How can the three words “crazy,” “eccentric” and “unique” teach us about the difference between the denotation of a word and the connotations of a word?
Subject: Denotation and Connotation - Russell’s Triads
Event: Birthday of British philosopher Bertrand Russell, 1872
Many people would sooner die than think; in fact, they do so. -Bertrand Russell
Today is the birthday of philosopher and mathematician Bertrand Russell who was born in Wales in 1872. Russell received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1950.
Image by Alexandra_Koch from Pixabay
Russell’s writings are eminently quotable. Here are a few examples that demonstrate his genius for language that is both concise and profound:
The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.
There are two motives for reading a book: one, that you enjoy it; the other, that you can boast about it.
The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, but wiser people so full of doubts.
The point of philosophy is to start with something so simple as not to seem worth stating and to end with something so paradoxical that no one will believe it.
One particular quotation by Russell has helped generations of writers to understand the subtleties of denotation and connotation in language.
On a BBC radio program called Brain Trust, Russell said the following:
I am firm.
You are obstinate.
He is a pig-headed fool.
With this one quotation, Russell demonstrated how a writer’s word choice is colored by his or her point of view and how the plethora of synonyms in English is a double-edged sword: it allows for an amazing array of possibilities, choices, and variety, but it also requires the writer to be a discriminating student of not just a word’s meaning, but also its associations and appropriate context.
The denotation of a word is its dictionary definition, the objective meaning of a word, which is determined by lexicographers. The connotations of a word, however, are a word’s implied meaning – the associations and emotions that are attached to the word. For example, when addressing a 15-year old, you have a choice of addressing him as a young adult, a young person, an adolescent, a teenager, a teen, a teeny-bopper, a juvenile, or even a whipper-snapper. Although each of these words has the same basic denotation, they certainly have a range of different connotations on a scale of positive to neutral to negative.
Writing Russellesque triads is an excellent way to exercise your verbal muscles and to learn to discriminate between the subtle differences in the connotations of various synonyms. It’s also a good way to understand that just because two words are synonymous, they cannot always be used in the exact same context. For example, there is a classic example of a student who was looking for a synonym for “good.” He picked up a thesaurus and looked down the list of synonyms. Making a selection of what he thought was an appropriate synonym, the student wrote the following sentence: “Today I ate a benevolent donut.”
Here are some examples of triads:
I am an erudite scholar.
You are an learned instructor.
He is a didactic pedagogue.
I’m a patriot.
You are a flag waver.
He is jingoistic.
My smoking is a vice.
Your smoking is a transgression.
His smoking is a sin.
My story was a fascinating narration.
Your story was an interesting anecdote.
His story was a strange yarn.
I am sagacious.
You are astute.
He is crafty.
I am a scholar.
You are a student.
He is a pupil.
I am a wordsmith.
You are a writer.
He is a hack.
I’m resting.
You’re lounging.
He’s a couch potato.
I’m frugal.
You’re cheap.
He’s a tightwad.
Recall, Retrieve, Recite, Ruminate, Reflect, Reason: How is a word’s denotation different from its connotations? What are specific words in one of Russell's triads that have negative connotations, and what is another one that has positive connotations?
Challenge - Connotative Concoctions: What are some examples of words that come in a variety of connotations? Celebrate Bertrand Russell’s birthday by doing your own triad of synonyms. Use the following guidelines as you write:
-Arrange your concoction in first, second, and third person points of view: I, You, and He.
-Begin in the first person with the word or phrase that has the most positive connotations. Continue by using words and/or phrases with ever-increasing negative connotations.
Example:
My bathroom has a fragrant aroma.
Your bathroom has an odd odor.
His bathroom has a strange stench.
Sources:
1-Lederer, Richard. “Highly Irregular Verbs Can Teach Us A Lot About Meaning.” Verbivore.com 29 April 2017.
No comments:
Post a Comment