ARTICLE / RESEARCH: THEMATIC
WORDS with DIFFERENT MEANINGS
& EXAMPLES
THEMATIC WORDS
with DIFFERENT
MEANINGS & EXAMPLES
INTRODUCTION:
Many words with thematic
meanings exist in the English
language. Technically, almost every word has a Thematic
meaning.
Any piece of literature does have a theme, maybe
several. Typically, just to state a theme is to state the
meaning of the theme. Say the theme is that life is hard.
Only a pedant is going to say, well, what does that mean, as
if there is some deeper layer to this theme. So here’s my
take: if you state a theme in a clear and complete way, you
have done what they asked for in their professorial way.
The only wiggle room I see here for the pedants is if you try
to state a theme like this: money. That’s too open-ended, and
somebody might follow up by asking, well, what is the meaning
of money to this author? They want you to show command of the
literature.
But the associative meaning of a word often has very
powerful communicative and argumentative consequences, so it
is important to mention this aspect of meaning.”
(Jerome E. Bickenbach and Jacqueline M. Davies, Good Reasons
for Better Arguments: An Introduction to the Skills and Values
of Critical Thinking. Broadview Press, 1998)
BEFORE STATING DISCUSS ABOUT WORDS WITH THEMATIC
IS IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND SOME BASIC DEFINITIONS
Those
definitions
are
ABOUT
homonyms,
MEANING IT
homophones,
and homographs.
Homonymsare words which have the same spelling and
pronunciation, but have thematic meanings.
Homophones are words which have the same pronunciation,
but different spellings and meanings.
Homographs are words that are spelt the same, but have
different pronunciations and meanings.
“Thematic meaning” sounds like jargon to me. Any piece of
literature does have a theme, maybe several. Typically, just
to state a theme is to state the meaning of the theme. Say the
theme is that life is hard. Only a pedant is going to say,
well, what does that mean, as if there is some deeper layer to
this theme.
So here’s my take: if you state a theme in a clear and
complete way, you have done what they asked for in their
professorial way. The only wiggle room I see here for the
pedants is if you try to state a theme like this: money.
That’s too open-ended, and somebody might follow up by asking,
well, what is the meaning of money to this author?? They want
you to show command of the literature.
CONNOTATION is a “PROBLEM AREA” for learners of a language:
“Because it is an important mechanism for the expression of
attitude, it is of paramount importance that learners be aware
of it in order to grasp the illocutionary intent of messages.”
EXAMPLES & OBSERVATIONS:
“A good example of a common noun with an almost
universal associative meaning is ‘nurse.’ Most people
automatically associate ‘nurse’ with ‘woman.’ This unconscious
association is so widespread that the term ‘male nurse’ has
had to be coined to counteract its effect.”
(Sándor Hervey and Ian Higgins, Thinking French Translation: A
Course in Translation Method, 2nd ed. Routledge, 2002)
CULTURAL & PERSONAL ASSOCIATIONS
“A word can sweep by your ear and by its very sound suggest
hidden meanings, preconscious association. Listen to these
words: blood, tranquil, democracy. You know what they mean
literally but you have associations with those words that are
cultural, as well as your own personal associations.”
(Rita Mae Brown, Starting From Scratch. Bantam, 1988)
INSTRUCTIONS:
Each of the three short passages below (in italics) is fairly
objective and colorless. 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 TO
UNDERSTAND THEMATIC MEANINGS OF THE WORDS.
A- Bill cooked dinner for Katie. He prepared some meat and
vegetables and a special dessert.
(1) Describe the meal that Bill 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
borro
D-The difference between the almost-right word and the right
word is really a large matter. It’s the difference between the
lightning-bug
and
the
lightning.
(Mark Twain)
E- Careful writers choose words both for what they mean (that
is, their dictionary meanings, or denotations) and for what
they suggest (their emotional associations, or connotations).
For instance, the adjectives slim, scrawny, and svelte all
have related denotative meanings (thin, let’s say) but
thematic connotative meanings.
F- 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
favorable connotations (little one), others unfavorable
connotations (brat), and still others fairly neutral
connotations (child). But referring to an adult as a child can
be insulting, while calling a young person a brat lets our
readers know at once how we feel about the rotten kid.
CONNOTATION refers to the emotional implications and
associations that a word may carry, in contrast to
its denotative (or literal) meanings. Verb: connote.
Adjective: connotative. Also called intension or sense.
The connotation of a word can be positive, negative, or
neutral. It can also be either cultural or personal.
(book Patterns and Meanings (1998), Alan Partington)
Here’s an example:
To most people the word cruise connotes–suggests–a delightful
holiday; thus its cultural connotation is positive. If you get
seasick, however, the word may connote only discomfort to you;
your personal connotation is negative.
(Vocabulary by Doing, 2001)
HERE’S AN OTHER 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
favorable connotations (little one), others unfavorable
connotations (brat), and still others fairly neutral
connotations (child). But referring to an adult as a child can
be insulting, while calling a young person a brat lets our
readers know at once how we feel about the rotten kid.
Richard Nordquist
DEFINITION
Denotation refers to the direct or
dictionary meaning of a word, in contrast to its figurative or
associated
meanings
(connotations).
Verb:
denote.
Adjective: denotative. Also called extension or reference.
Put another way, “Linguistic expressions are linked in virtue
of their meaning to parts of the world around us, which is the
basis of our use of language to convey information about
reality.
The denotation of an expression is the part of reality the
expression is linked to”
(Kate Kearns, Semantics, 2011).
Denotative meaning is sometimes called
cognitive meaning,
referential meaning, or
conceptual meaning.
EXAMPLES & OBSERVATIONS
Vizzini:He didn’t fall? Inconceivable.
Inigo Montoya: You keep using that word. I do not think
it means what you think it means.
(The Princess Bride, 1987)
“You know a phrase I never understood?King size. It’s
used to denote something larger, but most of the kings
you see are short. You ever notice that? Usually a king
is a short little fat guy.”
(George Carlin, Napalm & Silly Putty, 2001)
Wally:I can’t believe I fell for counterfeit Superbowl
tickets. The guys will be crestfallen when they find
out.
Homer: Yes, if by “crestfallen” you mean they’re going
to kill us.
(“Sunday, Cruddy Sunday,” The Simpsons)
DENOTATION & CONNOTATION: “House” & “Home”
“The denotation of a word is its primary signification or
reference; its connotation is the range of secondary or
associated significations and feelings which it commonly
suggests or implies. Thus ‘home’ denotes the house where one
lives, but connotes privacy, intimacy, and coziness; that is
the reason real estate agents like to use ‘home’ instead of
‘house’ in their advertisements.”
(M.H. Abrams and Geoffrey Galt Harpham, A Glossary of
Literary Terms, 9th ed. Wadsworth, 2009)
“The denotation of a term is its exact and literal meaning.
Consider the word home. Its denotation, or precise meaning, is
‘residence or fixed dwelling place.’ The denotation of the
word city is ‘center of population and commerce.’
“A word’s connotation, on the other hand, consists of its
emotive value. For example, connotations of the
word home might be refuge, resting place, even boring or
predictable habitation. The word city might connote place of
excitement, energy, danger, or even sin. . . .
“Think of denotation as the dictionary definition of a word,
using the d as a mnemonic device. A connotation is the
subjective, personal, even poetic interpretation of a word.”
(Chrysti M. Smith, Verbivore’s Feast: A Banquet of Word &
Phrase Origins. Far country Press, 2004)
DENOTATION & CONNOTATION in a Poem
by William Wordsworth
A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal by William Wordsworth (1880)
A slumber did my spirit seal;
I had no human fears–
She seemed a thing that could not feel
The touch of earthly years.
No motion has she now, no force;
She neither hears nor sees;
Roll’d round in earth’s diurnal course
With rocks, and stones, and trees.
DENOTATION & CONNOTATION in a Poem
by Henry David Thoreau
In the following poem we have italicized a number of key words
whose connotative meaning directs our response to the images.
Although the poem is mostly images–the overt commentary is
confined to the first two lines–the poet’s attitude is
anything but neutral.
“Pray to What Earth Does This Sweet Cold Belong”
by Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862)
Pray to what earth does this sweet cold belong,
Which asks no duties and no conscience?
The moon goes up by leaps, her cheerful path
In some far summer stratum of the sky,
While stars with their cold shine be dot her way.
The fields gleam mildly back upon the sky,
And far and near upon the leafless shrubs
The snow dust still emits a silver light.
Under the hedge, where drift banks are their screen,
The titmice now pursue their downy dreams,
As often in the sweltering summer nights
The bee doth drop asleep in the flower cup,
When evening overtakes him with his load.
By the brook sides, in the still, genial night,
The more adventurous wanderer may hear
The crystals shoot and form, and winter slow
Increase his rule by gentlest summer means.
(David Bergman and Daniel Mark Epstein, The Heath Guide to
Literature. D.C. Heath, 1984)
REFERENCES & BIBLIOGRAPHY
(Jerome E. Bickenbach and Jacqueline M. Davies,Good
Reasons for Better Arguments: An Introduction to the
Skills and Values of Critical Thinking. Broadview Press,
1998)
(Sándor Hervey and Ian Higgins, Thinking French
Translation: A Course in Translation Method, 2nd ed.
Routledge, 2002)
(Rita Mae Brown, Starting From Scratch. Bantam, 1988)
(bookPatterns and Meanings (1998), Alan Partington)
(Vocabulary by Doing, 2001)
Richard Nordquist
(M.H. Abrams and Geoffrey Galt Harpham,A Glossary of
Literary Terms, 9th ed. Wadsworth, 2009)
(Chrysti M. Smith,Verbivore’s Feast: A Banquet of Word &
Phrase Origins. Far country Press, 2004)
A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal by William Wordsworth
(1880)
Edwin Arlington Robinson
(Richard Cory (1897)
(David Bergman and Daniel Mark Epstein, The Heath Guide
to Literature. D.C. Heath, 1984)