• The word we use should match the idea we want to express.
4.2 Denotations and connotations
• Denotation (外延): the specific, direct meaning of a word
• Connotation (内涵): the associative suggestive meaning of a word
Chapter 4 Choice of Words
4.1 Use suitable words
• Human thought is communicated through words. • All similar words have shades of meaning. • A slight alteration in wording can subtly shift the
meaning. Example:
• Fascinating variety of words:
• Walk—march, pace, patrol, stalk, stride, tread, tramp, step out, toddle, prance, strut, prowl, plod, stroll, shuffle, stagger, sidle, trudge, ramble, roam, saunter, meander, lounge, loiter, creep …
• Words with similar denotations often have different connotations.
• activists, agitators, supporters
• These activists built a symbolic shanty on the green.
• miser, radical, monster, reactionary: unfavorable associations Personal Connotation
• People differ in their experiences; their emotional responses to a word may also be different.
4.3 General words and specific words
• A general word 泛指 refers to a group or a class; a specific word特指, refers to a member of that
class. • tree -- general • oak, elm, poplar -- specific • general or specific are relative, not absolute: • Tell the order of the following words: • garment – coat—fur coat—patched fur coat • animal, cat animal, tiger, north-east China tiger, • Lao Li, men, human beings, living thing, object
• Connotations vary with the context.
• the Gang of Four
• “Let’s get the gang together for a party tonight.” • 家伙
• Denotation of a word can be found in the dictionary, but its connotation can be acquired only by carefully observing how the word is used.
• snake , dog, seaside
• The connotations change:
• propaganda--‘a reliable and trustworthy source of information’– slanting, deception
• Sly – skillful-- tricky • 枳勾来巢，空穴来风。小姐
• Fireside: warmth, cheerfulness, good companionship
• General connotations: connotations shared by most people
• mother, home, peace, liberty, angel: favorable associations,
• These agitators threw up an eyesore right on the green.
• These supporters of human rights challenged the university’s investment.
• A word acquires its connotations by its historical or social associations, and by its habitual use:
• The specific word tends to give color and tang气味.
• fruit—apple, banana, pear, water melon
• man—beggar, young man, middle-aged man, tall man, short man
– “I saw ________ on the horizon.”
• an object → a ship → a warship, a liner, a
submarine, a tanker, etc.