Many times we are presented with a word, and we are not sure what it means. We may look it up in a dictionary, but often, the meaning is not immediately clear. After all, it's not always easy to explain in words the difference between the denotative and connotative meaning of a word.
Let's have a quick look at what these terms mean, and how you can use them to help you understand specific words.
Denotative Meaning
To have a denotative meaning is to have a plain, or basic, meaning. If we look at the word house, we see that it has a denotative meaning: it means “a building used for dwelling.” It does not add to or change the basic meaning of the word house; it is what it means. If I look at the dictionary, I will find many words with this type of meaning. However, if we look at the word culture, we see that it has a different denotative meaning: it means “the totality of the ways of thinking and behaving shared by a particular group or community.” This is a very broad definition, and it is adding something extra to the meaning of the word house. In this case, the word culture has expanded the meaning of the word house, because it has given it a different connotation.
Connotative Meaning
To have a connotative meaning is to have a meaning that is derived from something recognizable within the context of a word. Connotative meanings can be very useful when trying to understand an unfamiliar word. We are not sure what culture means, so we look it up in the dictionary, and we see that it has a connotative meaning: “affecting the senses or ideas,” or “characteristic of a thing.” If I look at the word house again, this time I will see that it has a connotative meaning: it means “a building used for dwelling.” The word culture also has this type of meaning when we look it up in the dictionary: it means “the totality of the ways of thinking and behaving shared by a particular group or community.” In this case, the dictionary is helping us to see the differences between the denotative and connotative meaning of a word.
Difference Between The Two
Let's look at the difference between the denotative and connotative meanings of the word culture. In the first case, we see that culture has a basic meaning, which is “the totality of the ways of thinking and behaving shared by a particular group or community.” However, if we look at the connotative meaning of the word culture, we see that it has something more: it has added the idea of “affecting the senses or ideas.” This is why we can see something distinctive, or unusual, about a thing or action that is part of culture. Without going into too much detail, let's say that a certain culture is very interested in art and painting. If we look at the denotative meaning of the word culture, we will see that it has not changed, it has just added something more. The same is true for many other words.
The difference between the denotative and connotative meanings of a word is important, because it shows how the word can have different shades of meaning. If we look at the word house, we will easily see the basic denotative meaning: it means “a building used for dwelling.” However, if we look at the connotative meaning, we will see that it can also mean: “a building that is the source of culture.” This is why a house can be the source of many different types of behavior and ways of thinking. When we use words, we need to be aware of their connotations, because they can give a different impression from what the word's denotative meaning would suggest. For example, the word innocent may have a different meaning when used in the context of a lawsuit, than it has when used to describe a baby animal or a young girl.
Words are important, and when we use them, we should know what they mean. However, even if we know the meaning of a word, we will not always understand it in the same way that the person we are talking to does. For example, when someone asks “what does ‘honest' mean?,'” we may have a pretty good idea of the answer, but perhaps the person we are talking to does not have this same understanding. In order to truly understand a word, we must look at it from both perspectives, the denotative and the connotative. In most cases, words will have a mixed connotation, which means that they can have both a denotative and a connotative meaning. This can be quite confusing, especially when someone does not use the same language as we do, and we do not have the same context. For example, if I say the word culture to a Japanese person, they will understand exactly what I mean, because they have the same word in their language. However, if I say the word culture to an American, he or she may think that I mean “the sum of their nation's cultural values.” In this case, the word culture has a mixture of meanings, because it can mean both “the totality of the ways of thinking and behaving” and “the sum of their nation's cultural values.” If we want to avoid any confusion, we should only use one of these two words when talking about our culture. If we want to be specific, we can use the other word, but in most cases, this will not be necessary. Knowing the difference between the denotative and connotative meaning of a word can help us to truly understand it.
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