DEFENITION CONNOTATION AND DENOTATION

A.  Denotation and Connotation

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.

From the quotations above, I may say that a denotative meaning is the same with a 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 (thin) has a neutral connotation, which means that it does not have an unfavorable sense. But the word slender (simpli), which is the synonym of lean, has a positive connotation which is a favorable sense. On the contrary, the word thin (thin ), 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.