In the dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy, the term meaning is defined as something known, important, reputed, as well as the meaning or meaning of a word or phrase; among others. In relation to the linguistic sign, it is related to the mental content that is given to a word or term. It is the concept or idea that is associated with a word in all types of communication, such as in mental content. The concept of this term has many aspects that must be fully addressed, including its general definition and types.
What is the meaning
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The concept of this term refers to what defines what is being talked about and comes from experiences with one or more objects. For example, the meaning of fan could be defined as a tool for fanning oneself (and in turn a possible definition of fanning could be: "create a current of air through the manual movement of an object").
You have to realize that meanings are nothing more than purely mental entities, not universal or absolute. They are abstract, conventional too, like signs. For example, if a human being has never seen a boat and sees one for the first time, by association he might say: "What a strange fish…!"
Types of meaning
The semantics of the term under study tends to be a bit complex, this is because the word is broken down into different types and each one is used in different ways, all according to the text or context of a specific topic. The types of meaning are divided into literal, figurative, denotative, connotative, and contextual. All of these will be explained below.
Literal Meaning
Figurative Meaning
This item talks about the meaning of a word according to its meaning or, failing that, to the similarity it shares with a certain idea. The word itself makes sense through the similarity it has with a situation or another term, whose concept is relatively the same as the word in question. An example of this can be the meaning of dreams that can be repeated or have similarities with real life, either in situations of the past, present or future eventualities.
Denotative meaning
This type of meanings does not leave room for a second interpretation, since they define clear, concise and full terms. When faced with a denoting meaning, there is no room for doubt, since its reason for being is totally explicit. An example to explain this is the connotation of the phrase "pack of dogs", its meaning explains that it is a set of dogs, specifying that there are animals in between and an open number. The same happens with the meaning of respect, which refers to a consideration and show of tolerance.
Connotative meaning
This concept is even more complicated than the previous ones, this is because it refers to a totally different meaning to the word or message that is being broadcast, thus denoting colloquial phrases of a certain society, for example, when it is said "this person is leading a "life of dogs" refers to situations or characters referring to misery, hardship or ratings of suffering.
The connotative message of the phrase, takes on a symbolic value and with intentional meaning. The same goes for the meaning of colors. You can well speak of a rosy life only to refer to a joyful life, with indefinite benefits or its fullness.
Contextual meaning
Here, reference is made to polysemic words, which have multiple conceptions and must be studied carefully in order to give them the correct meaning. this class of connotations are emitted under a totally specific communicative relationship. For example, if a child is said to be cute, the term can be seen as something that has been short-lived or makes adorable gestures. On the other hand, if it is said that a bread or some other appetizer is tender, it refers to its being easy to eat, digest or break.
The concept changes according to the situation you are in. This can also apply in tattoos with their meaning or the meaning of colors.
The Significant and the meaning
For many authors, both terms are part of the structure of a sign. To begin with, the signifier is the material form that a word takes, thus being able to be the structure of a certain word (spelling), or a mental or visual image. The meaning that the signifier acquires goes to a symbolic level, this means that its meaning makes sense under a specific context and not under a general one, for example, in the Middle Ages, nobody could know what technology is because it is not associated to an acoustic image.
Now, regarding the meaning, this is, as mentioned on previous occasions, the mental content that is given to a linguistic term and that, later, is associated with the acoustic image or better known, as sound. This refers to the mental images that each person has when he hears a word. The central word of the subject and the significant word correspond in all languages, so they are mutually involved.
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Trends in the search for meanings on the web
On the web there are too many searches referring to different meanings, starting from metaphor meaning, amnesty meaning, sayings with their meaning and even tattoos with their meaning. Each one has different meanings and, precisely for this reason, they will be explained in this special section.
Dreams meaning
Dream interpretation is one of the most extensive searches on the web. The dream context is quite captivating, but, in addition to that, for many people dreams have a special connotation, that is why they remember every detail seen in them to have a specific meaning and determine if they are related to the real life of each person. Some tend to be very superstitious, others more fanciful, but they are still a mystery today.
Meaning of names
Like the previous item, many people, especially future parents, search the web for the meanings of boys and girls names, in order to select their favorites and, later, name their children. Some names tend to relate to purity, bravery, and power. Many others have biblical meanings, everything changes according to the way they are written and the combination with other names.
Sayings with their meaning
Sayings are known to be a very popular (and colloquial) form of expression according to the society where they are employed. They are used to denote wisdom verbally. These sayings are passed down from generation to generation, which is why most are so old. An example of these sayings is "In bad weather, good face" with this it refers to the fact that, no matter how bad the situation is, you always have to have a smile on your face and a solution in mind to get ahead.
Tattoos with their meaning
Tattoos are forever, therefore, the person who gets one must know the correct connotation of it, in addition to having a positive (or negative) impact on their life. People tend to tattoo infinities of symbols, faces or phrases, but each one has a different concept, it could be said that even connotative. What for some means a simple moon as a tattoo, for others it represents light, protection, something mystical and out of this world.
Meaning of colors
Psychology tends to define or associate colors with emotions and even with characteristics of a certain attitude or character. There are too many variations in the interpretation of each color, for example, the meaning that the color blue tends to be the favorite of people who have some psychopathy, but, it is also said that blue reflects courage or determination as a character. It is there where the definition of color comes in according to its different shades.
