Denotative meaning is the objective (dictionary) relationship between a word and the reality to which it refers (Crystal, 1987:418). Connotative meaning, on the other hand, is the communicative power of a word by virtue of what it refers to (Leech, 1974:15). The difference between denotation and connotation is explained by many scholars. For instance, Osgood et al. (1957:320-321) distinguish between denotation which indicates the referent of a linguistic sign and connotation as the diverse emotive reactions to it. Bowers (1989:78), on the other hand, remarks that the distinction between the two terms according to J.S. Mill being that, “connotation” represents the inherent conceptual meaning of a word , in our terms its “intension” and “semantic structure”, while “denotation” represents the meaning of a word in terms of the set of objects it names, in our terms its “extension” or “application” .
For Bowers, these senses of connotation and denotation are now old-fashioned and have almost fallen out of philosophic use. Connotation is “still a technical term of linguistics and refers to the aspect of word’s meaning which arises from its association in the mind of users with the users’ own abstract ideas and values” (Ibid.).
Bell (1991:98-99) makes a good distinction between denotative meaning and connotative meaning saying that “The first refers to meaning which is referential, objective and cognitive and, hence, the shared property of the speech community which uses the language of which the word or sentence forms a part. The second, in contrast, refers to meaning which is not referential but associational, subjective and affective. This kind of meaning, being personal, may or may not be shared by the community at large.”
Moreover, connotative meaning, unlike the denotative, is culturally-bound. Connotations tend to change from time to time and from society to society. To a significant extent the connotative meaning is independent of the denotative meaning. Some words are said to have no denotative meaning, but only connotative meaning such as “hurrah”, and “boo” which only express or arouse feelings. Two utterances may have the same denotative meaning but very different connotative meanings. Also, word’s connotation may vary while its denotation remains unchanged.
Challenges in Translation
Connotative meaning poses greater difficulty to the translator than denotative meaning because it is variable according to historical period and culture. The wider the gap between the SL and the TL cultures, the more problematic the issue of translatability becomes. Some words with neutral connotations in the SL may have strong emotional overtones in the TL if translated literally (Larson, 1984:131). Further, a word may have a positive connotation in one language and a negative one in another. Nethertheless, there may be various lexical choices a translator may draw based on connotative meanings (Ibid.). ‘Mismatches’ in connotation between the SL and TL lexemes result in loss in translation especially in literary texts, where any translation, as Savory explains, is but an imitation or recreation of the original; it is only a translation in the primitive sense of being a transcript of its meaning (1957:153).
References
Crystal, D. (1987) The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Leech, G. (1974) Semantics. Harmondswoth: Penguin.
Osgood, C. et al. (1957) The Measurement of Meaning. UrbanaUniversity of Illinois Press.
Bowers, F. (1989) Linguistic Aspects of Legislative Expression. Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press.
Bell, R. T. (1991) Translation and Translating: Theory and Practice. London and New York: Longman.
Larson, M. L. (1984) Meaning-Based Translation.Landham (Maryland) : University Press of America.
