Definition of Non-Literal Meaning

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 Universitas Sumatera Utara 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