Denotative vs.
Connotative
(adjective forms of denotation ● Literal and Figurative
and connotation)
Lexical vs. Stylistic
Written Report
Introduction: Denotative vs.
Connotative (adjective forms of
denotation and connotation)
Connotation and Denotation are
two principal methods of
describing the meanings of
words.
Denotative
Denotative refers to the literal or
dictionary definition of a word
or phrase. It is the objective,
factual, and precise meaning of a
term, devoid of any emotional or
cultural connotations that may
be attached to it.
TYPES OF DENOTATIVE
MEANING
● Primary and
Secondary Meaning:
Primary meaning refers ● Etymological Meaning:
to the most common or
basic meaning of a
word while secondary
meaning is a less
common or specialized
meaning used in a
specific context or field.
For example:
Primary meaning:
“bank”- a financial
institution that accepts
deposits and makes
loans.
Secondary meaning:
“bank”- a sloping land
formation beside a
body of water, such as a
river or lake.
anchor offshore for 40
days before landing in
Meaning: "Semantics: order to prevent the
An Introduction to the spread of the disease.
Science of Meaning" by This practice was called
Ronnie Cann describes "quaranta giorni,"
literal meaning as the which means "40 days."
actual or precise
meaning of a word, ● Technical Meaning:
while figurative Technical meaning ss a
meaning refers to the specific or technical
non-literal or symbolic meaning of a word that
meaning of a word or is used in a particular
phrase. field or discipline, such
For example: as medicine or law.
Literal meaning: “The Example: "vector" in the
surgeon removed the field of physics. In
patient’s heart during physics, a vector is a
the operation”. “heart” quantity that has both
is the organ in the chest magnitude (size or
that pumps blood length) and direction.
through the body. This definition is more
Figurative meaning: specific than the
“She has a heart of everyday use of the
gold”- meaning she is word "vector," which
kind and caring person. simply means a carrier
of disease or a force
that carries something.
Etymological meaning Connotative
is the historical or
original meaning of a It refers to the wide array of
positive and negative
word, based on its
linguistic roots or associations that most words
naturally carry with them.
origins.
For example:
Example: blue
“quarantine”- The
word "quarantine" “She is feeling blue.”- The
phrase “feeling blue” has a
comes from the Italian
word "quaranta," which connotative meaning that
suggests someone is feeling
means "forty." During
the Black Death plague down or sad. The use of the
color blue in this context is a
in the 14th century,
ships arriving in Venice metaphor that has become a
common way of expressing
from infected ports
were required to emotions or moods associated
with sadness or depression.
Six types of Connotative evoke positive symbols based on their
Meaning emotions such as joy, individual experiences,
happiness, and beliefs, and attitudes.
1. Attitudinal Meaning- it contentment, while for Ex. “success”- the
expresses a speaker’s or others it may evoke denotative meaning of
writer’s attitude or negative emotions such success is the
emotion towards the as jealousy, anger, and achievement of a
subject or message heartbreak desired goal or
being communicated. 4. Allusive Meaning- outcome. However, the
Can be conveyed refers to the indirect or reflective meaning of
through word choice, implied meanings that success can vary
tone, and other words or phrases can depending on a
rhetorical devices. Also convey through person’s individual
expresses sarcasm or cultural or historical experiences and values.
irony. references. Allusive For some people,
Ex. “thanks a lot”- in meanings rely on the success may reflect
denotative meaning, it reader or listener’s achieving financial
is an expression of knowledge of specific prosperity or career
gratitude, but in cultural or historical advancement, while for
attitudinal meaning, it events, figures, or texts others it may reflect
is one of annoyance or in order to understand personal growth or
displeasure. the full meaning of a spiritual enlightenment.
2. Associative Meaning- message. Understanding the
refers to the subjective, Ex. “the forbidden reflective meanings of
cultural, or personal fruit”- the meaning of words like success is
associations that people this phrase is simply a important in
have with words, fruit that is prohibited communication, as it
phrases, or symbols. or forbidden. However, can help us to better
Ex. “Home”- this word the allusive meaning of understand the
has a denotative this phrase is derived perspective of others.
meaning of a place from the story of Adam 6. Collocative Meaning-
where you live but in and Eve in the bible, refers to the
associative meaning, where the fruit from the associations a word
“home” may evoke tree of knowledge was acquires on account of
feelings of comfort, forbidden, and its the meaning of words
security, and belonging. consumption led to the that tend to occur in its
3. Affective Meaning- downfall of humanity. environment.
refers to the emotional The allusive meaning of For example: “soft
or evaluative this phrase conveys a music”- the word “soft”
associations that people richer, more nuanced in this context implies
have with words, meaning than its that the music is gentle,
phrases, or symbols. denotative meaning, soothing, and may be
Ex. “love”- has a and it relies on the associated with
denotative meaning of reader or listener’s relaxation or calmness.
a strong feeling of knowledge of the “dark alley”- the word
affection or attachment. biblical story in order to “dark” implies that the
However, the affective fully understand its alley is poorly lit, and
meaning of “love” can connotations. may be associated with
vary widely depending 5. Reflective Meaning- danger or uncertainty.
on individual refers to the personal or In summary, collocative
experiences and subjective associations meaning arises from
cultural norms. For that people have with the way in which
some people, “love may words, phrases, or
 words are commonly used in combination with other wor

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CONNOTATIVE AND DENOTATIVE

Denotative Connotative

-Refers to the literal or dictionary definition of a - Refers to the emotional or cultural

word. associations that a word has.
Definition

Objective vs. - objective, universal meaning of a word that can be -subjective and represents the emotional
Subjective understood by anyone who knows the language. or cultural associations that are
suggested by the word.

Explicit vs. - denotative is explicit and can be clearly defined in - Connotative are implicit and can be
Implicit a dictionary or other reference sources more difficult to define or explain

Formal vs. - typically used in formal or technical language - used more in informal or poetic
Informal language

- used to convey factual information - can be used to persuade or influence

the emotions or attitudes of the listener
- universal and consistent across all cultures
- can vary between cultures or
Direct vs. - remain consistent regardless of context
subcultures
Indirect
- can vary depending on the context in
which they are used

Universal vs. - universal and can be understood by anyone who - can vary from person to person based
Personal speaks the language on their personal experiences and
cultural background.

Neutral vs. - are often neutral and lack emotional associations - can be emotional and evoke feelings in
Emotional the reader or listener

Primary vs. - primary meaning of words and are typically used - secondary meanings and often used in
Secondary in formal or technical writing literature or creative writing

Context- - less affected by context than connotative - can change dramatically depending on
dependent the context

Table 1. Difference between Denotative and Connotative

SIMILARITIES BETWEEN connotative meaning is its • Both can change over

DENOTATIVE AND primary meaning, but the time, as language evolves and
CONNOTATIVE connotations associated with culture shifts.
that word also contribute to its
• Both are ways of meaning. • Both are important for
understanding the meanings of effective communication
words although they approach it • Both are used in
from different angles. everyday language, often Lexical Vs. Stylistic
without us even
• Both contribute to a Lexical and stylistic are both
word’s overall meaning. A terms used in the study of
word’s denotative and language and literature, but they
refer to different aspects of
language.
Lexical
Defined as the meaning of a base
or root word without
considering any prefix or suffix
which may be attached. Deals
with the objective, dictionary
definition of a word. Also
known as semantic meaning,
denotative meaning, and central
meaning.
The branch of linguistics that's
concerned with the study of
lexical meaning is called lexical
semantics. Lexical meaning is
given explicitly. Lexical meaning
is relatively stable.
For Example: In the sentence
"The quick brown fox jumps
over the lazy dog," each word is
a lexical item. "The," "quick,"
"brown," "fox," "jumps," "over,"
"lazy," and "dog" are all words
that have specific meanings and
are used to convey information.
The relationships between these
words also contribute to the
meaning of the sentence as a
whole.
four-legged animal with fur,
while a "cat" is typically thought
of as a domesticated, four-legged
animal with fur, but smaller in
size and with a different
personality and behavior.
In this example, the words "dog"
and "cat" have different
meanings or semantic
properties, even though they
share some common
characteristics. This is an
example of lexical semantics,
which is concerned with the
study of how words and their
meanings are related. Another
important concept in lexical
semantics is polysemy.
● Polysemy. Polysemy
refers to the
phenomenon of a single
word having multiple
meanings. A classic
example of polysemy is
the word "bank," which
can refer to a financial
institution, the side of a
river, or the act of
tilting to one side. In
synonyms and
antonyms are
important for
understanding how
words relate to each
other in terms of
meaning.
● Hyponym: Hyponym: a
word whose meaning is
included in the
meaning of another
word.
For example: “Horse” is
a hyponym of
“animal”.
Stylistic
Stylistics is the study of how
language is used to create
meaning and achieve different
effects. It focuses on the
linguistic choices made by
writers or speakers, such as the
use of specific words, sentence
structures, and rhetorical
devices, and how these choices
shape the overall meaning and
impact of a text. In other words,
stylistics looks at the way
language is used to create style
and meaning, and how these
choices reflect the intentions and
identity of the writer or speaker.

Lexical Semantics
Lexical semantics is a field of
linguistics that studies the
meanings of individual words,
how they relate to each other,
and how they contribute to the
overall meaning of sentences
and texts. It explores concepts
like semantic fields, which group
words that are related in
meaning, and polysemy, which
means that a word can have
multiple meanings.
Consider the words "dog" and
"cat." Although both are animals,
they have distinct semantic
meanings. A "dog" is typically
thought of as a domesticated,
each case, the word has Consider the following sentence:
a different meaning, "She walked into the room and
but they are all related surveyed the space with a
to the central idea of critical eye."
"bank," which has to do
with containment or A stylistic analysis of this
stability. sentence might focus on the
● Synonyms and word choice and the imagery it
Antonyms: Words that evokes. For example, the word
have similar meanings "surveyed" suggests a deliberate
are called synonyms, and thoughtful observation,
while words that have while the phrase "with a critical
opposite meanings are eye" suggests a judgmental and
called antonyms. For discerning attitude. These
example, "big" and stylistic choices convey a
"large" are synonyms, particular tone and create a
while "big" and "small" specific image in the reader's
are antonyms. The mind.
relationships between
Another aspect of stylistics in
this sentence is the use of
sentence structure. The sentence
is constructed in a way that
creates a clear sequence of
events, from the subject's entry
into the room to her examination
of the space. This structure
contributes to the overall flow
and coherence of the sentence.
Overall, a stylistic analysis of
this sentence would examine
how the word choice, imagery,
tone, and sentence structure
work together to convey a
particular meaning and create a
specific effect on the reader.

1. Imagery: The use of vivid and

sensory language to create mental
images for the reader. For example,
in the opening paragraph of Gabriel
Garcia Marquez's "One Hundred
Years of Solitude," the author uses
imagery to describe the town of
Macondo as "a village of twenty
adobe houses, built on the bank of a
river of clear water that ran along a
bed of polished stones, which were
white and enormous, like
prehistoric eggs."
"The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott
Fitzgerald: This novel is full of vivid
imagery that helps to create a sense
of opulence and decay in the world
of the wealthy elite during the
1920s. For example, the descriptions
of Gatsby's mansion and the lavish
parties he throws are filled with
sensory details that bring the scenes
to life in the reader's mind.
2. Metaphor: A figure of speech in
which a word or phrase is applied
to an object or action to which it is
not literally applicable. For
example, in William Shakespeare's
"As You Like It," the character
Jaques famously describes the
world as a stage, saying "All the
world's a stage, and all the men and
women merely players."
"The Catcher in the Rye" by J.D.
Salinger: This novel is full of
metaphors that convey the
protagonist Holden Caulfield's
feelings of alienation and confusion.
For example, he describes himself
as a "catcher in the rye", a metaphor
that suggests his desire to protect
innocence and his own fear of
growing up.
3. Irony: The use of words to convey a
meaning that is opposite of or
different from its literal meaning.
For example, in George Orwell's
"Animal Farm," the pigs claim that
"All animals are equal, but some
animals are more equal than
others."
"Animal Farm" by George Orwell:
This political allegory uses irony to
critique the Soviet Union and the
concept of totalitarianism. The
animals overthrow their human
owners and establish a society of
equality and democracy, but over
time the pigs become corrupt and
oppressive, turning into the very
thing they sought to overthrow.
4. Point of View: The perspective
from which a story is told. For
example, in Harper Lee's "To Kill a
Mockingbird," the story is told from
the first-person perspective of Scout
Finch, a young girl living in a small
Alabama town in the 1930s.
"The Catcher in the Rye" by J.D.
Salinger: This novel is told from the
first-person point of view of Holden
Caulfield, a troubled teenager who
is struggling to find his place in the
world. His perspective provides a
raw and honest portrayal of
teenage angst and disillusionment.
5. Symbolism: The use of objects,
characters, or actions to represent
abstract ideas or concepts. For
example, in Nathaniel Hawthorne's
"The Scarlet Letter," the scarlet letter
itself symbolizes the sin and shame
of Hester Prynne's adultery, as well
as the hypocrisy and
 judgmentalism of the Puritan
community.
One key difference between lexical semantics and
stylistics is their level of analysis. While lexical
semantics focuses primarily on the meanings of
individual words and their relationships to each
other, stylistics takes a broader approach, analyzing
the way that language is used at a higher level of
abstraction.
Overall, while there are some similarities between
lexical semantics and stylistics, these two fields have
distinct focuses and methods of analysis. Lexical
semantics is concerned with understanding word
meaning and the relationships between words, while
stylistics is focused on analyzing the style of language
and the choices that authors make in order to convey
meaning.

Another difference is that lexical semantics tends to

be more concerned with the objective analysis of
language, while stylistics is more focused on the
subjective interpretation of language. Stylistic
analysis often involves considering the author's intent
and the effect that their choices have on the reader,
while lexical semantics is more focused on identifying
objective patterns and relationships within language.