Correlation of Connotative and Denotative Components in the Semantics of Some Groups of Abstract Vocabulary and in the Semantics of Zoonyms (On the Example of the Word “Cow”)
In linguistics, there are different ideas about the ratio of the denotative and connotative sides of the meaning of a word. Despite the fact that additional contextual semantics, as a rule, has a larger information volume, connotative meanings are invariably perceived as secondary to denotative ones. Obviously, there is a pattern linking denotation with the connotation formed on its basis. The article considers the difference in connotations of quite distant from each other in terms of the degree of concreteness of words - nominal vocabulary denoting abstract concepts, and specific nouns of the thematic group of zoonyms. The result of the comparison is the conclusion about the correspondence of the volume of connotation and denotation as an inversely proportional dependence: the narrower the area of denotation, the greater the qualitative and quantitative potential of the word to develop connotative meaning, and vice versa - the more magnificent the bouquet of semantic elements associated with emotions, ratings, and ideas about the non-material side of the world, the less the lexeme has opportunities for the formation of additional values outside certain secondary modeling systems.