Connotation, Denotation, & Semiotics
As a communication major, all the topics covered in COMM110, Principles of Media, proved very beneficial to my major. I especially enjoyed mulling over connotation versus denotation.
Denotation refers to the direct and literal meaning of a word, instead of the feelings the word could suggest while connotation refers to just the opposite, feelings or ideas invoked by a word in addition to its literal meaning. As a communicator, it is my goal to communicate effectively. A lot of times that means using the accurate words when writing articles. But, in a broader sense, it also means being capable of using words that evoke passion and feeling; that connotate passion and feeling. For example, a neutral word might be secure, while similarly defined words could be confident or arrogant. Confident has a positive connotation while arrogant has a negative connotation. Each of these words portray the same thing but in a different manner.
Connotation and denotation connect nicely to semiotics, which associates with signs and symbols instead of words. Semiotics includes both a signifier and a signified. An example could be an American flag. The flag itself is the signifier while the signified could be freedom. Another example could be a red octagon, which is the signifier, while the signified is “stop.”
Journalism is greatly affected by a journalist’s effective use of connotation. Connotation establishes emotion and invites the reader into the emotional story rather than just the literal story. It also helps the reader feel what the author is trying to portray. Similarly, a photographer experiences the same thing when they focus on lighting, camera angle, and framing. These techniques help the photographer portray the story they see in an image, when the same image at a different angle or with different lighting could portray something completely different. This connects to semiotics. The two images to the left demonstrate an artists use of lighting to convey different meaning through the same scenery.
