CONNOTATION, DENOTATION AND IMPLICATION

• ·     The definition of denotation, connotation and implication

Denotation is when you mean what you say, literally. Connotation is created when you mean something else, something that might be initially hidden. The connotative meaning of a word is based on implication, or shared emotional association with a word. Greasy is a completely innocent word: Some things, like car engines, need to be greasy. But greasy contains negative associations for most people, whether they are talking about food or about people. Often there are many words that denote approximately the same thing, but their connotations are very different. Innocent and genuine both denote an absence of corruption, but the connotations of the two words are different: innocent is often associated with a lack of experience, whereas genuine is not. Connotations are important in poetry because poets use them to further develop or complicate a poem's meaning.

• ·       Connotation and Implication

 

A connotation can just be an idea that we associate with another word, phrase or sentence. So for example the phrase bucket and spade will have connotations of beaches, sunshine, childhood, seaside holidays and so forth. If you're writer and you want to talk about a grave-robber stealing a body from a cemetery, you probably won't want to say:

He picked up his bucket and spade.

There's nothing wrong with the grammar of this sentence, but when you say bucket and spade it might make people think about happy things, not grave, serious and scary ones. It's probably important for your story for people to be a little bit scared, not happy and comfortable. Notice that nobody would think that the grave-robber was at the beach in that sentence. It is just that using that phrase will make people think about beaches for a second.

An implication is something slightly different. If I imply something, I am saying something specific to somebody, without actually using that sentence this might be an accident. We might not want the listener to have this idea. Usually, an implication is a proposition - something that can be expressed as a sentence. So for example, if I say:

• ·         If you don't do your homework, you won't get any ice cream.

then I am implying that:

• ·         If you do your homework you will get some ice-cream.

But notice that I did not say that. That second sentence is not part of what I said. If I am a mean and horrible person, I may have deliberately tricked you. But I did not lie. The truth may well be that:

• ·         If you don't do your homework you won't get any ice-cream and if you do your homework, you still won't get any ice-cream.

 

The reason might be for example, that you are not allowed ice-cream because you're allergic to dairy products. Notice that if I say the whole of the last example, the implication is cancelled. We no longer think that the speaker will give any ice-cream to anyone if the homework is done. We can cancel implications easily. It is difficult to cancel connotations. We may still be reminded of something, like holidays, for example, even if the actual word or phrase is being used in a completely different way.

• ·       Definition Of Denotation And Connotation By Expert

    a.  Denotation

According to Abdul Chaer (2003:292), a denotation is a real meaning of a lexeme. Denotation is one of the types of meaning that is explained in semantics. The explanation of denotation by Abdul Chaer is similar with the one by O’Grady (1997:273), that denotation is a semantic attempt to equate the meaning of a word or phrase with the entities; and Richards (1985:76), that denotation is the part of the meaning of a word or phrase that relates it to the phenomena in the real world or in a fictional or possible word  which all of them point out that the denotation meaning is quiet the same as a dictionary or lexical meaning. For example, the denotation of the word lean (kurus) corresponds to the condition of someones body which is smaller than a normal size.

   b.  Connotation

    According to Abdul Chaer (2003:292), a connotation is a different meaning which is “added” to the last denotation meaning that is related with a sense from a person or group that uses the word.

Connotation is another type of meaning that is also learned in semantics. But  according to Abdul Chaer, the connotation meaning is divided into a neutral, positive, and negative one. For example, the word lean (kurus) has a neutral connotation, which means that it does not have an unfavorable sense.

But the word slender (ramping), which is the synonym of lean, has a positive connotation which is a favorable sense. On the contrary, the word thin (kerempeng), which is the synonym from thin and slender, has a negative connotation, an unfavorable sense.

From the example that is given above, the word lean, slender, and thin can be concluded that in a denotation meaning, three of them have the same meaning, but three of them have different connotations; lean is a neutral connotation, slender is a positive connotation, and thin is a negative connotation.

If conceptual meaning remains the same forever, connotative meaning may change from one time to another. Connotative meaning may also differ from one society to another because meanings have many other characteristics which different people associate with.

• ·       The difference between Connotation and Denotation

 

1.     Denotation

•   It refers to the primary, literal meaning or the dictionary meaning of a word.

•   Denotation is not thus classified.

•    It remains the same regardless of culture and personal experiences.

2.   Connotation

•   It refers to the personal and cultural meaning in addition to their primary, literal meaning of a word.

•    It can be classified as positive connotation and negative connotation.

•   It can change according to culture and personal experiences.
  
  

Conclusion

In the normal uses of these words, a connotation is an association that we have with a word, phrase or sentence. It is not necessarily a proposition. It is not usually the kind of idea we can express in a sentence.

In contrast, an implication is usually a proposition. It is an idea we could express as a sentence. Sometimes the listener may want us to understand this proposition. Sometimes it may be accidental. We can cancel implications. It is difficult, if not impossible sometimes, to cancel connotations.