual and has its own specific meaning and character. Among such a variety, “connotation” occupies not the last place in our modern speech. This term has a clear and simple meaning, moreover, we use it almost every day.
Decoding and interpretation of the concept
Often we meet with certain actions of other people, phenomena or objects that already have their own clear name, but we really want to call them differently. It’s just that at the moment they evoke precisely such associations in us for one reason or another. In such cases, we pronounce the connotation. This is the associative meaning of the word, which acts as an additional and at the same time has an extremely bright emotional coloring. "New name" that we have come up with something,can remotely remind of it or be a word directly opposite to the specified phenomenon/object. It is important to note that we often use the connotation of a word in cases where we feel a strong surge of emotions. This means that they can be both positive and negative, and it is from these sensations that the essence of our perception changes.
It is interesting to know that the term "connotation" comes from the Latin "con - together" and "noto - to denote". Also, this phenomenon can be called "semantic association".
Giving simple examples
Before we move further in the study of the theoretical aspect of this term, it is worth learning it with specific examples. Connotation is something without which it is difficult to imagine modern speech. We use this technique all the time and do not even notice how we do it. So, in what words can this phenomenon be traced?
- Fox is deceit.
- Rooster is cocky.
- Saw - reprimand monotonously.
You can also give similar examples in sentences:
- "How can you live in a SHED like that?!" - where SHED is used in the sense of dirty housing, and not a covered corral for livestock.
- "His abstract consisted of WATER" - i.e. redundant words.
There are a million similar examples, you yourself can now invent and recall them from your own experience.
Caught by synonyms
Synonym - very comfortablespeech unit. Sometimes in an extreme situation we cannot remember a specific word and instead use a word similar to it in meaning. One and the same object or phenomenon can have two, three or more synonyms that will directly characterize it. But what happens to these identical terms when they turn into a connotation?
The meaning of each of them becomes completely different, it describes other qualities, a different character. What we used to characterize a particular object becomes completely different in an emotional interpretation. The simplest and most striking example is an animal called "donkey" and its faithful synonym "donkey". If we use these words as a connotation, then "donkey" will mean "stubbornness", but "donkey" - "the ability to pull an unbearable burden and work for a long time."
Different culture - different meanings
Language is a phenomenon that arose during the development of a particular human culture. It is interconnected with the climate, with the animal and plant world, with customs and beliefs. Every language has its own sayings, incomprehensible to anyone except its native speakers. Their sacred meaning is hidden in the foundations of culture and religion that exist within the framework of this speech. That is why for people who speak different languages, in most cases, connotations are purely individual things that only they understand.
Let's give an example with the word "elephant". We often talk about clumsy people: "Like an elephant walked on myfeet!", implying that a person, like this huge animal, can step on something and not even notice it. But in Indian culture, identifying someone with an elephant is considered the highest praise and a sign that a person is considered graceful and refined After all, elephants are sacred and very valuable animals for them.
Similar cultural connotations can be seen in the example of pigs, dogs and other animals, the meaning of which is different for each people.
Denotation
During the development of the language as a separate structure based on grammar, such a thing as "connotation" had two subspecies. The first of them was called "denotation" and became in some way a "good half" of the main term.
So, denotation is the strengthening of the literal meaning of the word. In other words, associations or comparisons of various features of objects and phenomena are not used here. The word is simply used in a broader sense. Let's draw an analogy with the term "pen". Previously, they wrote only to them - there were no pens. As a result, the pen has become a symbol of authorship, shorthand, and other humanitarian fields. For this reason, "pen" began to be attributed to authors who wrote brilliant works.
Peyorative
Now let's find out what is a negative connotation and what are its features. "Peyorative" - this is the term that was chosen in order to characterizenegative associations with a person, object or phenomenon without switching to swearing and obscene statements. The initial value of pejoratives does not have a negative color, and may even be extremely positive. But in a specific context, these words take on a negative meaning and sound extremely offensive.
Take the word "rag". It is essentially a piece of cloth for cleaning a room, but when applied to a person, it becomes a description of his inability to solve problems and confront them.
Conclusion
Connotation is something no human can live without. In any language and within any culture, we express our emotions using different, even irrelevant words.
