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7 Types of Meaning

The document discusses the 7 types of meaning that words can have beyond their dictionary definitions: affective, collocative, conceptual, connotative, reflective, social, and thematic. Understanding these layers of meaning is important for proper word choice and avoiding historically insensitive language. The types of meaning also impact language learning and choosing the right words in different contexts and situations.

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103 views1 page

7 Types of Meaning

The document discusses the 7 types of meaning that words can have beyond their dictionary definitions: affective, collocative, conceptual, connotative, reflective, social, and thematic. Understanding these layers of meaning is important for proper word choice and avoiding historically insensitive language. The types of meaning also impact language learning and choosing the right words in different contexts and situations.

Uploaded by

miftahul khair
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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7 Types of Meaning

The potential layers of meaning that a word has, besides its straight dictionary definition, makes
word choice in your writing so important. It's especially important to know when those layers
have historically racist or sexist undertones to them. Layers also have ramifications for those
learning a language and being able to choose between similar words and use the correct one in
the proper situation.

The conceptual meaning of a word, in the field of linguistics, is just one of seven types of
meaning that a word can have.

Affective meaning: what meaning is associated with it in the real world for the speaker or writer
rather than just its dictionary meanings; subjective. A CEO and a nun talking about charity could
mean two different things.

Collocative meaning: words that are regularly found together. For example, take pretty and
handsome. These words are more often associated with one gender or the other. If you hear
someone behind you say, "Don't you look handsome," and you look to see one person talking to
a girl and one talking to a boy, your knowledge of how handsome is used collocatively helps you
figure out that the person you overheard is talking to the boy.

Conceptual meaning: the dictionary definition of the word; the descriptive definition of it. A
cougar in the dictionary is a big cat. In contexts about people and not concerning wildlife, the
term has other meanings.

Connotative meaning: subtext and layers brought into the context by the use of a particular
word; subjective. A word's connotations can be negative or positive, depending on the
audience. The label of being a liberal or a conservative, for example, can be good or bad,
depending on the person's intentions in using it and the person hearing or reading it.

Connotative meanings can change over time or mean different things among different societies.

Reflective or reflected meaning: multiple conceptual meanings. For example, the literal,
dictionary definition of the word gay is "happy" or "bright" (colors), though in society's use today
it has a much different meaning.

Social meaning: the meaning given to words based on the social context that they're used in.
For example, someone from the South would use y'all more often than someone from a different
region of the country. People from different regions call a carbonated soft drink different things,
too, from pop to soda to Coke (whether or not that is its literal brand name).

Language can have a formal or informal register too that relays social meaning, or in some
contexts, usage can show social class or a lack of education, such as if someone uses a double
negative (don't have none), incorrect verb forms (have went), or the word ain't.

Thematic meaning: how the speaker portrays the message through word choice, the order of
words used, and emphasis. Notice the subtle difference in emphasis between these sentences:
My studies are important to me.
What's important to me are my studies.

A writer or speaker can imbue emphasis by how he or she ends a sentence or paragraph.

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