3. Kinds of Meaning
One of many language experts have their own opinions regarding to the classification of meaning. Here are the classifications according to Soedjito by
quoting from some experts:
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a. Lexical and grammatical meaning. Djajasudarma in his book Semantik
2: Pemahaman Ilmu Makna
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defines lexical is a meaning of language elements that considers as symbols of objects moments and so on.
Most importantly, the lexical meaning is rather out of context. While the grammatical meaning, still in Djajasudarma, the meaning that
appears as a result the functioning of words in a sentence. Lexical words supply meaning to a sentence, whereas grammatical words
relate the lexical words to one another. Here is the following sentence that only shows the lexical words: “squirrel jumped, tree, wolf ran.”
This looks like nonsense, however, here is the grammatical words re- inserted: “The squirrel jumped into the tree after the wolf ran away.”
The grammatical words clarify the logical relations between the lexical words and define their function in the sentence.
b. Denotative and connotative meaning. In Linguistik Suatu Pengantar,
Alwasilah states
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that the denotative meaning refers to a common lexical meaning simply ordinary, objective, yet overshadowed feelings,
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Mansur Hasan Soedjito, Ketrampilan Menulis Paragraf Bandung: Remaja Rosdakarya, 1990 p. 52-59
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T. Fatimah Djajasudarma, Semantik 2: Pemahaman Ilmu Makna Bandung: Refika Aditama, 1999 p. 13.
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A. Chaedar Alwasilah, Linguistik Suatu Pengantar Bandung: Sinar Baru, 1995 p. 147.
values, and a certain sense. T he word “Virgin” for some people may be
associated with religious devotion, moral and the identity of a woman. c.
Real and figurative meaning. The real meaning is Straightforward meaning of the reference that refers to the topic of the word in
question, for example, the word “Crown” in “The crown is stolen.”
While the figurative meaning is the meaning that it does not conform to the referent in question, for example, the similar
word “Crown” in “Hair is the crown of a woman,” is absolutely different from the
previous one. In the first sentence, the topic is “Crown,” yet in the
second sentence, the “Hair” is the main topic. d.
Contextual meaning is the meaning that is determined by the context of its use. This meaning will become clear if it is used in a sentence.
Contextual meaning as a result of the relationship between speech and situation. For example, a mother forbids her children who play with
fire. The word “Don‟t” can mean, “Don‟t play with fire, it‟s
dangerous ”
Meanwhile, Larson states in his book Meaning-Based Translation: A Guide to Cross-Language Equivalence
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Larson also divides implicit meanings into implicit referential, organizational, and situational meaning.
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Mildred L. Larson, op.cit., p. 38.
4. Meaning Change
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