Denotation

The denotation of a word is its central sense and the entire set of objects that can be contained in the word's meaning.[1] Denotation is sometimes contrasted to connotation, which includes associated meanings and pragmatic inferences, because the denotational meaning of a word is perceived through visible concepts, whereas connotational meaning evokes sensible attitudes towards the phenomena.[1][2] This concept is relevant in several fields, including linguistics, philosophy, and computer science. From a philosophical standpoint, exploration of meaning as it relates to denotation is important in the study of the philosophy of language.[3]

In linguistic semantics

In natural language semantics, denotations are conceived of as the outputs of the semantic component of the grammar. For example, the denotation of the word "blue" is the property of being blue and the denotation of the word "Barack Obama" is the person who goes by that name. Phrases also have denotations which are computed according to the principle of compositionality. For instance, the verb phrase "passed the class" denotes the property of having passed the class. Depending on one's particular theory of semantics, denotations may be identified either with terms' extensions, intensions, or other structures such as context change potentials.[4][5][6][7]

When uttered in discourse, expressions may convey other associations which are not computed by the grammar and thus are not part of its denotation. For instance, depending on the context, saying "I ran five miles" may convey that you ran exactly five miles and not more. This content is not part of the sentence's denotation, but is rather pragmatic inferences arrived at by applying social cognition to its denotation.[4]

Denotation, meaning, and reference

Linguistic discussion of the differences between denotation, meaning, and reference is rooted in the work of Ferdinand de Saussure, specifically in his theory of semiotics written in the book Course in General Linguistics.[8] Philosophers Gottlob Frege and Bertrand Russell have also made influential contributions to this subject.[9]

Denotation and reference

Although they have similar meanings, denotation should not be confused with reference.[1] A reference is a specific person, place, or thing that a speaker identifies when using a word.[8] Vocabulary from John Searle's speech act theory can be used to define this relationship.[10] According to this theory, the speaker action of identifying a person, place, or thing is called referring. The specific person, place, or thing identified by the speaker is called the referent. Reference itself captures the relationship between the referent and the word or phrase used by the speaker. For referring expressions, the denotation of the phrase is most likely the phrase's referent. For content words, the denotation of the word can refer to any object, real or imagined, to which the word could be applied.[4]

Denotation and meaning

In "On Sense and Reference", philosopher Gottlob Frege began the conversation about distinctions between meaning and denotation when he evaluated words like the German words "Morgenstern" and "Abendstern".[8] Author Thomas Herbst uses the words "kid" and "child" to illustrate the same concept.[8] According to Herbst, these two words have the same denotation, as they have the same member set; however, "kid" may be used in an informal speech situation whereas "child" may be used in a more formal speech situation.

In other fields

See also

References
  1. Trask, R. L. (2007). Language and linguistics : the key concepts. Peter Stockwell (Second ed.). Abingdon [England]. pp. 51, 66–67. ISBN 978-0-415-41358-9. OCLC 75087994.
  2. John Lyons, Semantics, Cambridge University Press, 1996-2009 (2 vol.)
  3. McGinn, Colin (2015). Philosophy of language : the classics explained. Cambridge, Massachusetts. ISBN 978-0-262-32365-9. OCLC 903531161.
  4. Kroeger, Paul (2019). Analyzing Meaning. Language Science Press. pp. 21–22, 172–173. ISBN 978-3-96110-136-8.
  5. Coppock, Elizabeth; Champollion, Lucas (2019). Invitation to Formal Semantics (PDF). Manuscript. p. 43.
  6. Heim, Irene; Kratzer, Angelika (1998). Semantics in Generative Grammar. Oxford: Wiley Blackwell. p. 14.
  7. Nowen, Rick; Brasoveanu, Adrian; van Eijck, Jan; Visser, Albert (2016). "Dynamic Semantics". In Zalta, Edward (ed.). The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
  8. Herbst, Thomas (2010). English linguistics : a coursebook for students of English. Walter de Gruyter & Co. Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton. ISBN 978-3-11-021548-9. OCLC 710790467.
  9. Makin, Gideon (2000). The metaphysicians of meaning : Russell and Frege on sense and denotation. London: Routledge. ISBN 0-203-24267-X. OCLC 52111256.
  10. Searle, John R. (1969). Speech acts : an essay in the philosophy of language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-139-17343-8. OCLC 818781122.
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