Pragmatics vs Connotation, Semantics vs Denotation
December 5, 2025•205 words
✨ Differ: Pragmatics vs Connotation ✨
🔹 Pragmatics
Meaning that comes from context, situation, speaker intention.
It tells us what someone really means in that moment.
👉 Example: “It’s cold here.”
• Literal: temperature
• Pragmatic meaning: “Close the window” or “Turn on the heater”
🔹 Connotation
The emotional / cultural feeling attached to a word itself, not the situation.
👉 Examples:
• “Home” → warmth, safety
• “Snake” → betrayal
• “Slim” (positive) vs “Skinny” (negative)
✨ Core Difference
• Pragmatics → meaning from context
• Connotation → meaning from the word’s emotional tone
✨ Differ: Semantics vs Denotation ✨
🔹 Semantics
The overall study of meaning in language — how words, phrases, and sentences express meaning.
It includes denotation, connotation, reference, and sense relations.
👉 Example:
“The cat sat on the mat.”
Semantics explains who did the action, what “sat” means, and the overall sentence meaning.
🔹 Denotation
The literal, dictionary meaning of a word — no emotion, no cultural feeling.
👉 Examples:
• “Home” → a place where someone lives
• “Snake” → a reptile
• “Rose” → a flower
✨ Core Difference
• Semantics → the whole system of meaning
• Denotation → the strict literal meaning of a word