THE DENOTATIVE AND CONNOTATIVE MEANINGS OF SOME PHRASES AND SENTENCES IN THE TRANSLATION OF SURAH YUSUF BY MUHAMMAD TAQI-UD-DIN AL-HILAL AND MUHAMMAD MUHSIN KHAN.

The Denotative and Connotative Meanings of Some Phrases and Sentences in
The Translation of Surah Yusuf by Muhammad Taqi-ud-Din Al-Hilal and
Muhammad Muhsin Khan

A THESIS
Submitted as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Sarjana Degree
(S-1) of English Department Faculty of Arts and Humanities
UIN Sunan Ampel Surabaya.

By
Ayu Masruro
Reg Number : A83212153

ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
FACULTY OF ARTS AND HUMANITIES
STATE ISLAMIC UNIVERISTY OF SUNAN AMPEL
SURABAYA
2016
i

The Denotative and Connotative Meanings of Some

Phrases and Sentences in The Translation of Surah
Yusuf by Muhammad Taqi-ud-Din Al-Hilal and
Muhammad Muhsin Khan

By:
Ayu Masruro

ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
FACULTY OF ARTS AND HUMANITIES
STATE ISLAMIC UNIVERISTY OF SUNAN AMPEL
SURABAYA
2016

ii

ABSTRACT
Masruro, Ayu. 2016. The Denotative and Connotative Meanings of Some Phrases and
Sentences in The Translation of Surah Yusuf by Muhammad Taqi-ud-Din
Al-Hilal and Muhammad Muhsin Khan. English Department, Faculty of
Arts and Humanities, State Islamic University of Sunan Ampel Surabaya.

The Advisor : Dr. A Dzo’ul Milal, M.Pd
Key words : Semantics, Denotative and Connotative meaning, Context and Translation
of Surah Yusuf.
This thesis discusses the denotative and connotative meanings of some
phrases and sentences in translation of Surah Yusuf by Muhammad Taqi-ud-Din
Al-Hilal and Muhammad Muhsin Khan. In this thesis, the writer proposes two
research questions as follow : (1) What denotative meanings do phrases and
sentences in Surah Yusuf Translation by Muhammad Taqi-ud-Din Al-Hilal and
Muhammad Muhsin Khan have? (2) What connotative meanings do phrases and
sentences in Surah Yusuf Translation by Muhammad Taqi-ud-Din Al-Hilal and
Muhammad Muhsin Khan have? This thesis explores the meaning of some
phrases and sentences that appear in the translation of Surah Yusuf.
Based on the explanation above, this study focuses on the meaning some
phrases and sentences that appear in the translation of Surah Yusuf by Muhammad
Taqi-ud-Din Al-Hilal and Muhammad Muhsin Khan. The writer applied
semantics theory especially denotative and connotative meaning by Geoffrey
Leech (1981) to conduct the research. The writer uses qualitative approach
because the data collected are in the form of words. The procedure of data
collection are collecting data related on phrases or sentences in the translation of
Surah Yusuf, identifying the phrase or sentence, then analyzing each of phrase and

sentence have denotative and connotative meaning that found in the translation of
Surah Yusuf. Having analyzed the data, the writer found out that phrases or
sentences in the translation of Surah Yusuf can have denotative and connotative
meanings is depend on context based on Tafsir Jalalain. After that the writer
explains the meaning of some phrases and sentences that appears in the translation
of Surah Yusuf.
The meaning has written based on interpretation of the writer reading of
Tafsir Jalalain. There are many meaning of some phrases and sentences that
appear in the translation of Surah Yusuf. The meaning of phrase and sentence is
constitued by contextual relations. Context have important role interpret meaning.

xii

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ABSTRAK
Masruro, Ayu. 2016. The Denotative and Connotative Meanings of Some Phrases and
Sentences in The Translation of Surah Yusuf by The Muhammad Taqi-udDin Al-Hilal and Muhammad Muhsin Khan. English Department, Faculty
of Arts and Humanities, State Islamic University of Sunan Ampel
Surabaya.

Dosen Pembimbing : Dr. A Dzo’ul Milal, M.Pd.
Kata Kunci : Semantik, Makna Denotatif dan Konotatif , Konteks and Terjemahan
Surah Yusuf
Tesis ini mendiskusikan tentang makna denotatif dan konotatif dari
beberapa frase dan kalimat yang terdapat pada terjamahan Surat Yusuf karya
Muhammad Taqi-ud-Din Al-Hilal dan Muhammad Muhsin Khan. Dalam thesis
ini, penulis mengemukakan dua pertanyaan yaitu : (1) Apa makna denotatif pada
frase dan kalimat di dalam terjemahan Surat Yusuf karya Muhammad Taqi-udDin Al-Hilal dan Muhammad Muhsin Khan ? (2) Apa makna konotatif pada frase
dan kalimat di dalam terjemahan Surat Yusuf karya Muhammad Taqi-ud-Din AlHilal dan Muhammad Muhsin Khan ? Thesis ini mencari tahu makna beberapa
frase dan kalimat yang muncul dalam terjemahan Surat Yusuf.
Berdasarkan penjelasan di atas, penelitian ini berfokus pada makna beberapa
frase dan kalimat yang muncul dalam terjemahan Surat Yusuf karya Muhammad
Taqi-ud-Din Al-Hilal dan Muhammad Muhsin Khan. Penulis mengaplikasikan
teori semantik khususnya makna denotatif dan konotatif oleh Geoffrey Leech
tahun 1981 untuk melakukan penelitian. Penulis menggunakan pendekatan
kualitatif karena pengumpulan data berbentuk kata atau teks. Prosedur
pengumpulan data berhubungan dengan frase dan kalimat dalam terjemahan
Surat Yusuf, mengidentifikasi frase atau kalimat, lalu menganalisa setiap frase
dan kalimat yang bermakna denotatif dan konotatif yang ditemukan dalam
terjemahan Surat Yusuf. Setelah menganalisa data, penulis menemukan bahwa

frase dan kalimat dalam terjemahan Surat Yusuf dapat bermakna denotatif dan
konotatif berdasarkan pada konteks dalam Tafsir Jalalain. Setelah itu penulis
menjelaskan makna pada frase dan kalimat yang muncul dalam terjemahan Surat
Yusuf.
Makna ditulis berdasarkan interpretasi penulis dari membaca Tafsir Jalalain.
ada banyak makna pada beberapa frase dan kalimat yang muncul dalam
terjemahan Surat Yusuf. Makna frase dan kalimat didasarkan pada konteks.
konteks mempunyai peranan penting dalam menginterpretasi makna.
.

xiii

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Table of Contents
Inside Cover Page .................................................................................................

i

Inside Tittle Page...................................................................................................

ii

Motto .....................................................................................................................

iii

Declaration Page ...................................................................................................

iv

Dedication Page ...................................................................................................

v

Thesis Advisor’s Approval Page ..........................................................................

vi

Thesis Examiner’s Approval Page .......................................................................

vii

Acknowledgment .................................................................................................

viii

Table of Contents .................................................................................................

x

Abstract ................................................................................................................

xii

Abstrak .................................................................................................................

xiii

CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study ..............................................................

1

1.2 Statement of the Problem .............................................................

6

1.3 Objectives of the Study ...............................................................

7

1.4 Significance of the Study ..............................................................

7

1.5 Scope and Limitation ...................................................................

7

1.6 Definition of Key Terms ..............................................................

8

CHAPTER II REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
2.1 Theoritical Framework .................................................................

10

2.1.1 Semantics ..............................................................

11

2.1.2 Denotative ..............................................................

15

2.1.3 Connotative ...........................................................

18

2.1.4 Surah Yusuf ............................................................

21

CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY
3.1 Research Approach .......................................................................

22

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3.2 Technique of Data Collection .......................................................

23

3.2.1 Source of Data .......................................................

23

3.2.2 Instrument ..............................................................

23

3.2.3 Procedure of Analysis ............................................

24

3.3 Tehcnique of Data Analysis .......................................................

25

CHAPTER IV FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION
4.1 Findings ........................................................................................

26

4.1.1 The meaning of some phrases ...............................

26

4.1.2 The meaning of some sentences ...........................

28

4.2 Discussion ...................................................................................

56

CHAPTER V CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION
5.1 Conclusion ....................................................................................

58

5.2 Suggestion .....................................................................................

59

REFERENCES ....................................................................................................

60

APPENDIX .........................................................................................................

xi

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CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
The writer will introduce the present study in this chapter. It contains
background of study, statement of problems, objectives of study, scope and
limitation of study, significance of study, and definition of key terms.

1.1 Background of Study

Al-Quran is the most important book of Islamic religion. It is guidance
for people in the world. As people, we should know the meaning of AlQuran. The content of Al-Quran is perfect and complete. The composition
and structure are very beautiful. Ibnu Katsir, Walid bin Mughirah said “ From
Allah, this is not the magic, poetry and the words of madman. It is
Kalamullah that has the sweetness and beauty. Really, it (Al-Qur'an) is very
high (exalted) and not that surpass” (juz 4:443).
Dr. Thoha Husein, an Egyptian Alumnus who was very famous in the
Europe recognizes, “ Words are divided into three, namely poetry, prose, and
Quran. However Qur`an has its own style. It is not poetry or prose, but
Quran is Quran. It is not subject to the rules of prose and poetry. It has its
own rhythm that can be felt on the composition and order of verses
pronunciation.” It means that Al-Quran has many benefits and miracles in our
daily activity.
Talking about daily activity related to society or people,
communication is the most important process to understand when people do

1
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2

daily activity. Sometimes, communication makes fighting because addressor
and addressed does not understand each other. Thus, they will get problems
through communication.
Understanding of meaning about words is not an easy thing to do
because sometimes misunderstanding and disagreement will appear. The
meaning of one word can consist of more than one meaning because the
meaning of a word is defined in part by its relation with other words in
language (Saeed, 1997:53). The study of meaning is called Semantics.
Semantics is needed to understand text or context. Yule (2010:112) stated that
semantics is the study of meaning of word, phrase and sentence. It means that
word, phrase or sentence has meaning. On the other hand, Leech (1981:11)
stated that there are two categories of meaning. The first is conceptual
meaning (denotation) and associative meaning (connotation). Conceptual
meaning or called as denotative is to be central factor in linguistic
communication. Denotative meaning is words which have specific and exact
meaning, excluding all of its extended uses and emotional colorations.
The connotative meaning is defined as the secondary meaning of
words or expression besides its explicit or primary meaning (Al-adaileh,
2012:1). Besides that Binkert (2003:163) said “A connotative meaning is any
meaning carries some special implication or association.” It means that
connotation of words seems require common sense and word knowledge.
Denotative and connotative meanings can not be separated because they exist
together. In this time, writer analysed denotative and connotative meanings

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3

focused on some phrases and sentences in Surah Yusuf, because word to word
have related meaning each other in Surah Yusuf.
The hole of surah in Al-Quran have many benefits and miracles. The
reason why the writer chooses Surah Yusuf is as follows :
Yusuf is the most handsome prophet. He has a good knowledge, sign
of honesty and morality. It is explained in Surah Yusuf. Surah Yusuf is a
unique surah. Usually, many surah in Al-Qur’an have many themes. Surah
Yusuf has only one theme. It is about Yusuf Story. Al-Quran usually tells a
story in one episode or two episodes, but Surah Yusuf told only Yusuf
Prophet in many episodes. Fuad al-Aris stated Surah Yusuf called Ahsan AlQashash means the great story in Al-Qur’an. Surah Yusuf also has many
advices and warning to be a good person. It makes us realize that when living
in the world we experienced phase by phase to be success. The writer
interested in analyzing this surah, because this surah has a good meaning,
good structure, and its really different from other surah where it tells about
The Journey of Yusuf story. The most interesting is about love. There are
many love cases are mentioned by Allah Swt in Surah Yusuf. Moreover,
human automatically learn to love each other. Then, the writer focused on the
meaning of Surah Yusuf especially the denotative and connotative meanings.
Researcher choosen translation by Muhammad Taqi-ud-din al-Hilal and
Muhammad Muhsin Khan because one book but have two writers. So that,
translating book is unique from others (September,13.2015).

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4

Interpreting the denotative meaning in the translation of Surah Yusuf,
the writer uses Oxford Advanced Learner Dictionary. According to Feras
Hamza said “For the first time ever Tafsir al-Jalalayn is competently
translated into an unabridged highly accurate and readable.” Then, to interpret
the connotative meaning uses Tafsir Jalalain (August,5,2016).
There are some previous studies to inspire her. The first study is “The
Denotative and Connotative meaning in the AXE-advertisement” which is
made by Zaenal Muttaqien (2011). The writer researched each sign of AXEadvertisement contains a system and it is supported by object, context, and
text in the advertisement. These elements contribute to the meaning of
denotative and connotative level upon AXE product. And the last, the writer
states that AXE- advertisement manipulated and created the symbol and sign
values of product to persuade the consumers. Second study is “A semiotic
analysis in the A-mild advertisement using Roland Barthe’s Theory”
conducted by Tazkiyatul Fikriyah A’la (2011). The content As like “The
Denotative and Connotative meaning inthe AXE-advertisement” is made by
Zaenal Muttaqien (2011), But it is different subject. This subject is A-mild
Advertisement.
The Third is “An Analysis On The Denotative And Connotative
Meaning Of Lyrics Of Creed’s Songs” which is made by M Hasan
Hidayatullah (2008). The writer focuses in lexical meaning each the words.
Then, explain more about the kinds of denotative and connotative meanings
of the song.

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5

The fourth is “A Semantic and Pragmatic Analysis of Three English
Translations of Surat ‘Yusuf’ ” conducted by Tasneem Naser Addeen Ashaer
(2008). Study the work of three translators of the Holy Quran and analyze
their translations of surat “Yusuf” both semantically and pragmatically. The
three translations under study are Koran by the Christian orientalist George
Sale (1734), The Koran by the Jewish N.J. Dawood (1956) and The Meaning
of the Holy Quran by the Muslim A.Y. Ali (1934-1937).
Interestingly, the study has come to notice cases in which the
translators failed to grasp the intended meaning of a word or a speech act
(more discussion in chapter four), which leads to a lack and inaccuracy in the
translations leaving an effect on the readers other than the intended effect of
the original text. It is important to make it clear that the intention of this study
is not to undermine the importance of the works of the three translators and
their efforts in the field of translation.
The fifth is “An Analysis of ‘The Child’s Story’ by Charles Dickens:
Connotation and Denotation of adjective” conducted by Bayu Hernawan
Putra (2015). This thesis discusses an analysis of meaning adjective words in
the child’s story by Charles Dickens. This thesis explore the meaning of
adjective words that appear in the short story especially connotative and
denotative meanings.
The sixth is “Approaches to Denotative and Connotative Meanings in
The Translations of The Holy Quran” a journal made by Mazin Fawzi Ahmed
(2008). This paper discusses denotation and connotation meanings as areas of

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6

difficulty in translating the Al-Quran. The Arabic verses are analyzed and
compared to the different translations. Then, the different approaches to
translating these linguistic phenomena are critically analyzed and compared.
It is found that the translators approach to translating denotations and
connotations of words vary.
Based on the text above, there are five theses and a journal take
Semantics. Especially, they take and focus on the denotative and connotative
meanings, because of there are many things in the world to know and
understand about it. Learning and studying the denotative and connotative
meanings is the one way to make us be better understand to all things. Then,
the way to be successfull is written by Allah in Al-Quran.
The writer is concerned about the meaning of Surah Yusuf, that
appears in the Surah Yusuf adopt extra meaning that hide message, especially
some phrases and sentences contain denotative and connotative meanings.
The researcher focused on Surah Yusuf translation by Muhammad Taqi-udDin Al-Hilal and Muhammad Muhsin Khan.

1.2 Statement of Problems
This study is conducted to answer the problems formulated in the
following questions:
1. What denotative meaning do phrases and sentences in Surah Yusuf
translation by Muhammad Taqi-ud-Din Al-Hilal and Muhammad Muhsin
Khan have?

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7

2. What connotative meaning do phrases and sentences in Surah Yusuf
translation by Muhammad Taqi-ud-Din Al-Hilal and Muhammad Muhsin
Khan have ?

1.3 Objectives of Study
1. To describe the denotative meaning found in some phrases and sentences
in Surah Yusuf

translation by Muhammad Taqi-ud-Din Al-Hilal and

Muhammad Muhsin Khan.
2. To describe the connotative meaning found in some phrases and sentences
in Surah Yusuf

translation by Muhammad Taqi-ud-Din Al-Hilal and

Muhammad Muhsin Khan.

1.4 Scope and Limitation of Study
The researcher focuses on observing the denotative and connotative
meanings of some phrases and sentences which contain the denotative and
connotative meanings in Surah Yusuf translation by Muhammad Taqi-ud-Din
Al-Hilal and Muhammad Muhsin Khan. Phrases include words, then
sentences include clauses also. Then, to describing of denotative meaning will
use Oxford Advanced Learner Dictionary, then to interprete connotative
meaning uses Tafsir Jalalain.

1.5 Significance of Study
The result of the study is picturing on how phrases and sentences not
only have denotative meaning but also connotative meaning. This study is
expected to be useful and give new information to the semantic study

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8

especially about the denotative and connotative meanings on Surah Yusuf
translation by Muhammad Taqi-ud-Din Al-Hilal and Muhammad Muhsin
Khan.
On the other hand, the result of the study would give contribution for
lecturers and the students of the State Islamic University of Sunan Ampel
Surabaya, especially in English Department in Faculty of Arts and
Humanities. It is expected to be able to broaden the knowledge in
understanding the denotative and connotative meanings of one of the part AlQuran especially Surah Yusuf. Also it is hoped to give contribution for
readers who are interested in this study and it will be the alternative reference
for the readers who are interested in researching this area.

1.6 Definition of Key Terms
These key terms are the method to get the right interpretation and
understanding of the study.
 Denotative
Denotative meaning is the meaning which contain actual meaning.
 Connotative
Connotative meaning is the meaning which contain figurative meaning in
certain situations.
 Surah Yusuf
Surah Yusuf is the 12th Surah of Qur’an. Sūrat Yūsuf (Arabic: ‫ )يوسف‬is
the 12th surah (chapter) of Quran. It has been revealed in a single sitting,
being unique in this respect. It has 111 verses and Meccan surah, The text

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9

narrates the story of Yusuf. While other surah tend to jump between
topics, it is special in sticking to its central theme throughout, telling a
coherent story in chronological order (September,15,2015).
 Muhammad Taqi-ud-Din Al Hilal and Muhammad Muhsin Khan
The writers of translating Al-Quran content more explanation about every
verse. Muhammad taqi-ud-din al-hilal and Muhammad Muhsin Khan are
the english translation of the meanings of Qur'an and Sahih Al-Bukhari.
Their translation of Qur'an has been described as ambitious, incorporating
commentary from Tafsir al-Tabari, Tafsir ibn Kathir, Tafsir al-Qurtubi
and Sahih al-Bukhari. It has also been criticized for inserting the
interpretations of the Wahabi School directly into the english rendition of
Qur'an. It has been accused of inculcating muslims and potential muslims
with militant interpretations of islam through parenthesis, as teachings of
Qur'an itself ( March,11,2015).

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CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
This chapter includes the discussion of theoretical framework and
some related theories. Related theories which have links with this study are
semantics, connotative and denotative meanings, and Surah Yusuf. The main
data of analysis is the translation of Surah Yusuf by Muhammad Taqi-UdDin Al-Hilal and Muhammad Muhsin Khan and it will be supported by some
resources.

2.1 Theoretical Framework
semantics

Denotative

Word

Phrase

Connotative

Sentence

Word

positive

Phrase

neutral

Sentence

negative

Figure 3.1
Based on the picture above, the basically of theory this analysis is
Semantics. Semantics is the study of meaning. In semantics, there are two
kinds of meaning, denotative meaning and connotative meaning. Includes of
text form

have denotative or connotative is word, phrase and sentence.

10
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11

According to Hook connotative meaning have three kinds; positive, neutral
and negative.

2.1.1 Semantics
According to Leech (1981 :x), “ Linguistics ... has brought to the
subject of semantics a certain degree of analytic rigour combined with a
view of the study of meaning as an integrated component of the total
theory of how language works.”
Keidler stated Semantics is the systematic study of meaning.
Beside that, study of how language organize and express meaning
(2002:3). On the other side, Lyons (1995:138) concludes that semantics
is the study of meaning. The term of meaning in the theory of semantics
can be described from the mind of speaker to the mind of hearer by
embodying them, as it was in the form of one language or another. If
the term meaning is described as ideas or concept, then it will not help
us to answer such that question because the term concept is not clearly
defined, and it is too vague and general. Moreover, he states that the
word meaning may not have the same range of application as any single
word in other languages. For examples: there are contexts in which
“meaning” can be translated into French with signification or sense, and
the context of meaning (signification or sense) does not match with
“bedeutung and sinn” in German.
Semantics is the study of meaning communicated through
language. Semantics is the study of the meaning of words and

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12

sentences. An independent component of semantics is identified, one
central issue is the relationship between word meaning and sentence
meaning. Knowing a language, especially one’s native language
involves knowing thousands of words. As mentioned earlier, we can
call the mental store of these words a lexicon, making an overt parallel
with the lists of words and meanings published as dictionaries. We can
imagine the mental lexicon as a large but finite body of knowledge, part
of which must be semantic. This lexicon is not completely static
because we are continually learning and forgetting words. It is clear
though that at any one time we hold a large amount of semantics
knowledge in memory. Phrases and sentences also have meaning of
course, but an important differences between word meaning on the one
hand, phrase and sentence meaning on the other concerns productivity.
It is always possible to create new words, but this is a relatively
infrequent occurrence. On the other hand, speakers regularly create
sentences that they have never used or heard before, confident that their
audience will understand them. (Saeed, 2009: 38)
Yule stated Semantics is study of meaning of words, phrases and
sentences (2010 : 112). On the other hand, Simmons said “A noun
phrase include a noun- a person, place, or thing – and the modifiers
which distinguish it” (2014:1). According to Andersen, a sentence is a
complete set of words that conveys meaning (2014:1). The definition of
semantics part of linguistics fields refers to the meaning words, relation

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13

between of words or sentence and their meaning. Meaning also figures
at levels of language below the word and above it (Widdowson,
2006:53). So, relating from words to phrases or phrases to sentences
have connected which appear their own meaning. Doing semantics is
attempting to spell out what it is we all know when we behave as if we
share knowledge of the meaning of a word, a phrase, or a sentence in a
language. Semantics is concerned to identify with the meaningful
elements of specific language. For example, english words like make
and real and affixes like –r of Maker and –un of unreal. It is showed
with describing how such elements go together to express more
complex meaning in phrases like the unreal maker and sentences like
The maker is unreal and telling how these are related each other.
Ginet and Chiercia said “Semantics is the branch of linguistics
devoted to the investigation of linguistic meaning, the interpretation of
expressions in a language system” (1996:9). While semantics is the
study of meaning in language, there is more interest in certain aspects
of meaning than in others. We have already ruled out special meanings
that one individual might attach to words. We can go further and make
a broad distinction between conceptual meaning and associative
meaning. Conceptual meaning covers those basic, essential components
of meaning that are conveyed by the literal use of a word. It is the type
of meaning that dictionaries are designed to describe. Some of the basic
components of a word like needle in English might include “ thin,

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14

sharp, steel instrument.” These components would be part of the
conceptual meaning of needle. However, different people might have
different associations or connotations attached to a word like needle.
They might associate it with “pain,” or “illness,” or “blood,” or
“drugs,” or “thread,” or “knitting,” or “hard to find” (especially in a
haystack), and these associations may differ from one person to the
next. These types of associations are not treated as part of the word’s
conceptual meaning. In a similar way, some people may associate the
expression low-calorie, when used to describe a product with “healthy”
but this is not part of the basic conceptual meaning of the expression
(i.e. “producing a small amount of heat or energy”). Poets, song writers,
novelists, literary critics, advertisers and lovers may all be interested in
how words can evoke certain aspects of associative meaning, but in
linguistic semantics we are more concerned with trying to analyze
conceptual meaning. (Yule , 2010 : 113)
According Leech, there are seven types of meaning :
Conceptual meaning or sense
Connotative
Meaning
Social Meaning
Affective
Meaning
Associative
Meaning
Reflected
Meaning
Collocative
Meaning

Logical, cognitive, or denotative
content
What is communicated by virtue
what language refers to
What is communicated of the social
circumstances of language use
What is communicated of the
feelings and attitudes of the speaker /
writer
What is communicated through
association with another sense of the
same expression
What is communicated through
association with words which tend to

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15

Thematic Meaning

occur in the environment of another
word
What is communicated by the way in
which the message is organized in
terms of order and emphasis.
Table 3.1

Based on the table above, Leech said that “There are seven types
of meanings. The first is conceptual meaning or sense. Then,
connotative meaning, social meaning, affective meaning, reflected
meaning, and collocative meaning include associative meaning. The
last is thematic meaning.”

2.1.2 Denotative
Denotative meaning is the objective (dictionary) relationship
between a word and the reality to which it refers (Crystal, 1987:418).
Leech stated conceptual meaning (sometimes called denotative or
cognitive meaning ) is widely assumed to be the central factor in
linguistic communication, and i think it can be shown to be integral to
the essential functioning of language in a way that other types of
meaning are not (which is not to say that conceptual meaning is the
most important element of every act of linguistic communication)
(2002:9).
Lyons (1977), the relationship between an expression and its
extension is called denotation.
Let us see what the problems involved are by looking at a
simple example.

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16

(1) Pavarotti is an Italian singer.
Sentence is generated by combining the NP Pavarotti with the
verb phrase (VP) is an Italian singer. We might say that the VP is an
Italian singer has a property as its semantic value. Properties can be
predicated of individuals. The result of predicating a property of an
individual is something like a state of affairs or situation. So, sentence
might be regarded as having a situation (or a state of affairs) as its
semantic value. intuitively, one in which Pavarotti has the property of
being an Italian singer. It might be possible to extend this strategy to
more complex constructions. Forming an hypothesis concerning the
denotation of other categories besides NPs, and in particular concerning
the denotation of sentences, might help us in this task. To see this, let us
take a first stab at the hard problem of such nonreferential NPs as every
woman or no woman. We might try to analyze such NPs along the
following lines. Let us say that these NPs indeed lack a denotation. This
does not mean that they do not play any semantic role. The semantic
role of, say, no woman would be that of combining with a property
(such as, say, the one associated with the VP smokes) to yield a
situation or state of affairs in which no woman smokes. The idea is to
specify the semantic role of nonreferential NPs indirectly via the
contribution that they make to the specification or description of the
state of affairs associated with the sentences in which they occur. The
same strategy might be applied to other nonreferential expressions

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17

(such as and, because, etc.). Of course, to pursue this line of analysis we
would have to overcome many more problems (for example,
nonreferential NPs com- bine with expressions of many different
syntactic categories, prepositions, for example, as in “ I walked with
every student, “ etc.). But the above considerations do lend some
preliminary support to the idea that our overall strategy of providing a
referential analysis for various kinds of expressions may be viable. If
so, we could have an arguably elegant account for the productivity of
meaning in terms of a primitive denotation relation. Here is how we
proceed. We can classify objects in various semantic categories (say,
individuals, properties, situations, etc.), and we can individuate various
ways of combining those objects (for example, predication combines
individuals with properties to give states of affairs). Expressions of
different syntactic categories would be associated with objects of
different semantic categories (or types); syntactic modes of putting
expressions together would correspond to ways of combining the
objects that those expressions denote. In this way one could always
compositionally figure out the object that any given expression denotes
in terms of objects that its component expressions denote and the way
in which they are put together. This also explains more precisely how
configurations of symbols carry information about arbitrarily complex
states of affairs. This program is thus of potential interest, for there are
grounds to believe that it might account for both the aboutness of

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18

language and the productivity of meaning, two important desiderata for
a semantic theory. There are, however, some further problems that call
for attention. We can bring them into focus by considering in more
detail the kinds of entities that we need to assume as semantic values
for expressions of categories other than NP. Let us consider in
particular sentence denotations, what we have intuitively called “
situations” or “states of affairs” (Chiercia, 2000 :59).
2.1.3 Connotative
More of what is distinctive about conceptual meaning will
appear when we contrast it with connotative meaning. Connotative
meaning is the communicative value an expression has by virtue of
what it refers to,over and above its purely conceptual content.
At connotative meaning is not specific to language, but it is
shared by other communicative systems, such as visual art and music.
Whatever connotations the word baby has can be conjured up (more
effectively, because the medium is directly representational) by a
drawing of a baby, or an imitation of a baby’s cry. The overlap between
linguistic and visual connotations is particularly noticeable in
advertising, where words are often the lesser partners of illustrations in
the task of conferring on a product a halo of favourable associations. A
second fact which indicates that connotative meaning is peripheral
compared with conceptual meaning is that connotations are relatively
unstable: that is, they vary considerably, as we have seen,” according to

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19

“culture, historical period, and the experience of the individual.
Although it is too simple to suggest that all speakers of a particular
language speak exactly ‘the same language’, it can be assumed, as a
principle without which communication through that language would
not be possible, that on the whole they share the same conceptual
framework, just as they share approximately the same syntax. In fact,
some recent semanticists have assumed that the same basic conceptual
frame- work is common to all languages, and is a universal property of
the human mind. Thirdly, connotative meaning is indeterminate and
open ended in a sense in which conceptual meaning is not. Connotative
meaning is open ended in the same way as our knowledge and beliefs
about the universe open ended: any characteristic of the referent,
identified subjectively or objectively, may contribute to the connotative
meaning of the expression which denotes it. In contrast, it is generally
taken as fundamental to semantic theory that the conceptual meaning of
a word or sentence can be codified in terms of a limited set of symbols
(e.g. in the form of a finite set of discrete features of meaning), and that
the semantic representation of a sentence can be specified by means of a
finite number of rules (Leech,1983:13).
Connotation is more complicated than denotation. J. N. Hook in
Widarso (1989:69) states that besides the denotative meaning, a word
sometimes has the emotional overtones or we call ‘connotative’
meaning. The other important thing whenever we are talking about

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20

connotation is that the involvement of affective and emotive in our
mind.
Furthermore, Wilkins (1983:122) affirms that connotative
meaning is additional to denotative meaning and need be related to it
only in an indirect way. It is altogether more concerned with the
attitudes of the language user, his emotional reactions to the use of a
word.
In addition, J. N. Hook in Widarso (1989:71) states that
connotative meaning can be divided into two kinds, namely positive
connotative (purr word) and negative connotative (snarl word). Besides
the positive and negative connotative meaning, there is neutral that is
most of them is jargon language.
Here are the examples of positive and negative connotative meaning (J.
N. Hook in Widarso) (1989:71) :
Positive Connotation

Neutral

Negative Connotation

Cottage

Shanty/shack

Soiled linen

Dirty Underwear

Sanitary engineer

Dustman/ Garbage man

Marketing

Selling

Peddling

2.1.4 Surah Yusuf
Surah Yusuf is the 12th Surah of Qur’an. Sūrat Yūsuf (Arabic:
‫ )يوسف‬is the 12th surah (chapter) of Quran. It is said to have been
revealed in a single sitting, being unique in this respect. It has 111

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21

verses and Makkah Surah, The text narrates the story of Yusuf (the
biblical Joseph). While other surah tend to jump between topics, it is
special in sticking to its central theme throughout, telling a coherent
story in chronological order (September,15.2015).

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CHAPTER III
RESEARCH METHOD
This chapter describes the approach used in this study and the data
collection. There will be an explanation of the research approach, instrument, data
source, data, data collection, and data analysis.

3.1 Research Approach
In completing this study, the writer applied the qualitative approach
because the study is intended to find out the phrases and sentences have
denotative and connotive meanings in the translation of Surah Yusuf.
Qualitative method are used to address to research questions that require
explanation or understanding of social phenomena and their context (Lewis
& Ritchie 2003 : 5). It means that basically qualitative research is descriptive.
The writer used qualitative methods because in the data analysis the writer
did not put any numeric data.
The writer used descriptive explanation as the methods to shows the
descriptive of information in his research. Descriptive research was used to
explain some information that contained the meaning words,phrase or
sentences which have relation with other words and context. On the other
words, it could be explained that descriptive research was used to give clear
explanation of the meaning of words which is used in the translation of Surah
Yusuf.
In the qualitative research, the researcher is the most important
collector data instrument. Because the research is carried out in discussing

22
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23

translation of Surah Yusuf as data, the researcher needs to observe the
translation of Surah Yusuf by reading and understanding translation of Surah
Yusuf. The objective of this research is to describe and identify the denotative
and connotative meanings of translation. So, the report will be in the form of
descriptive research. The main objective of it is to understand the translation
more deeply, and then, produce hypotheses to make a form of theory. The
analysis in each data required in descriptive form.

3.2 Technique of Data Collection

3.2.1 Source of Data
The writer used the translation of Surah Yusuf by Muhammad
Taqi-ud-Din Al-Hilal and Muhammad Muhsin Khan as the main source
in this study. The data was taken from the translation of Surah Yusuf by
Muhammad Taqi-ud-Din Al-Hilal and Muhammad Muhsin Khan which
was consist of phrases and sentences have denotative and connotative
meanings, where many phrases and sentences appeared in the
translation of Surah yusuf by Muhammad Taqi-ud-Din Al-Hilal and
Muhammad Muhsin Khan.

3.2.2 Instrument
The main instrument in this study was the writer itself. It deal
with Flick’s (2009) statement that as a researcher is the main instrument
of collecting the data and of recognition (106). The writer was collected
data by read the translation of Surah Yusuf in laptop and printed out.

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24

The phrases and sentences have denotative and connotative meanings
were taken from the text in translation of Suraf Yusuf by Muhammad
Taqi-ud-Din Al-Hilal and Muhammad Muhsin Khan.

3.2.3 Procedure of Data Collection
The data of this research were collected from the translation of
Surah Yusuf by Muhammad Taqi-ud-Din Al-Hilal and Muhammad
Muhsin Khan. To collect the data, the first step the writer searched and
downloaded the text translation of Surah Yusuf by Muhammad Taqiud-Din Al-Hilal and Muhammad Muhsin Khan . The translation of
Surah

Yusuf

was

taken

from

website

:

http://www.alqurantranslation.com/English_translation_of_the_Quran.h
tml
After downloading the translation of Surah Yusuf, the writer
read the translation of Surah Yusuf from laptop because the writer has
the translation of Surah Yusuf in the soft copy file, then printed out the
translation of Surah Yusuf to make it easy in analyzing. The writer
found as many as possible the phrases and sentences have denotative
and connotative meanings in it. The writer identified by underlined the
phrases and sentences that have denotative and connotative meanings in
translation of Surah Yusuf that appeared in verses. To make easily
where is phrase or where is sentence, then the writer do for coding
phrases and sentences, P1 for the first phrase, P2 for the second phrase

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25

and soon. sentences code with sign S1 for the first sentence, S2 for the
second sentence and soon.

3.3 Technique of Data Analysis
After collecting the data, the writer did many steps in analyzing the
meaning of phrases and sentences especially denotative and connotative
meanings that appear in the translation of Surah Yusuf by Muhammad Taqiud-Din Al-Hilal and Muhammad Muhsin Khan.
First, the writer listed all the phrases and sentences to get meaning
denotative and connotative meanings. Second, the writer sorted the phrases
and sentences from the translation of Surah Yusuf.
Then, the writer analyzed and classified each phrases and sentences
have denotative meaning that found in translation of Surah Yusuf uses Oxford
Advanced Learners Dictionary. The next step, the writer interpreted the
connotative meaning. In this case the interpretation is based on the condition
at the time. The writer also use interpretation based on the Tafsir Jalalain at
the time to find connotative meaning.
The last, the writer concluded the finding of phrases and sentences
have denotative and connotative meanings in the translation of Surah Yusuf.
The writer drew conclusion based on the interpreted and described data.

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CHAPTER IV
FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION
This chapter presents the findings and discussion. The writer focuses on the
denotative and connotative meanings of some phrases and sentences in Surah Yusuf
translation by Muhammad Taqi-ud-Din Al-Hilal and Muhammad Muhsin Khan that
appears in some verses. By focusing on the meaning of some phrases and sentences
make the writer able to answer statement of the problems in this study consist two
issues. First is to answer the denotative meaning uses Oxford Advanced Learners
Dictionary. Afterwards, the writer would like to present the connotative meaning
based on context from Tafsir Jalalain of Surah Yusuf translation.

4.1 Findings
The table below shows some phrases and sentences that have meaning
of denotation or connotation that appear in the translation of Surah Yusuf by
Muhammad Taqi-ud-Din Al-Hilal and Muhammad Muhsin Khan.
4.1.1 The Meaning of Some Phrases
No
1

2

3

Denotative
meaning
Their meanings
“Their” is belonging
to them, “meaning” is
 (1) thing or idea that a
word,sentence,
etc
represents.
Eleven stars
Eleven is number 11.
Stars is large ball of
   burning gas seen as a
point of light in the
sky at night
The sun
“The” is the definite
article, “Sun” is star
 round which the earth
moves and which
Phrase

Connotative
meaning
The true meaning
of “alim lam ra”

The Yusuf‟s
brothers

Yusuf‟s mother

26
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27

gives it heat and light.
4

The moon


5

His favour

 
6

Perfected it

   
7

8

9

10

11

12

A wolf



“The” is the definite
article, “Moon” is the
round object that
moves round the earth
and shines at night
“His” is det of or
belonging to him.
“favour” is thing you
do to help
“Perfected” is be,look
seem, “it” is a third
person singular
pronoun
“A” or “an” is the
indefinite article, a
wild animal that looks
like a large dog

Yusuf‟s father

Prophecy of
Yusuf

The favour of
prophecy.

All of wild animal
in the place

“The” is the definite
article, “Losers” is you
 refer to some people
as a loser.
False blood
“False” is
wrong,
incorrect, blood is the
�