collocation

polysemy and idiom

Synonyms, Antonymns and hyponym

http://www.slideshare.net/Andriyanieka12/13-semantics-synonym-antonym-homonym-hyponym-polyseme-idioms-18509523

definition symbolism and referent with example

Symbols

Communication is preeminently symbolic. There are two major categories of signals people send: signs and symbols. Signs are the foundation of all communication. A sign designates something other than itself, and meaning is the link between an object or idea and a sign (Littlejohn 64). These primary ideas link together an astoundingly wide set of theories administering with symbols, language, discourse, and nonverbal forms, ideas that elucidate how signs are affiliated to their meanings and how signs are disposed. The study of signs is commonly referred to as semiotics.

 

Charles Sauders Peirce, founder of modern semiotics, defined semiosis as a relationship among a sign, an object, and a meaning. The sign is a natural event that has a direct, inherent connection with what it represents. Pierce accredited to the representation of an object by a sign as the interpretant. For example, a blush is a sign of individual unease called embarrassment, and a bear track in the woods is a sign that a bear has passed. The word embarrassment or thought that a bear has passed is not the word or thought, but the association you make (the interpretant) links the two. All three elements are required in an irreducible triad in order for signs to operate (Littlejohn 64). This three-part connection is distinctly represented in a renowned model produced by C.K. Ogden and I. A. Richards.

 

Signs and Symbols

¡  A sign is something we directly encounter, yet at the same time it refers to something else. Thunder is a sign of rain. A punch in the nose is a sign of anger. An arrow is a sign of whatever it points toward.

¡  Words are also signs, but of a special kind. They are symbols. Unlike the examples cited above, most symbols have no natural connection with the things they describe. There’s nothing in the sound of the word kiss or anything visual in the letters h-u-g that signifies an embrace. One could just as easily coin the term snarf or clag to symbolize a close encounter of the romantic kind.

 

ymbolism in Literature 

Symbolism is often used by writers to enhance their writing. Symbolism can give a literary work more richness and color and can make the meaning of the work deeper.
In literature, symbolism can take many forms including:

• A figure of speech where an object, person, or situation has another meaning other than its literal meaning. 
• The actions of a character, word, action, or event that have a deeper meaning in the context of the whole story.  

Metaphors As Symbolism

A metaphor is a figure of speech that uses symbolism.

• It compares two things that are not similar and shows that they actually do have something in common.  
• In a metaphor, there is an additional meaning to a word. This makes it an example of symbolism.

Examples of symbolism that take the form of metaphors include:

• Time is money: This is symbolic because it warns you that when you spend your time, you are giving up the opportunity to be doing something else with that time (just as when you spend your money, you give up your chance to do something else with the money). Further, like money, time is not infinite. 
• Life is a roller-coaster: This is symbolic because it indicates that there will be ups and downs in life that you have to weather.  
• He is a rock: This is symbolic because it signifies that he is strong and dependable. 
• Love is a jewel: This is symbolic because it suggests that love is rare and pressure. 

Allegory As Symbolism

Sometimes symbolism takes the form of a literary tool called an allegory. Allegory is an extended use of symbolism and metaphors. A story, a poem, or even a whole book can be an allegory and the symbolism will permeate throughout.
One example of an allegory is the monologue from Shakespeare in “As You Like It.”

“All the world's a stage,And all the men and women merely players;they have their exits and their entrances;And one man in his time plays many parts,” 

This is symbolic of the fact that people are putting on a show and that they play many roles over the course of their lives.


 

Symbolism in Poetry

Many poets used symbolism to deepen the meaning of their poems. Here is an excerpt from William Blake's “Ah Sunflower.” In it, Blake refers to life cycle and uses sunflowers to represent humankind and that they desire everlasting life.

“Ah Sunflower, weary of time, Who countest the steps of the sun; Seeking after that sweet golden clime Where the traveler’s journey is done;” 

Symbolism in Everyday Life 

Our language contains an immense number of symbols whose intended meaning or significance is well-known and accepted by the majority. Of course, many of these do wind up in books, magazines, stories, and other written works.
Symbolism is found in colors:

• Black is used to represent death or evil.
• White stands for life and purity.
• Red can symbolize blood, passion, danger, or immoral character.
• Purple is a royal color.
• Yellow stands for violence or decay.
• Blue represents peacefulness and calm. 

Symbolic Objects

Objects are often used to symbolize something else:

• A chain can symbolize the coming together of two things.
• A ladder can represent the relationship between heaven and earth or ascension.
• A mirror can denote the sun but when it is broken, it can represent an unhappy union or a separation. 

lowers as Symbols

Even flowers can have a symbolism:

• Roses stand for romance.
• Violets represent shyness.
• Lilies stand for beauty and temptation.
• Chrysanthemums represent perfection.

Symbolism, as you see, can be found almost anywhere. Any time there is something that represents more than its literal meaning, this can be an example of symbolism.

this is example image about the symbolism.

smile and methapora

What is Simile ?

Simile Definition

A simile is a figure of speech that makes a comparison, showing similarities between two different things. Unlike a metaphor, a simile draws resemblance with the help of the words “like” or “as”. Therefore, it is a direct comparison.

Function of Simile

From the above discussion, we can infer the function of similes both in our everyday life as well as in literature. Using similes attracts the attention and appeals directly to the senses of listeners or readers encouraging their imagination to comprehend what is being communicated. In addition, it inspires life-like quality in our daily talks and in the characters of fiction or poetry. Simile allows readers to relate the feelings of a writer or a poet to their personal experiences. Therefore, the use of similes makes it easier for the readers to understand the subject matter of a literary text, which may have been otherwise too demanding to be comprehended. Like metaphors, similes also offer variety in our ways of thinking and offers new perspectives of viewing the world.

Difference Between Simile and Metaphor
As stated above, simile and metaphor are often confused. Though the difference is simple between the definition of simile and that of metaphor, it can be profound. While simile compares two things with the connecting words “like” or “as,” metaphor simply states that one thing is the other. For example, a simile would be, “He was as aggressive as a tiger in that argument,” whereas a metaphor would be, “He was a tiger in that argument.” Metaphors are thus subtler and can be stronger in a rhetorical sense, because they equate the two things in comparison rather than just present them as similar. Similes, however, allow for truly bizarre comparisons that make the reader stretch to understand the connection between them.

Significance of Simile in Literature
Simile can be an excellent way for an author either to make an unusual thing seem more familiar (i.e., “The planet Zenoth was as cold as ice”) or a familiar thing seem more unique (i.e., “Her smile was jagged like a broken zipper”). In this way, similes can help the reader imagine the fictive world of a piece of literature. Good similes can also make readers think about things in a new way, and can sometimes create a lasting effect. Scottish poet Robert Burns’s declaration that his “luve’s like a red, red rose” forever linked the concepts of love and red roses in our minds.
Simile can also sometimes be used to show a comparison, though with the conclusion that these two things really are unalike or even at odds with each other. This can either be a negative simile, which might come in the form of “A is not like B” (see Example #1 below) or an ironic simile, which communicates the opposite of what is expected at the beginning of the statement. For example, the famous feminist quote popularized by Gloria Steinem, “A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle,” ultimately concludes that a woman has no need for a man.
Simile can help to make new connections for the reader. One of literature’s purposes is to help better explain the world around us, and the technique of simile is one of those ways in which we are able to see things in a new way. All types of analogies are cognitive processes of transferring meaning from one thing to another, and thus the use of simile in literature has real synaptic effects. For this reason, and for aesthetic purposes, simile has been a popular literary technique for many hundreds of years.

 Examples of Similes
White as a ghost.
Swims like a fish.
Runs like a cheetah.
Slippery as an eel.
A simile can be as descriptive as the writer chooses.

Examples of more descriptive similes:
He was as brave as a lion in a fight.
He was as angry as a bull at a red flag.
He swam like a fish through rough waters.
Similes are used in poetry to create different effects, to create an image of comparison in the reader’s mind of what the writer is describing.

konotation, denotation and implication

Definition and Example Denotation, Connotation, and Implication 

Denotation Definition

Denotation is generally defined as literal or dictionary meanings of a word in contrast to its connotative or associated meanings.
Let us try to understand this term with the help of an example. If you search for meaning of the word “dove” in a dictionary, you will see that its meaning is “a type of pigeon, a wild and domesticated bird having a heavy body and short legs.” In literature, however, you frequently see “dove” referred to as a symbol of peace.

Denotation Examples in Literature

Let us analyze a few examples from literature:
1. An example of denotation literary term can be found in the poetic work of Robert Frost’s “Mending Wall”:

“And on a day we meet to walk the line
And set the wall between us once again.
We keep the wall between us as we go.
To each the boulders that have fallen to each.”

In the above lines, the word “wall” is used to suggest a physical boundary which is its denotative meaning but it also implies the idea of “emotional barrier”.
2. William Wordsworth in his poem “A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal” says:

“A slumber did my spirit seal;
I had no human fears–
She seemed a thing that could not feel
The touch of earthly years.
No motion has she now, no force;
She neither hears nor sees;
Roll’d round in earth’s diurnal course
With rocks, and stones, and trees.”

Wordsworth makes a contrast between a living girl and a dead girl in the first and second stanza respectively. We are familiar to the meanings of the words used in the last line of the second stanza; rock, stone and tree but the poet uses them connotatively where rock and stone imply cold and inanimate object and the tree suggests dirt and thus the burial of that dead girl.
3. Look at the following lines from Shakespeare’s play “As you Like It”:

“All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts,”

Shakespeare moves away from the denotative meanings of words in the above lines in order to give a symbolic sense to a few words. “a stage” symbolizes the world, “players” suggests human beings and “parts” implies different stages of their lives.
4. Sara Teasdale in her poem “Wild Asters” develops a number of striking symbols by deviating from the denotative meanings of the words:

“In the spring, I asked the daisies
If his words were true,
And the clever, clear-eyed daisies
Always knew.
Now the fields are brown and barren,
Bitter autumn blows,
And of all the stupid asters
Not one knows.”

Function of Denotation

Readers are familiar with denotations of words but denotations are generally restricted meanings. Writers, therefore, deviate from the denotative meanings of words to create fresh ideas and images that add deeper levels of meanings to common and ordinary words. Readers find it convenient to grasp the connotative meanings of words because of the fact that they are familiar to their literal meanings.

Difference between Denotation and connotation

The terms, denotation and connotation, are used to convey and distinguish between two different kinds of meanings or extensions of a word. A denotation is the strict, literal, definition of a word, devoid of any emotion, attitude, or color. The connotation of a word or term adds elements of emotion, attitude, or color. The meaning or use of denotation and connotation depends partly on the field of study.

The meaning of denotation and connotation

• 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.

• In logic, linguistics, and semiotics, a denotation of a word or phrase is a part of its meaning; however, several parts of meaning may take this name, depending on the contrast being drawn:
• Denotation and connotation are either
  • in basic semantics and literary theory, the literal and figurative meanings of a word, or,
  • in philosophy, logic and parts of linguistics, the extension and intension of a word

• Denotation can be synonymous with reference, and connotation with sense, in the sense and reference distinction in philosophy of language.

• In Computer science, denotational semantics is contrasted with operational semantics.

• In Semiotics, denotation also has its own meaning.

In logic and semantics, denotational always attracts the extension, meaning "in the pair," but the other element genuinely varies.
The distinction between connotation and denotation corresponds roughly to Gottlob Frege's ground-breaking and much-studied distinction between Sinn (sense) and Bedeutung (reference).
Bertrand Russell, in 1905, published a seminal article on the topic of denotation, entitled "On Denoting."
Denotation often links with symbolism, as the denotation of a particular media text often represents something further; a hidden meaning (or an enigma code) is often hidden in a media text.

Definition of Connotation

A connotation is a subjective cultural and/or emotional coloration in addition to the explicit or denotative meaning of any specific word or phrase in a language.

Usage

Within contemporary society, connotation branches into a culmination of different meanings. These could include the contrast of a word or phrase with its primary, literal meaning (known as a denotation), with what that word or phrase specifically denotes. The connotation essentially relates to how anything may be associated with a word or phrase, for example, an implied value judgment or feelings.

• A stubborn person may be described as being either "strong-willed" or "pig-headed." Although these have the same literal meaning (that is, stubborn), strong-willed connotes admiration for someone's convictions, while pig-headed connotes frustration in dealing with someone. Likewise, "used car" and "previously owned car" have the same literal meaning, but many dealerships prefer the latter, since it is thought to have fewer negative connotations.
• It is often useful to avoid words with strong connotations (especially disparaging ones) when striving to achieve a neutral point of view. A desire for more positive connotations, or fewer negative ones, is one of the main reasons for using euphemisms. (Although, not all theories of linguistic meaning honor the distinction between literal meaning and connotation).

Logic

In logic and in some branches of semantics, connotation is more or less synonymous with intension. Connotation is often contrasted with denotation, which is more or less synonymous with extension. A word's extension is the collection of things it refers to; its intension is what it implies about the things it is used to refer to. So, the denotation or extension of "dog" is just the collection of all the dogs that exist. The connotation or intension of "dog" is (something like) "four-legged canine carnivore." Alternatively, the connotation of the word may be thought of as the set of all its possible referents (as opposed to merely the actual ones). So saying, "You are a dog," would imply that the subject was ugly or aggressive rather than a literal canine.

As nouns the difference between implication and connotation is that implication is (uncountable) the act of implicating while connotation is a meaning of a word or phrase that is suggested or implied, as opposed to a denotation, or literal meaning a characteristic of words or phrases, or of the contexts that words and phrases are used in.

English

Noun

(en-noun)

(uncountable) The act of implicating.

(uncountable) The state of being implicated.

(countable) An implying, or that which is implied, but not expressed; an inference, or something which may fairly be understood, though not expressed in words.

(logic) (countable ) The connective in propositional calculus that, when joining two predicates A and B in that order, has the meaning "if A is true, then B is true".

Derived terms

* material implication * strict implication

Related terms

* implicate * implicative * implicit * implicitness * imply

 connotation

English

Noun

(en-noun)

A meaning of a word or phrase that is suggested or implied, as opposed to a denotation, or literal meaning. A characteristic of words or phrases, or of the contexts that words and phrases are used in.

The connotations of the phrase "you are a dog" are that you are physically unattractive or morally reprehensible, not that you are a canine.

A technical term in logic used by J. S. Mill and later logicians to refer to the attribute or aggregate of attributes connoted by a term, and contrasted with denotation .

The two expressions "the morning star" and "the evening star" have different connotations but the same denotation (i.e. the planet Venus).

Denotation is the literal meaning of a word as defined by its context. Connotation is the suggestion or implication represented by a word which alludes to its social context.
The most common example to use is the red rose. Red is the denotation of a colour, and rose is the denotation of a flower. Together they present a description of a flower of a particular colour: a red rose. The connotation of red rose is a symbol for love. The words red and rose simply describe a noun in terms of its colour and define a type of flower. Social convention has meant that the red rose as an idea represents or symbolises love.

definition, types, and example about euphemism

What is Euphemism?

 

A Euphemism is a polite inoffensive expression words or phrases replaced for one considered offensive or hurtful that contrarily might be considered bitter, blunt or unpleasant to hear. In short, the term euphemism refers to courteous, unintended expressions which is the substitution of an agreeable or inoffensive expression that replace words and phrases considered harsh and disrespectful or which suggest something unpleasant. When the aim is not to offend or hurt someone with honest intentions. 

Possibly there is no other word in English for which there are more euphemisms than for the verb “to die.” When someone dies, we say he passed away, passed on or simply passed. Or he is in a better place now, gone on to his heavenly reward or as the doctor may have said just as the patient breathed his last breath. “She expired.”

Lets consider a few more Examples:

• Collateral damage instead of accidental deaths
• Use the rest room instead of go to the bathroom
• Between jobs instead of unemployed
• Domestic engineer instead of maid

Types of Euphemisms

 

To Soften an Expression - Some euphemisms are used to make a blunt or obnoxious truth seem less hard.
Examples:

• Passed away instead of died
• Differently-abled instead of handicapped or disabled
• Relocation center instead of prison camp
• Letting someone go instead of firing someone
• On the streets instead of homeless

Euphemisms to be Polite - Some euphemisms are used to take the place of words or phrases one might not want to say in polite circle.
Examples:

• Adult beverages instead of beer or liquor
• Big-boned instead of heavy or overweight
• Vertically-challenged instead of short
• Economical with the truth instead of liar
• Between jobs instead of unemployed

Euphemisms to be Impolite - euphemisms are intentionally a callous or insensitive way of saying something. These euphemisms are usually used when being sarcastic or trying to make light of a serious subject or make it seem less serious.
Example:

• Bit the dust instead of died
• Blow chunks instead of vomited
• Bit the farm instead of died

Examples of Euphemisms

 

Euphemism is frequently used in everyday life. Let us look at some common euphemism examples:

• Retarded - mentally challenged
• Blind - Visually challenged
• Crippled - Differently abled
• Bald - follicularly challenged
• Poor - economically marginalized
• Fat - gravitationally challenged, Overweight
• Lazy - motivationally deficient
• beggar - panhandler, homeless person
• coffin - casket
• old age - golden age, golden years
• criminal (adj) - illegal
• confinement - detention
• lawyer - attorney
• sick - indisposed, ill, under the weather
• toilet - john, WC, men's room, restroom, bathroom, washroom, lavatory

Euphemism in sentences:

• He is always tired and emotional (drunk). He is a special child (disabled or retarded).
• You are becoming a little thin on top (bald).
• Our teacher is in the family way (pregnant).
• We do not hire mentally challenged (stupid) people.
• The individual was accused of appropriating funds.
• Joey isn’t broke, he is having temporary negative cash flow.
• Sam isn't buying a used car, he is purchasing a pre-enjoyed or pre-loved vehicle.
• Dian's supervisor laid him off because he was unmotivated.
• Politicians don't commit crimes, they 'make mistakes.'
• I don't care if you keep smoking, you'll be the one pushing up the daisies at the age of 40, not me!
• Putting stray dogs to sleep is the most humane thing to do.

echniques for Creating Euphemism

Euphemism masks a rude or impolite expression but conveys the concept clearly and politely. Several techniques are employed to create euphemism.

• It may be in the form of abbreviations e.g. B.O. (body odor), W.C. (toilet) etc.
• Foreign words may be used to replace an impolite expression e.g. faux (fake), or faux pas (foolish error) etc.
• Sometimes, they are abstractions e.g. before I go (before I die).
• They may also be indirect expressions replacing direct ones which may sound offensive e.g. rear-end, unmentionables etc.
• Using longer words or phrases can also mask unpleasant words e.g. flatulence for farting, perspiration for sweat, mentally challenged for stupid etc.
• Using technical terms may reduce the rudeness exhibited by words e.g. gluteus maximus.
• Deliberately mispronouncing an offensive word may reduce its severity e.g. darn, shoot etc.

Euphemism Examples in Everyday Life

Euphemism is frequently used in everyday life. Let us look at some common euphemism examples:

• You are becoming a little thin on top (bald).
• Our teacher is in the family way (pregnant).
• He is always tired and emotional (drunk).
• We do not hire mentally challenged (stupid) people.
• He is a special child (disabled or retarded).

Examples of Euphemism in Literature

Example 1

Examples of euphemism referring to sex are found in William Shakespeare’s “Othello” and “Antony and Cleopatra”. In “Othello”, Act 1 Scene 1, Iago tells Brabantio:

“I am one, sir, that comes to tell you your daughter and the Moor are now making the beast with two backs.”

Here, the expression “making the beast with two backs” refers to the act of having sex.
Similarly, we notice Shakespeare using euphemism for sexual intercourse in his play “Antony and Cleopatra”. In Act 2 Scene 2, Agrippa says about Cleopatra:

“Royal wench!
She made great Caesar lay his sword to bed.
He plowed her, and she cropped.”

The word “plowed” refers to the act of sexual intercourse and the word “cropped” is a euphemism for becoming pregnant.

Example 2

John Donne in his poem “The Flea” employs euphemism. He says:

“Mark but this flea, and mark in this,
How little that which thou denies me is;
It suck’d me first, and now sucks thee,
And in this flea our two bloods mingled be.
Thou know’st that this cannot be said
A sin, nor shame, nor loss of maidenhead;
Yet this enjoys before it woo,
And pamper’d swells with one blood made of two;
And this, alas! is more than we would do.”

In order to persuade his beloved to sleep with him, the speaker in the poem tells her how a flea bit both of them and their blood got mixed in it. This is a euphemism.

Example 3

“The Squealer”, a character in George Orwell’s “Animal Farm”, uses euphemisms to help “the pigs” achieve their political ends. To announce the reduction of food to the animals of the farm, Orwell quotes him saying:

“For the time being,” he explains, “it had been found necessary to make a readjustment of rations.”

Substituting the word “reduction” with “readjustment” was an attempt to suppress the complaints of other animals about hunger. It works because reduction means “cutting” food supply while readjustment implies changing the current amount of food.

Function of Euphemism

Euphemism helps writers to convey those ideas which have become a social taboo and are too embarrassing to mention directly. Writers skillfully choose appropriate words to refer to and discuss a subject indirectly which otherwise are not published due to strict social censorship e.g. religious fanaticism, political theories, sexuality, death etc. Thus, euphemism is a useful tool that allows writers to write figuratively about the libelous issues.


Here are some particularly amusing examples, except where downright offensive.

1. If you are offered a career change or an early retirement opportunity, a career or employee transition, or you are being involuntarily separated, or if personnel is being realigned or there is a surplus reduction in personnel, or the staff is being re-engineered or right sized, or if there is a workforce imbalance correction then: You’re fired!