Whether writing or speaking, the words we use convey images to our audience. The literal, dictionary definition of a particular word is its denotation; the implied meaning or perception associated with it is its connotation. Selecting the right words for the thoughts we want to communicate requires knowing both their literal meaning and the emotional context surrounding them.
Many words have positive, negative, or neutral connotations that add color to their literal meanings. For example, calling someone a chef will generally imply more skill and prestige than saying they are a cook, even though both words denote a person whose job is preparing food to eat. Saying a woman’s hair looks nice can have a neutral, or perhaps negative, connotation even though the word “nice” is generally considered complimentary. Seeing the name of an inner-city gang scrawled across the wall of a building might make a gang member feel pride, but the same sight might incite anger or fear in other people in the community. Factors such as age, culture, education, and life experiences will affect how a person perceives certain words.
Using words that connote more than their literal meaning can affect the tone and mood of what we write, and adds depth to both fiction and nonfiction by stimulating the reader’s imagination and invoking an emotional response.
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What are some words you react to based on their connotation more than their denotation? What type of words do you view as “neutral?” Do you think about the meaning of the words you are using more when you are writing than when you are speaking?
Ah, so that’s that difference!
I generally don’t think too deeply in general conversation concerning the better word choices. But when it comes to writing it’s a different story. I will spend days trying to find the perfect word for use in one of my poems. It is very important to me that what I have in my head and heart is conveyed (see, I choose conveyed rather than understood) clearly to the reader.
My dear friend called me last night and said, I have a conundrum. Do you know what that is? I loved that she used conundrum rather than problem.
Neutral word: warm
I always learn something from your posts. Thanks for sharing your wisdom.
Hi, Elizabeth.
Yes, I know what conundrum means, and I have them frequently! Thanks for the encouraging comment.
When I’m speaking I either think too hard about what words to choose and come across as slow-witted, or I speak without thinking and sound scatter-brained. I prefer to write my thoughts and then edit them to say exactly what I mean.
I don’t really think much about connotation when speaking, which is why I usually have my foot in my mouth. Much more particular when writing. Elizabeth brings up an interesting point too … I find it much harder and spend much more time on finding the right word when writing poetry than when writing fiction. Not sure what to make of that.
It’s been a while since I dropped by. I hope all is well with you and yours. I’ll try not to be such a stranger.
~jon
Jon, it’s nice to hear from you! I know you’re really busy so don’t feel bad about having limited time to visit. I’m going through a busy time as well, as you might have guessed by the sporadic posting I’ve done. Life throws curves at us sometimes and we can’t always do what we’d like.
I love poetry, but have no patience or talent for writing it. I’d much rather tell a story or explain something directly instead of thinking up symbols and counting meters, etc, (which shows how little I understand the mechanics of poetry!)
