A study on denotation and connotation in english

Chapter 2: LITERATURE REVIEW - Definition, types of word meaning - Components of word meaning Chapter 3 : THE STUDY Trang 10 - Distinction between denotation and connotation.. Chapter

HUNG YEN UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY AND EDUCATION FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES - GRADUATION PAPER FIELD: ENGLISH LINGUISTICS A STUDY ON DENOTATION AND CONNOTATION IN ENGLISH (NGHIÊN CỨU VỀ NGHĨA BIỂU VẬT VÀ NGHĨA BIỂU THÁI TRONG TIẾNG ANH) Supervisor: Hoang Thi Huyen, M.A Student: Ngo Thi Duong Student number: 11317086 Hung Yen - 2021 HUNG YEN UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY AND EDUCATION FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES - GRADUATION PAPER FIELD: ENGLISH LINGUISTICS A STUDY ON DENOTATION AND CONNOTATION IN ENGLISH (NGHIÊN CỨU VỀ NGHĨA BIỂU VẬT VÀ NGHĨA BIỂU THÁI TRONG TIẾNG ANH) Student: Ngo Thi Duong Student number: 11317086 Supervisor: Hoang Thi Huyen, M.A ( Ký tên ) Hung Yen - 2021 i DECLARATION I certify my authorship of the study report entitled “A study on denotation and connotation in English” This graduation paper is the result of my own work and effort, and that it has not been submitted anywhere for any award Where other sources of information have been used, they have been acknowledged Hai Duong, June, 2021 Signature ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS During the whole process of doing this graduation paper, I have taken any necessary help and assistance from my teachers, family, and friends This support whether more or less, direct or indirect, whether by action or just honest advice, have helped me tremendously First of all, I would like to express my respect and my special gratitude to my great supervisors, Ms Hoang Thi Huyen, who has always been willing to assists me with an erudite knowledge and valuable advice Following the direction that she led me, my essay has been successfully conducted Once again, my deepest thanks to her My sincere thanks are also sent to the teachers of Hung Yen University of Technology and Education for their time, dedication and knowledge during the time we studied there Last but not least, I would like to thank my parents and my classmate who willingly share and support to me during my study and my research work as well iii ABSTRACT Learning language is not simply a matter of learning words It is a matter of correctly relating our words to the things and happenings for which they stand It is the need of knowing how meanings of words vary from one cultural context into another We can interpret any given statement in more than one way Sometimes the difference is simply literal versus figurative interpretation We better understand that words are not limited to one single meaning Most of the words not simply express a thought, but also express feelings beyond the word’s literal meaning Denotation and Connotation are two principal methods of describing the meanings of words This thesis is a study on denotation and connotation in English The findings of the study help to find out some relatedness and distinction between denotation and connotation These findings can be utilized by second-language learners in the process of understanding the denotative and connotative meaning of the English language Moreover, the thesis also gives learners of English some suggestions for learning denotation and connotation iv TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii ABSTRACT iii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale 1.2 Aims of the study 1.3 Research questions 1.4 Method of the study 1.5 Scope of the study 1.6 Design of the study PART 2: LITERATURE REWIEW 2.1 Definition of word meaning 2.2 Type of word meaning 2.2.1 Grammatical meaning 2.2.2 Lexical meaning 2.3 Components of word meaning 2.3.1 Denotative meaning (Denotation) 2.3.1.1 Definition of denotation 2.3.1.2 Type of denotation 2.3.1.3 Denotation and reference 2.3.2 Connotative meaning (Connotation) 2.3.2.1 Definition of connotation 2.3.2.2 Type of connotation 2.3.3 Structural / associative meaning 2.3.4 Categorical meaning 10 PART 3: THE STUDY 11 3.1 Relatedness between denotation and connotation 11 3.2 Distinction between the denotation and connotation 16 3.3 Some suggestions for studying denotation and connotation 23 CHAPTER : CONCLUSION 27 v 4.1 Conclusion 27 4.2 Limitation of the study 27 4.3 Suggestion for further study 27 REFERENCES 28 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale Language is one of the most important cultural elements among other elements Learning language is not simply a matter of learning words It is a matter of correctly relating our words to the things and happenings for which they stand It is the need of knowing how meanings of words vary from one cultural context into another Through language, people can express and describe what they are doing, thinking, and what they are wanted We can interpret any given statement in more than one way Sometimes the difference is simply literal versus figurative interpretation We better understand that words are not limited to one single meaning Most of the words not simply express a thought, but also express feelings beyond the word’s literal meaning Denotation and connotation are two principal methods of describing the meanings of words Everyone knows the saying that “A picture is worth a thousand words” The opposite is true, also: “One word is worth a thousand pictures” Most words have a dictionary definition that specifies what the meaning of that word is For example, a “church” is a building in which people worship That is its denotation Some people, though, may have an idea in their mind that a “church” is a place to receive comfort, or a building in which marriages are performed, or a place they were forced to go every Sunday as children.Those are the word’s connotation meanings that are inferred by the person understanding the word “church” through different contexts But sometimes we don’t pay attention about that and sometimes we misunderstand and get confused Clearly, studying word meaning in general and denotation and connotation in particular is necessary for learners of English so that they can understand and apply them better That is reason inspired the author to choose the research topic “A study on denotation and connotation in English” 1.2 Aims of the study This study aims at several points: - To point out the relatedness between denotation and connotation - To clearly show the distinction between denotation and connotation - To get some suggestions for studying denotation and connotation 1.3 Research questions The study is an attempt to enhance knowledge about denotation and connotation in English, then can apply them well and use them easily and avoid misunderstanding Thus, it seeks answers to the following questions: What are the relatedness between denotation and connotation? What are the distinction between denotation and connotation? What are the suggestions for studying denotation and connotation? 1.4 Method of the study This research is carried out basing on the main method which analyzes and gives examples for denotation and connotation Firstly, to this research, the author essentially collected my acknowledgment about word meaning, especially about denotation and connotation And then, the author systemized them and analyzed them Moreover, the author differentiated denotation and connotation After that, the author illustrates them by some examples Besides it, to this research, the author referred so websites online, dictionary and different books on denotation and connotation Furthermore, my graduation paper also bases on myself experience and my knowledge during the process of learning English 1.5 Scope of the study Within the shortage of time, experience, and references, my graduation paper can not cover all aspects of word meaning It mainly focuses on the main features of denotation and connotation in English and give typical examples for illustration 1.6 Design of the study The study is divided in four parts Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION It includes the rationale, aims, research questions, method, scope and design of the study Chapter 2: LITERATURE REVIEW - Definition, types of word meaning - Components of word meaning Chapter : THE STUDY - Relatedness between denotation and connotation - Distinction between denotation and connotation - Some suggestions for studying denotation and connotation Chapter : CONCLUSION Summaries all things, mentioned previous parts of the study and suggestions for further study 15 Its connotation: Sunflowers symbolize adoration, loyalty and longevity, warmth, positivity, power, strength, and happiness since it bears such a strong resemblance to the Sun itself Sunflowers are known for being “happy” flowers, making them the perfect gift to bring joy to someone's (or your) day In Chinese culture, sunflowers are said to mean good luck and lasting happiness which is why they are often given at graduations and at the start of a new business ❖ The word - rose Its denotation: A garden plant with thorns on its stems and pleasant-smelling flowers, or a flower from this plant Its connotation: In fact, each rose colour has a different meaning - Most of us are familiar with what the red rose means, having been used across cultures to represent love, romance and Valentine’s Day - The meaning of yellow roses is warmth and happiness - The meaning of white roses is purity and grace - The meaning of purple roses is enchantment and love at first sight ❖ The word - lotus Its denotation: A type of tropical water lily (a plant with large, flat leaves that float on the surface of lakes and pools) Its connotation: Lotus color is related to meaning this flower carries within - White lotus flower is a symbol of purity, spiritual perfection, innocence, goodness, heaven and faith - Pink lotus flower is a symbol of harmony, romance, love, tenderness, relaxation and affection - Blue lotus flower is a symbol of peace, inspiration, confidence, sincerity, wisdom, and rest - Red lotus flower is, as you can suppose, associated with passion, romance, love, power, and domination ❖ The word - blue It denotes the colour of the sky without clouds on a bright day, or darker or lighter type of this 16 It connotes positively calm, peace, truth, wisdom, loyalty, optimism and faith and negatively sadness, bore ❖ The word - green The denotation is a colour between blue and yellow; of the colour of grass The connotation is the life, renewal, nature, and energy, is associated with meanings of growth, harmony, freshness, safety, fertility Green is also traditionally associated with money, finances, banking, ambition, greed, jealousy, and wall street ❖ The word - purple The denotation is any color having components of both red and blue, such as lavender, especially one deep in tone The connotation is often associated with royalty, nobility, luxury, power, and ambition Purple also represents meanings of wealth, creativity, wisdom, dignity, devotion, peace, pride, mystery, independence, and magic ❖ The word - home Its denotation: the actual building someone lives in Its connotation: it most often refers to family, comfort, and security ❖ The word - Hollywood The name “Hollywood” denotes an area of Los Angeles, worldwide known as the center of the American movie industry.In the same time, the name “Hollywood” connotes such things as glitz, glamour, tinsel, celebrity, and dreams of stardom ❖ The word - heart It denotes the organ in your chest that sends the blood around your body It connotes love, affection, soul, will, life-giving, complex, courage, compassion In general, we can understand simply that denotation shows the concepts, and connotation shows characteristics related to the concepts Connotation and denotation meaning always appear in the meaning of words because they are part of it and exist together It is realized that through research, denotation and connotation of words work together as a collaborative way of identifying the value of a certain term 3.2 Distinction between the denotation and connotation Connotation and denotation are not two separate things/signs They are two aspects/ elements of a sign, and the connotative meanings of a word exist together with the denotative meanings 17 As mentioned above, the author gave many definitions of denotation and connotation In general, we may distinguish between two types of meaning: denotation and connotation Denotation is the literal meaning of a word Connotation, on the other hand, is an indirect or implied meaning or feeling For example, the words “home” and “house” have similar denotations or primary meanings: a home is “a shelter that is the usual residence of a person, family, or household” and a house is “a building in which people live” However, these terms carry different associations or secondary meanings, also known as connotations Many people would agree that home connotes a sense of belonging and comfort, whereas house conveys little more than a structure A distinction currently made by modern linguists is that between the denotation of a word and the connotations associated with it Let us see these ideas: For instance, Bell (1991, p.98) points out that: Denotation refers to the 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 Connotation, in contrast, refers to the meaning, which is not referential but associated, subjective and affective This kind of meaning, being personal, may or may not be shared by the community at large For example, the denotative meaning of the item “dog” in English is straightforward and common property (so to speak) The connotations vary from person to person, extending, no doubt, from servile dedication to the well-being of the species to utter abhorrence and from society to society; the connotations of “kalb” for Arabs are likely to be more negative than those for dog for English-speakers, even though the denotation of the two words is identical Other, like Lyons (1977, p.287) and Leech, not accept the binary distinction and prefer to use denotation and connotation in a rather specific sense However, these divergent views can not conceal the fact that connotation is closely associated with synonym In other words, synonyms may have the same denotation, i.e cognitive, or conceptual meaning, but differ in connotation For examples: ❖ The words - slender, scrawny, bony, gaunt Denotation: All of these words are synonyms of thin and are used to describe someone or something without much body fat Connotation: 18 - Slender is often used as a way to describe someone who is both thin and attractive - Scrawny is often associated with weakness - Bony usually conjures up images of someone who is unattractive and hard-looking - Gaunt is often associated with hunger and malnutrition Other examples: ❖ The words - chef and cook Denotation: Both words denote someone who prepares food Connotation: A “chef” has the connotation of being professional and accomplished, while a “cook” has a connotation of being someone who makes food as an amateur or for friends and family ❖ The words - shrewd and clever Denotation: Both words denote intelligence Connotation: “shrewd” has a connotation of selfishness and trickery; “clever” has a much more positive connotation of quick-wittedness but without the sense of selfishness that is connected to “shrewd” ❖ The words - skinny and slim Denotation: Both words denote thinness Connotation: “skinny” has a connotation of overly thin, bony, or a bit awkward, “slim” has a connotation of a graceful or beautiful thinness ❖ The words - journalist and newshound Denotation: Both words denote someone who reports on the news Connotation: “journalist” connotes a certain sense of honor and nobility in the job, whereas “newshound” connotes a kind of amoral, “feeding frenzy” quality to the gathering and dissemination of the news As far as the attitude of the speaker is concerned, denotation is regarded as neutral, since its function is simply to convey the informational load carried by a word The connotative aspects of meaning are highly subjective, springing from personal experiences, which a speaker has had of a given word and also from his/her attitude towards his/her utterance and/or towards the interlocutors (Leech, 1990: 14) Furthermore, Shunnaq (1992, p.47) argues that: Denotation involves the relationship between lexical items and non-linguistic entities to which they refer, thus, denotation is equivalent to referential, conceptual, propositional, or dictionary meaning Connotation, 19 however, refers to our strong, weak, affirmative, negative, or emotional reaction to words The connotative meaning is defined as the secondary meaning of a word or expression besides its explicit or primary meaning Chaer (1994) also states that connotative meaning can be divided into two kinds, namely positive connotative (purr word) and negative connotative (snarl word) Besides the positive and negative connotative meaning, there is neutral that is most of them is jargon language Here are the examples of positive and negative connotative meaning : ❖ The words - childish and childlike Both these mean characteristic of a child But “childish” connotes negative qualities like immaturity, pettiness whereas “childlike” connotes more positive qualities like innocence, meekness ❖ The words - home, house, shelter Denotation: These words all refer to a place where people live Connotation: - House has a pretty neutral connotation, and most people just associate it with the structure of the building - Shelter has more of a negative connotation of something that only covers basic needs and doesn’t provide additional warmth - Home has a much more positive connotation and is often associated with family and positive memories made in the house ❖ The words - grin, beam, sneer, simper Denotation: These are all synonyms for smile Connotation: - Both grin and beam have positive connotations and are generally associated with someone who is genuinely happy - Sneer has a negative connotation and is usually associated with someone is cruel or scornful - Simper also has a negative connotation, but is usually associated with someone weak or unintelligent ❖ The words - group, clique, club, and gang Denotation: A set of more than one person 20 Connotation: - Group has a neutral connotation The word simply describes a number of people It does not inspire either positive or negative feelings - Clique also means a group of people, but it carries a negative connotation This is because clique is typically used in circumstances where the group is known for excluding others This word should be used carefully: If you want to be thought of as a welcoming group, the negative connotation of this word will turn people off - Club also refers to a group of people, but this word has a more positive connotation because a club is a collection of people that voluntarily come together for a shared passion or purpose - Gang is defined as an organized group, but it has very negative connotations The use of this term suggests criminal activity and/or violent behavior We can see more clearly about the biggest difference between the denotation and connotation Connotation is, in fact, is less stable than denotation because it is often dependent on the context, culture, historical period, and the experience of the individual It emerges as a result of affective or emotional feeling Kreidler (1998) explains that denotative is knowledge that a sender and a receiver have in expressing language, while connotative is a word that has a relation to the experience of a sender in expressing the language It means that in analyzing the meaning, denotative refers to the dictionary meaning, while connotative refers to a value that emerges in communication and it depends on the context of the word For example, if you are asked to define what a chair is, you’ll most likely say that it is just your typical piece of furniture that usually has a back part for support when you try to fall back while sitting It also has a base to sit on and four legs that support the furniture itself This definition is often true to most cases when you are talking about a standard type of chair However, if you are asked about the connotation of the word “chair”, you can talk about it in a variety of ways One is by giving a positive connotation to it when you walked for several hours and finally found a chair to sit upon Another way of connotation is a negative impression when you give a negative remark “Stupid chair!” because you tripped over it while you were walking inside the classroom at night when the lights were out 21 The word “mother” denoting a “female parent”, is often associated with love, care, forgiving, tenderness, etc These connotations are not given in the dictionary, but associated with the word “mother” in actual context to particular readers or speakers According to Chaika (1989, p 290): Connotative meanings of words, then, indicate to how people see the effects of these words on them In other words, word meaning shows how certain cultural aspects are valued and seen as positive or negative by speakers of that language Cultural patterns tell us what makes speakers of a particular language comfortable or uncomfortable with specific words For instance, many real estate agents sell only home, never houses The word “home” connotes family life, happiness and security, while a buyer is apt to think of a house in terms of concrete, lumber and next year’s taxes The word “foxy” has different meanings in different cultural contexts The British use the word “foxy” to mean “cunning or tricky”; in American and Australian cultures, the word “foxy” might be used to mean “sexy”, namely when it is used about women Both “woman” and “chick” have the denotation “adult female” in North American society, but “chick” has somewhat negative connotations, while “woman” is neutral In English, “owl” generally implies wisdom and calmness, for example, the phrase “as wise as an owl”, indicates that English-speaking people associate this bird with wisdom In children’s books and cartoons, the owl is usually solemn and wise as well However, in Chinese, as the sound of the owl’s hooting might cause people to draw back in fear, many people regard this bird as a sign of bad luck and a symbol of sinister things So, comes the common Chinese saying, (an owl visiting a home portends a misfortune in that house) Besides, in Chinese and English, “bear” also has quite different associations or connotations In English, people use “bear” to refer to the person with special ability, for example, “He is a bear at mathematics” However, in Chinese, “bear” usually means “cowardly and timid” The word “sun” in the English culture carries positive attitude because it is soft and sends warm rays that motivate English people to work In the complete contrast, most Arabs dislike “sun” that is, “sun” namely in the summer The word “sun” in the Arabic culture carries negative attitude because it is associated with hot weather, humidity, thirsty, and sun strike 22 The word “police” connotes for the regulation, especially for the maintenance of public order, safety, health, morals, etc But in some culture, people call police with different attitudes For example, in Britain, police sometimes is called cop or copper It is also believed that the term “copper” was the original, unshortened word, popularly believed to represent the copper badges American officers used to wear at the time of origin, but in fact probably used in Britain to mean “someone who cops” long before this Crackers is a slang term for the police in Florida especially in south Florida A partly, these term is called by crimes with unfriendly attitude In Chinese, the animal word “magpie” is considered as good luck conventionally, because “magpie” is pronounced as “(Xi Que)” and “(Xi)” in Chinese means something good or happy traditionally However, in some places in Scotland, a magpie is usually regarded as bad luck If a magpie flies near a window, it is a symbol of bad luck In England, if someone happens to meet a magpie, he has to spit three times to avoid bad luck To conclude, the connotation of a word depends on cultural context and personal associations, but the denotation of a word is its standardized meaning within the English language Through the ideas of many linguists, we can see clearly the distinction between the denotation and connotation In short, the author thinks the distinction between denotation and connotation can be that: Denotation versus Connotation Denotation refers to the primary, literal Connotation refers to the personal and meaning or the dictionary meaning of a cultural meanings in addition to their word primary, literal meaning of a word Denotation has neutral content Connotation can have a strong emotional content Denotation remains the same regardless of Connotation can change according to context, culture and personal experiences context, culture and personal experiences 23 In short, connotation and denotation play a vital role in learning language and comprehending literature Words can be used for positive or negative connotations based on context and need In the course of communication, we use language which is symbolic to represent ideas, objects, and feelings We can interpret any given statement in more than one way Sometimes the difference is simply literal versus figurative interpretation We better understand that words are not limited to one single meaning Most of the words not simply express a thought, but also express feelings beyond the word’s literal meaning 3.3 Some suggestions for studying denotation and connotation An understanding of the denotative and connotative meaning of a word is highly significant as a basic to conceive the definition and concept of word in communication However, almost learners when study the word meaning having difficulties understanding, especially, denotative meaning and connotative meaning As myself, in the learning process, the author not understand it The author recognized that much confusion happens because of understanding meanings of words denotative, not connotative Because of connotative meaning, unlike the denotative, is culturally-bound However, Vietnamese and English have different the cultural So, when studying the word meaning, they can be confused and misunderstood The researcher wants to propose some suggestions to solve this problem Hopefully these suggestions are expected to provide new ideas for a better learning process: - In the course of learning our native language, we have learned our culture and mother tongue at the same time which is complementary to each other in the learning, and that is one of the reasons why we can learn our first language much easily and quickly Generally speaking, after having learnt all the basic structures of the language, learners can usually communicate with others smoothly However, in order to express themselves more clearly and appropriately in a wider range of situations they still need to broaden their knowledge of English culture Especially, connotations tend to change from time to time and from society to society To avoid misunderstanding in learning to word meaning as well as denotation and connotation, it is also necessary for us to make full use of various ways to improve our awareness of English culture as well as the cultural differences between English and Vietnamese 24 For instance, terms that were used years ago such as “gangster” and “thug” denoted (that is, specifically referred to or explicitly meant) individuals involved in criminal activities, who were prone to violence, and who had general disregard for laws and social order Also, particularly during the Depression era, “gangsters” and “thugs” were associated with male immigrants from Italy, Ireland, and other European countries However, today’s “gangsters” and “thugs” are associated with African-American males, and the terms are used to connote (that is, suggest or imply) that these individuals are concerned with accumulating material wealth, are hyper-sexual, and are threats to middleclass suburban folks The terms “thug” and “gangster” have also become prevalent all across youth culture, designating clothing styles, postures, attitudes, values, etc and spawning a vast array of related terms Let us see some other examples: ❖ The word - family In English culture, “family” usually refers to the family of two generations including parents and children, even refers to the family of a couple, which does not want children In Vietnamese culture, the “family” refers to the family of three generations including grandparents, parents and children; sometimes it even refers to the family of four generations ❖ The word - dragon In English, “dragon” stands for monster, demon, evil or savage They all bring negative connotations In Vietnamese culture, the “dragon” symbolizes the high reputation In the feudal society, an ordinary person who passed the national exam and became a mandarin or someone in favorable condition is compared with “dragon” ❖ The word - monkey In some English idioms, “monkey” can be used to refer to people who are funny, restless and agitated person In Vietnamese culture, when denoting to human, “monkey” also represents bad qualities It is used for a person with bad behaviors, a cunning person, an incompetent person who has high position ❖ The word - dog 25 In the minds of English people “dog” regarded as man’s best friend, are trustworthy and empathetic In the Vietnamese culture “dog” is often abusive to others; in the negative sense, this represents stingy character, unscrupulous, and hatred ❖ The word - cat In English, “cat” carries both positive and negative connotations “Cat” can connote an ordinary person or someone in authority In some idioms and proverbs, “cat” implies people with bad characters It is considered to be nervous and unable to keep still, promiscuous, imitative and unfaithful In Vietnamese idioms and proverbs, cat’s meanings are negative and derogatory when it alludes a person “Cat” is used to refer a dull, a scamp, an unfriendly, quarrelsome person and someone who hides evil things secretly - Furthermore, reading English books, watching TV and English movies, and communicating with English native speakers can help learners capture the connotative meanings of words in the English cultural context For example, while reading book, you can stop, you know, for a second and read it again like see the context and just guess the meaning or what they are trying to say In addition, nowadays, the Internet is widespread and also a superiority in our world Thereby, the Internet comprises all kind of information and it will help you about your doubts - Noting new word with their meaning and usage are also the effective way to learning the word meaning This will help to remember these words especially difficult ones Also, when you got a new word and you not know what the meaning, write in your notes book and found the meaning in the dictionary But if you still not understand, you should ask your friends and teachers also to make it accurately After that, when you got new vocabulary, keep practicing in your daily communication For examples : ❖ The words - pants, trousers: In American English, “pants” and “trousers” have the same denotation They both refer to the clothing that one wears on one’s legs However, “trousers” sound like a much more formal item of clothing than “pants” (note that in British English “pants” actually refers to underwear and therefore has a different denotation than trousers) ❖ The words - boss, leader: 26 “Boss” is not necessarily negative it still separates this person more definitively from his or her underlings than the word “leader” “Leader” generally sounds more inspiring Compare also the difference between “bossy” and “demanding” “Bossy” connotes more of an attitude that someone tells others what to without reason, whereas a “demanding” person asks much of others but for a good reason ❖ The words - burden, obligation: Both “burden” and “obligation” refer to something that a person must However, a burden is more onerous A burden makes life difficult for the person who shoulders it, while an obligation may be simply what a person is required to without resenting it ❖ The words - cheap, affordable While both words mean that something does not cost a lot, “cheap” can also connote something that it not well-made or of low value, while “affordable” can refer to a quality item or service that happens to be well-priced - In addition, the learners should improve their vocabulary mastery by asking the lecturer or friends, using online media to check the words and keep practicing They should learn with our friends, teacher in daily life so that we can remember them easily as well as how to use them in each situation So, the learner will have many vocabularies, and they will not find difficulties in finding the word meaning - Finally, learners with a high motivation and a positive attitude towards learning to word meaning as well as the second language will make their study more effectively than those who not have such positive attitudes So, that improving the positive attitude of the students towards a particular academic subject may increase their desire to learn it, and an ability to apply what they have been taught may improvement their achievement Without motivation to memorize words you will never able to learn English because no word which you understand Automatically, you have no spirit in learning English and you will feel that English is a boring lesson 27 CHAPTER 4: CONCLUSION 4.1 Conclusion Language is symbolic in that we use it to represent ideas, objects, and feelings Connotation and denotation, a part of language and communication, are two more tools in order to distinguish the meaning of an unfamiliar term Denotation is a word’s literal meaning or the “dictionary definition” But, connotation is an idea that is suggested by or associated with a word that expresses rhetorical or emotional feelings We also understand that connotation and denotation play a vital role in learning language and comprehending literature Understanding the relatedness and distinction between denotation and connotation is important to understanding definitions and how concepts are used In other words, they help the learner understand and distinguish their explicit and implicit meanings as well as their emotional feeling and ideas 4.2 Limitation of the study The paper is carried out on the basis of the limited data source due to the limit of time and difficulty in approaching sources and references for the study Moreover, with limited ability and inexperience in conducting a research, some weaknesses and limitations are inevitable I would be very grateful to those that take interest in this study with comments, advice, and adjustment The sincere, useful ideas are very valuable to make this paper more fulfilled, clearer, and more perfect 4.3 Suggestion for further study The researcher has been completed with the author’s great efforts, although mistakes may not be avoided There are some topics for future research: - A study on denotation and connotation in communication - A study on denotation and connotation in English American literary works - A study on denotation and connotation in English idioms and proverbs 28 REFERENCES Barker, Chris (2001), Lexical Semantic, USA: University of California, San Diego Press Barthes, Roland (1983), Element of semiology, Hill and Wang, New York Bell, Roger T (1991), Translation and Translating: Theory and Practice, London and New York: Longman Cruse, Alan 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