THE JOYS OF ATTACHING MULTIPLE MEANINGS TO ONE WORD.

Denotations and Connotations

Which word in each group has the most “romantic” connotations?

Horse, steed, nagKing, ruler, tyrant, autocratChicago, Pittsburgh, Samarkand, Detroit

Which word in each group is the most emotionally connotative?

Female parents, mother, damOffspring, children, progenyBrother, sibling

VOLUNTEERS!

I will need three groups of four.

Arrange the words in each of the following groups from most positive to most negative in connotation

Of the following, which should you be less offended at being accused of?

Having acted foolishly

Having acted like a fool

Like archetypes, denotations and connotations are controlled by context

What denotation has the word fast in the following contexts: Fast runner Fast color Fast living Fast day

What are the varying connotations of these four denotations of fast?

Same denotation, but different connotations?

First of all, do you think this is possible?Examples:

The young princess had blue eyes, golden hair, and a breast as white as snow.

Confronted with the evidence, the false princess turned as white as a sheet.

Connotations? Discuss contexts.

To recap

Words matter.Always consider denotations and

connotations of words. Pay attention to context. Be on the look out for irony. Don’t know all of the denotations of a word?

Use a dictionary.