Denotation and Connotation

In literary works, we find it a common practice with writers to deviate from the dictionary meanings of words to create fresher ideas and images. Such deviations from the literal meanings are called the use of figurative language or literary devices e.g. metaphors, similes, personifications, hyperboles, understatements, paradoxes, and puns etc. Even in our daily conversation, we diverge from the dictionary meanings of words and prefer connotative or associated meanings of words in order to accurately convey our message. Below is a list of some common deviations from denotative meanings of words that we experience in our day to day life:

• A dog is used to suggest shamelessness or an ugly face.
• A dove is used to suggest peace or gentility.
• Home is used to suggest family, comfort and security.
• Politician has a negative connotation of wicked and insincere person
• Pushy refers to someone loud-mouthed and irritating.
• Mom and Dad when used instead of mother and father suggest loving parents.

As nouns the difference between implication and connotation

is that implication is (uncountable) the act of implicating while connotation is a meaning of a word or phrase that is suggested or implied, as opposed to a denotation, or literal meaning a characteristic of words or phrases, or of the contexts that words and phrases are used in.

 implication

English

Noun

(en-noun)

·  (uncountable) The act of implicating.

·  (uncountable) The state of being implicated.

·  (countable) An implying, or that which is implied, but not expressed; an inference, or something which may fairly be understood, though not expressed in words.

·  (logic) (countable ) The connective in propositional calculus that, when joining two predicates A and B in that order, has the meaning "if A is true, then B is true".

Derived terms

* material implication * strict implication

Related terms

* implicate * implicative * implicit * implicitness * imply

 connotation

English

Noun

(en-noun)

·  A meaning of a word or phrase that is suggested or implied, as opposed to a denotation, or literal meaning. A characteristic of words or phrases, or of the contexts that words and phrases are used in.

The connotations of the phrase "you are a dog" are that you are physically unattractive or morally reprehensible, not that you are a canine.

·  A technical term in logic used by J. S. Mill and later logicians to refer to the attribute or aggregate of attributes connoted by a term, and contrasted with denotation .

The two expressions "the morning star" and "the evening star" have different connotations but the same denotation (i.e. the planet Venus).

Denotation is the literal meaning of a word as defined by its context. Connotation is the suggestion or implication represented by a word which alludes to its social context.
The most common example to use is the red rose. Red is the denotation of a colour, and rose is the denotation of a flower. Together they present a description of a flower of a particular colour: a red rose. The connotation of red rose is a symbol for love. The words red and rose simply describe a noun in terms of its colour and define a type of flower. Social convention has meant that the red rose as an idea represents or symbolises love.

reference :  http://literarydevices.net/denotation/