The term "uplifting thoughts" is really also up for redefinition. If they do nothing for one's heart and one's feelings then they could be too intellectual. This is ineffectual if you get my meaning. Language can be so denotative that it does not touch a person. The effect of music can do this more easily. So then how can language on paper or the screen do the same as a CD and not sound cliche.
Denotation and Connotation
Denotation and Connotation
- Denotation refers to the literal meaning of a word, the "dictionary definition."¨ For example, if you look up the word snake in a dictionary, you will discover that one of its denotative meanings is "any of numerous scaly, legless, sometimes venomous reptiles¡Khaving a long, tapering, cylindrical body and found in most tropical and temperate regions."
- Connotation, on the other hand, refers to the associations that are connected to a certain word or the emotional suggestions related to that word. The connotative meanings of a word exist together with the denotative meanings. The connotations for the word snake could include evil or danger.