When to Use Denotation Denotation is used when an author wants the reader to understand a word, phrase, or sentence in its literal form, without other implied, associated, or suggested meanings.

What is the purpose of denotation?

The purpose of denotation is for a word to be understood by a reader. If the word is not understood, the reader may look this word up in order to obtain the correct meaning. If words did not have denotation, we would not have a consistent definition to refer to and readers would be confused on meaning.

What are some examples of denotation?

Denotation means the literal definition of a word. To give an example, the denotation for blue is the color blue. For example: The girl was blue.
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Denotation Examples

• The boy was pushy. ...
• She was cold. ...
• It was too hard. ...
• The dog is a mutt. ...
• Trevor is a bull. ...
• The woman was frugal. ...
• He was bull-headed.

How do you use Denotative in a sentence?

An example of denotative used as an adjective is in the sentence, "His tapping foot was denotative of his impatience," which means his foot tapping showed that he was impatient.

Where would you look for a denotation?

Denotation refers to the literal meaning of a word, the 'dictionary definition. ' For example, the name 'Hollywood' connotes such things as glitz, glamour, tinsel, celebrity, and dreams of stardom.

DENOTATIONS & CONNOTATIONS | English Lesson

30 related questions found

What is denotation of home?

For example, the words home and house have similar denotations or primary meanings: a home is “a shelter that is the usual residence of a person, family, or household,” and a house is “a building in which people live.” However, for many, these terms carry different associations or secondary meanings, also known as ...

What Denotative means?

1 : an act or process of denoting. 2 : meaning especially : a direct specific meaning as distinct from an implied or associated idea comparing a word's denotation with its connotations In fact, the "Parks and Recreation" alum said he didn't know the word's medical denotation. — Nardine Saad. 3a : a denoting term : name.

What is sentence denotation?

Denotation sentence example

The denotation of a word translates the word to its literal meaning. ... The expressions "4" and "8/2" have the same denotation ; but, they express different senses and different ways of conceiving the same number.

What is denotation in literature?

Denotation is the objective meaning of a word. The term comes from the Latin word “denotationem,” meaning “indication.” The denotation of a word is its literal definition—its dictionary definition—and contains no emotion. This is in contrast to connotation, which is the subjective or associated meaning of a word.

What are diction examples?

For example, the sentence: “I ate an apple.” Poetic diction. Poetic diction is driven by lyrical words that relate to a specific theme reflected in a poem, and create a euphonious, or harmonious, sound. Poetic diction usually involves the use of descriptive language, sometimes set to a beat or rhyme.

How does denotation help us to understand the unfamiliar words or phrase?

A word's denotation is the strict dictionary definition of that word and refers to the actual thing or idea it represents. ... This ambiguity of word meanings can give you a bit of an obstacle in understanding new words.

What is connotation give an example?

Connotation is the use of a word to suggest a different association than its literal meaning, which is known as denotation. For example, blue is a color, but it is also a word used to describe a feeling of sadness, as in: “She's feeling blue.” Connotations can be either positive, negative, or neutral.

Is denotation figurative language?

Poets often deviate from the denotative meanings of words to create fresher ideas and images. Such deviations from the literal meanings are called figures of speech or figurative language.

What is a denotation in philosophy?

The denotation of a word is its central sense and the entire set of objects that can be contained in the word's meaning. ... From a philosophical standpoint, exploration of meaning as it relates to denotation is important in the study of the philosophy of language.

Is denotation a rhetorical device?

A word's denotation is its literal, dictionary definition. Denotation is the objective meaning of a word, with no associated emotion. ... Denotation is an important literary device in that it allows a writer to choose an exact word to describe or convey something to the reader.

What is the denotation of blue?

For example, denotation of the word “blue” is the color blue, but its connotation is “sad”—read the following sentence: The blueberry is very blue. We understand this sentence by its denotative meaning—it describes the literal color of the fruit.

What is the opposite of denotation?

The opposite of denotation would generally refer to the connotation of the word. Connotation describes the feelings or ideas associated with a word....

What are two synonyms for denotation?

synonyms for denotation

• definition.
• implication.
• indication.
• meaning.
• signification.

What is the denotation of red?

Denotation simple refers to the meaning of a word. ... For example, the denotation of word red is just colour red but its connotation is danger or blood is, Here again you should be careful because, in some instances, the dictionary lists several denotations for a single word. Read more about Denotation here.

What shades of meaning means?

Shades of meaning is defined as a slight difference in the meaning. An example of shades of meaning is the difference between the words stockings and nylons.

What does denotation mean in media?

In media-studies terminology, denotation is the first level of analysis: What the audience can visually see on a page. Denotation often refers to something literal, and avoids being a metaphor. Here it is usually coupled with connotation, which is the second level of analysis, being what the denotation represents.

What is the meaning of H?

Other definitions for h (3 of 7)

noun, plural H's or Hs, h's or hs. the eighth letter of the English alphabet, a consonant. any spoken sound represented by the letter H or h, as in hot or behave. something having the shape of an H. a written or printed representation of the letter H or h.

What is the denotation of mother?

The denotative meaning of 'mother' is related to birth (woman + birth = mother), and can be precisely defined as follows: “a woman who gave birth to a child and a mother is the woman who gave birth to you” (Wille 2011:255).

What is the denotation of dog?

The denotative meaning is the literal or formal meaning of a word. For instance, the term dog denotes an animal with fur, four legs, and a tail. ... Connotative meanings can be either positive or negative; dog can be a derogatory term meant as an insult, or it can used in a light-hearted way meaning friend.