DENOTATION AND CONNOTATION
Learning Goal: In today's lesson you will learned the meaning of the words denotation and connotation. You will learn about words which may have a positive, negative, or neutral connotation. You will also learn how skilled writers must be aware of each word's connotation when crafting an effective piece of writing for their audience.
The Connotative Power of Words
Sydney J. Harris on Synonyms and Connotations
"A writer needs an 'ear' as much as a musician does," wrote Sydney J. Harris. "And without this ear, he is lost and groping in a forest of words, where all the trees look much alike."
Harris himself had an ear for words. From the 1940s to the 1980s, his column "Strictly Personal" ran five days a week in hundreds of American newspapers. Harris' short essays were playfully erudite and--in his "antics with semantics"--often concerned with the connotative power of words.
Unfortunately, he said, "most persons--and this includes aspiring writers--simply fail to recognize that there are very few true synonyms in the language, no matter what the dictionary may insist."
A dictionary can tell us only what a word points to, not "what it feels like":
Distinguishing between two words that seem to mean the same, but have different colours and shapes and suggestions--this is essential to the art of writing, and also of speaking. . . .
Unspeakable in the dictionary means the same as unutterable--but the former is always used to mean something base or vile, while the latter usually means some rapturous or divine thought or emotion.
The right word is as important to the writer as the right note to the composer or the right line to the painter.
(Sydney J. Harris, "You Need an Ear for Words to Write." Last Things First, Houghton Mifflin, 1961)
A few times a year, Harris would illustrate this point by drawing some important distinctions between related words.
Here are some examples from The Best of Sydney J. Harris (Houghton Mifflin, 1975).
Sydney J. Harris on Synonyms and Connotations
"A writer needs an 'ear' as much as a musician does," wrote Sydney J. Harris. "And without this ear, he is lost and groping in a forest of words, where all the trees look much alike."
Harris himself had an ear for words. From the 1940s to the 1980s, his column "Strictly Personal" ran five days a week in hundreds of American newspapers. Harris' short essays were playfully erudite and--in his "antics with semantics"--often concerned with the connotative power of words.
Unfortunately, he said, "most persons--and this includes aspiring writers--simply fail to recognize that there are very few true synonyms in the language, no matter what the dictionary may insist."
A dictionary can tell us only what a word points to, not "what it feels like":
Distinguishing between two words that seem to mean the same, but have different colours and shapes and suggestions--this is essential to the art of writing, and also of speaking. . . .
Unspeakable in the dictionary means the same as unutterable--but the former is always used to mean something base or vile, while the latter usually means some rapturous or divine thought or emotion.
The right word is as important to the writer as the right note to the composer or the right line to the painter.
(Sydney J. Harris, "You Need an Ear for Words to Write." Last Things First, Houghton Mifflin, 1961)
A few times a year, Harris would illustrate this point by drawing some important distinctions between related words.
Here are some examples from The Best of Sydney J. Harris (Houghton Mifflin, 1975).
- The striking colors in our living room are "dramatic"; the striking colors in yours are "flamboyant."
- My inability to warm up to strangers is caused by "shyness," but yours is caused by "stand-offishness."
- I take you to a restaurant that is "charmingly unpretentious," but you take me to a restaurant that is a "dive."
- Jane marries John because of his "boyish charm"--and divorces him because of his "immaturity."
- I am "strong-minded," but you are "opinionated."
- I am opposed to your newfangled ideas because I believe in "the value of tradition," but you are opposed to my sensible reforms because you are "blindly clinging to the past."
- My attorney "knows all the ins and outs," but my opponent's attorney is a "slippery character."
- The difference between "vandalism" and a "harmless prank" depends upon whose child has committed it.
- As a junior executive, I am "on the alert for opportunities within the organization," but as a junior executive, you are "on the make."
- If it was your fault, we had a "collision," but if it was my fault, we just "bumped fenders."
- Their nation has a "network of spies," but our nation takes "security measures."
- They try to change our minds by "propaganda," but we try to change their minds by "information."
- When you attack us, it is an "act of war," but when we attack you, it is "a necessary preventive move to maintain our independence and to preserve the peace."
- When my candidate makes slashing charges against the opposition, he is "forthright," but when your candidate does the same, he is "irresponsible."
- When my candidate reverses his mind after election, it proves he is "open minded"; when yours does the same thing, it shows him up as "a man of no principle."
Denotation and Connotation
Careful writers choose words both for what they mean (that is, their dictionary meanings, or denotations) and for what they suggest (their connotations, or emotional associations). For instance, "slim," "scrawny," and "svelte" all have related denotative meanings (thin, let's say) but different connotative meanings. And if we're trying to pay someone a compliment, we better get the connotation right.
Here's another example. The following words and phrases all refer to "a young person," but their connotations may be quite different depending, in part, on the context in which they appear: youngster, child, kid, little one, small fry, brat, urchin, juvenile, minor. Some of these words tend to carry favourable connotations (little one), others unfavourable (brat), and still others fairly neutral connotations (child). Calling a young person a brat lets our readers know at once how we feel about the rotten kid.
Working with the three passages below will help make you more aware of the value of choosing words carefully for what they imply or suggest as well as what they mean according to the dictionary.
Some Practice:
Instructions:
Each of the short passages below (in italics) is fairly objective and colorless, using words with neutral connotations. Your job is to write two new versions of each passage: first, using words with positive connotations to show the subject in an attractive light; second, using words with negative connotations to describe the same subject in a less favorable way. The guidelines following each passage should help you focus your revisions.
A. Gus cooked dinner for Merdine. He prepared some meat and vegetables and a special dessert.
(1) Describe the meal that Gus prepared, making it sound appetizing by using words with favorable connotations.
(2) Describe the meal again, this time using words with negative connotations to make it sound quite unappealing.
B. The person did not weigh very much. The person had brown hair and a small nose. The person wore informal clothing.
(1) Identify and describe this particularly attractive person.
(2) Identify and describe this particularly unattractive person.
C. Douglas was careful with his money. He kept his money in a safe place. He bought only the necessities of life. He never borrowed or lent money.
(1) Choose words that show how impressed you are by Douglas's sense of thrift.
(2) Choose words that make fun of Douglas or pass scorn on him for being such a tightwad.
(http://grammar.about.com/od/words/a/connotations.htm)
Instructions:
In each of the following sentences, the italicized word has a fairly neutral connotation. For each word in italics, list two synonyms (words with similar denotations): one with a negative connotation and the other with a positive connotation.
Example:
Sometimes my thin friend annoys me.
negative connotation: scrawny
positive connotation: slim
When you have completed the exercise, compare your answers with the sample responses.
Answers:
Sample Responses to the Denotation and Connotation Exercise
- Denotation refers to the literal meaning of a word, the "dictionary definition." For example, if you look up the word snake in a dictionary, you will discover that one of its denotative meanings is "any of numerous scaly, legless, sometimes venomous reptiles having a long, tapering, cylindrical body and found in most tropical and temperate regions."
- Connotation, on the other hand, refers to the associations that are connected to a certain word or the emotional suggestions related to that word. The connotative meanings of a word exist together with the denotative meanings. The connotations for the word snake could include evil or danger. (http://www.eng.fju.edu.tw/English_Literature/terms/denotation.htm)
Careful writers choose words both for what they mean (that is, their dictionary meanings, or denotations) and for what they suggest (their connotations, or emotional associations). For instance, "slim," "scrawny," and "svelte" all have related denotative meanings (thin, let's say) but different connotative meanings. And if we're trying to pay someone a compliment, we better get the connotation right.
Here's another example. The following words and phrases all refer to "a young person," but their connotations may be quite different depending, in part, on the context in which they appear: youngster, child, kid, little one, small fry, brat, urchin, juvenile, minor. Some of these words tend to carry favourable connotations (little one), others unfavourable (brat), and still others fairly neutral connotations (child). Calling a young person a brat lets our readers know at once how we feel about the rotten kid.
Working with the three passages below will help make you more aware of the value of choosing words carefully for what they imply or suggest as well as what they mean according to the dictionary.
Some Practice:
Instructions:
Each of the short passages below (in italics) is fairly objective and colorless, using words with neutral connotations. Your job is to write two new versions of each passage: first, using words with positive connotations to show the subject in an attractive light; second, using words with negative connotations to describe the same subject in a less favorable way. The guidelines following each passage should help you focus your revisions.
A. Gus cooked dinner for Merdine. He prepared some meat and vegetables and a special dessert.
(1) Describe the meal that Gus prepared, making it sound appetizing by using words with favorable connotations.
(2) Describe the meal again, this time using words with negative connotations to make it sound quite unappealing.
B. The person did not weigh very much. The person had brown hair and a small nose. The person wore informal clothing.
(1) Identify and describe this particularly attractive person.
(2) Identify and describe this particularly unattractive person.
C. Douglas was careful with his money. He kept his money in a safe place. He bought only the necessities of life. He never borrowed or lent money.
(1) Choose words that show how impressed you are by Douglas's sense of thrift.
(2) Choose words that make fun of Douglas or pass scorn on him for being such a tightwad.
(http://grammar.about.com/od/words/a/connotations.htm)
Instructions:
In each of the following sentences, the italicized word has a fairly neutral connotation. For each word in italics, list two synonyms (words with similar denotations): one with a negative connotation and the other with a positive connotation.
Example:
Sometimes my thin friend annoys me.
negative connotation: scrawny
positive connotation: slim
When you have completed the exercise, compare your answers with the sample responses.
- I recognized the familiar smell of my roommate's cooking.
- Scrapple is an inexpensive meal.
- Kevin's interest in model cars has turned into a hobby.
- Uncle Henry lives in a hut deep in the woods.
- Phileas Fogg was an adventurous traveler.
- We stopped for lunch at a diner in West Virginia.
- My parents are committed conservationists.
- My old laptop has finally died.
- In a quiet and stealthy way, Bartleby moved into the lawyer's chambers.
- The teacher was mildly intimidated by Merdine's assertive behavior.
Answers:
Sample Responses to the Denotation and Connotation Exercise
- I recognized the familiar smell of my roommate's cooking.
negative connotation: stench
positive connotation: aroma - Scrapple is an inexpensive meal.
negative connotation: cheap
positive connotation: thrifty - Kevin's interest in model cars has turned into ahobby.
negative connotation: obsession
positive connotation: avocation - Uncle Henry lives in a hut deep in the woods.
negative connotation: shack
positive connotation: cabin - Phileas Fogg was an adventurous traveler.
negative connotation: foolhardy
positive connotation: courageous - We stopped for lunch at a diner in West Virginia.
negative connotation: greasy spoon
positive connotation: bistro - My parents are committed conservationists.
negative connotation: tree huggers
positive connotation: environmentalists - My old laptop has finally died.
negative connotation: decrepit
positive connotation: venerable - In a quiet and stealthy way, Bartleby moved into the lawyer's chambers.
negative connotation: sneaky
positive connotation: cunning - The teacher was mildly intimated by Merdine's assertive behavior.
negative connotation: bossy
positive connotation: confident