Ambiguity

AMBIGUITY

            Something that does not have a single clear meaning: something that is ambiguous. In ambiguity, specific and distinct interpretations are permitted (although some may not be immediately apparent), whereas with information that is vague, it is difficult to form any interpretation at the desired level of specificity. The context in which an ambiguous word is used often makes it evident which of the meanings is intended. If, for instance, someone says "I buried $100 in the bank", most people would not think someone used a shovel to dig in the mud. However, some linguistic contexts do not provide sufficient information to disambiguate a used word. Ambiguous words or statements lead to vagueness and confusion, and shape the basis for instances of unintentional humor. Although people are sometimes said to be ambiguous in how they use language, ambiguity is, strictly speaking, a property of linguistic expressions. A word, phrase, or sentence is ambiguous if it has more than one meaning. Obviously this definition does not say what meanings are or what it is for an expression to have one (or more than one). For a particular language, this information is provided by a grammar, which systematically pairs forms with meanings, ambiguous forms with more than one meaning.

 Here are some examples of Ambiguity:

• A good life depends on a liver – Liver may be an organ or simply a living person.
• Foreigners are hunting dogs – It is unclear whether dogs were being hunted or foreigners are being spoken of as dogs.
• Each of us saw her duck – It is not clear whether the word “duck” refers to an action of ducking or a duck that is a bird.
• The passerby helps dog bite victim – Is the passerby helping a dog bite someone? Or is he helping a person bitten by a dog? It’s not clear.

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ambiguity

http://literarydevices.net/ambiguity/

http://online.sfsu.edu/kbach/ambguity.html

Denotaion,Connotation,Implication

DENOTATION, CONNOTATION, IMPLICATION

            Denotation is a translation of a sign to its meaning, precisely to its literal meaning, more or less like dictionaries try to define it. Denotation is sometimes contrasted to connotation, which translates a sign to meanings associated with it. Denotation refers to the literal meaning of a word, the "dictionary definition."¨ For example, if you look up the word snake in a dictionary, you will discover that one of its denotative meanings is "any of numerous scaly, legless, sometimes venomous reptiles Khaving a long, tapering, cylindrical body and found in most tropical and temperate regions. For example, was Juliet to look up the word 'rose' in the dictionary, she would find something like, 'a bush or shrub that produces flowers, usually red, pink, white or yellow in color.' Similarly, street names, like Sistrunk Boulevard or Northeast Sixth Street, tell people where they are and help them get to where they want to go. The denotation of a word does not carry the associations, emotions, or attitudes that the word might have. The opposite concept is called connotation, which refers to those associations and nuances that a word carries. Now we tend to use denotation in opposition to connotation, which is indirect or symbolic meaning.

                            Connotation is an implied that is associated with a word in addition to its literal meaning. This association can be cultural or emotional. A connotation is frequently described as either positive or negative, with regards to its pleasing or displeasing emotional connection. Connotation branches into a mixture of different meanings. Here are some examples of connotation:

Positive Connotations 

• Childlike
• Dove (peace)
• Hollywood (fame)
• Home
• Lean
• Modest
• Slender
• Thrifty
• Wall Street (wealth)
• Youthful

Negative Connotations

• Babe (woman)
• Chick (woman)
• Broad (woman)
• Chatty
• Chicken (coward)
• Lackadaisical
• Miserly
• Mutt
• Procrastination
• Pushy
• Reservation (Native Americans)
• Retarded
• Skinny
• Uppity

The definition of denotation is the opposite of the definition of connotation, which refers to the associations and emotions that a word carries in a culture. The denotation of a word is what you can find in a dictionary entry about that word. In fact, this is a helpful way to remember which literary device is which: “denotation” starts with the same letter as “dictionary” and “definition.”

            Implication is the activity that a speaker or piece of writing does. When a speaker or a piece of writing implies something, that speaker or piece of writing has conveyed, suggested, or hinted at it without stating it outright. Implication is the fact or state of being involved in or connected to something.  

http://www.literarydevices.com/denotation/

https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/denotation

http://www.eng.fju.edu.tw/English_Literature/terms/denotation.htm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denotation

http://examples.yourdictionary.com/connotation-examples.html

http://www.qucosa.de/fileadmin/data/qucosa/documents/9353/5_08_Khamis.pdf

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/implication

Bukan Pelabelan

    

Guru adalah orang lain yang diwajibkan peduli terhadap 

 titipan yang dititipkan orang tua untuk diajarkan disarana pendidikan. 

Yaap,bukan hanya diajar, titipan tersebut juga harus dibimbing,dididik,diarahkan,dan disayangi. Menjadi guru berarti harus siap menerima bagaimanapun tingkah unik

 maupun keberagaman mereka. Bukan hanya sekedar menerima tugas

 lalu menjalani serta melakukannya hingga waktu tugas usai,

tapi setidaknya sadarlah bahwa titipan-titipan tersebut

 nantinya akan menjadi penerus bagi bangsa yang kita akui ini. 

Guru bukan hanya sekedar profesi indah yang akan kedengaran tidak asing

Namun,guru adalah indikator terpenting dalam siklus hidup titipan Tuhan.

Jangan sekali-kali mencoba pada satu hal yang sama sekali bukan niat hati.

jadilah guru yang menghargai bahwa titipan Tuhan ini berharga. 

Euphemism

Euphemism

            Euphemism is an inoffensive word or phrase substituted for one considered offensive or hurtful, esp one concerned with religion, sex, death, or excreta. The substitution of an agreeable or inoffensive expression for one that may offend or suggest something unpleasant; also :  the expression so substituted. Euphemism is an idiomatic expression which loses its literal meanings and refers to something else in order to hide its unpleasantness. For example, “kick the bucket” is a euphemism that describes the death of a person. In addition, many organizations use the term “downsizing” for the distressing act of “firing” its employees.

            Euphemism depends largely on the social context of the speakers and writers where they feel the need to replace certain words which may prove embarrassing for particular listeners or readers in a particular situation. Euphemism masks a rude or impolite expression but conveys the concept clearly and politely. Several techniques are employed to create euphemism.

            Euphemism Examples in Everyday Life

Euphemism is frequently used in everyday life. Let us look at some common euphemism examples:

• You are becoming a little thin on top (bald).
• Our teacher is in the family way (pregnant).
• He is always tired and emotional (drunk).
• We do not hire mentally challenged (stupid) people.
• He is a special child (disabled or retarded).

References:

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/excreta

http://literarydevices.net/euphemism/

http://www.dictionary.com/browse/euphemism

Symbol and Referent

SYMBOL AND REFERENT

    
  Symbol is a mark or character used as a conventional representation of an object, function, or process. A symbol is a person or a concept that represents, stands for or suggests another idea, visual image, belief, action or material entity. Symbols take the form of words, sounds, gestures, ideas or visual images and are used to convey other ideas and beliefs. Something that represents something else by association, resemblance, or convention, especially a material object used to represent something invisible. Mark, sign, or word that indicates, signifies, or is understood as representing an idea, object, or relationship. Symbols allow people to go beyond what is known or seen by creating linkages between otherwise very different concepts and experiences. All communication (and data processing) is achieved through the use of symbols.

            In the book Signs and Symbols, it is stated that a symbol ... is a visual image or sign representing an idea -- a deeper indicator of a universal truth. Symbols are a means of complex communication that often can have multiple levels of meaning. This separates symbols from signs, as signs have only one meaning. Human cultures use symbols to express specific ideologies and social structures and to represent aspects of their specific culture. Thus, symbols carry meanings that depend upon one’s cultural background; in other words, the meaning of a symbol is not inherent in the symbol itself but is culturally learned.

            Symbols are the basis of all human understanding and serve as vehicles of conception for all human knowledge. Symbols facilitate understanding of the world in which we live, thus serving as the grounds upon which we make judgments. In this way, people use symbols not only to make sense of the world around them, but also to identify and cooperate in society through constitutive rhetoric.

            Referent is a person or thing to which a linguistic expression refers. The referent is the concrete thing that’s being referred to, so an actual chair would be the referent of the word chair. The referent of words such as table or building is pretty clear, but some referents are more abstract, like for the words happiness or danger. The word referent is handy in grammar-land, when you’re trying to figure out how words are being used in a sentence. Also, Frankenstein’s monster could be the referent of monster, experiment gone wrong, or big green guy. For example, in the sentence Mary saw me, the referent of the word Mary is the particular person called Mary who is being spoken of, while the referent of the word me is the person uttering the sentence.

            Two expressions which have the same referent are said to be co-referential. In the sentence John had his dog with him, for instance, the noun John and the pronoun him are co-referential, since they both refer to the same person (John). In fields such as semantics and semiotics, a distinction is made between a referent and a reference. Reference is a relationship in which a symbol or sign (a word, for example) signifies something; the referent is the thing signified. The referent may be an actual person or object, or may be something more abstract, such as a set of actions. A referent is the concrete object or concept that is designated by a word or expression.

References:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symbol

http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/communication.html

http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/symbol

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/symbol

http://www-01.sil.org/linguistics/GlossaryOfLinguisticTerms/WhatIsAReferent.htm

http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/symbol

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/symbol

http://www.yourdictionary.com/referent

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/referent

https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/referent

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Referent