3.3. Definition of Non-Literal Meaning
Non-literal meaning is included as a part of communication which is directly meant as an activity that occurs when there is no conversation between
speaker and hearer. To make the communicative conversation, it is necessary for the speaker to give herhis intentional meaning and, in the same time, the hearer
accepts the speaker’s intension and responds the sense by giving the intentional meaning in return with words or sentences as the reaction. But when all of those
aspects do not come, the predictable result that probably happens is the conversation may not continue any longer and it will be automatically stopped.
Therefore, before making further steps in conversation of non-literal meaning, both of the communicants must concern to those aspect above and understand the
context that is sentences atmosphere being expressed. Non-literal meaning occurs when the speaker means different from what
the words or sentences really mean. In other word, when the speaker speaks a word and a sentence, which implies the different meaning from its real meaning
and that is the time for the speaker to speak non-literally. In addition, the word or sentence which is spoken by the speaker had hidden meaning besides the lexical
meaning. Before having the conversation which has non-literal meaning in it, it is
important for the hearer to know or understand the context of the atmosphere of the sentences being expressed it is quite difficult to understand the meaning
without any understanding to the context of the sentences atmosphere. Misunderstanding might happen when the hearer cannot get the speaker’s idea. It
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possibly happens, because non-literal meaning is way to express someone’s idea abstractly or imaginatively and it might be the special way to express the idea
which seems very innovative and better for human’s ear. Non-literal meaning is not always used for imaginative or abstract way
in expressing the idea, but it also has a certain purpose behind the lexical meaning. Non-literal meaning might be the best way to substitute any offensive
words or the replacement of unpleasant words for some people.
3.4. Kinds of Non-Literal Meaning