ABSTRACT
Even within a single language, synonyms are usually different in their overall semantic effects – compare ‘clergyman’ and ‘sky pilot’, ‘adder’ and ‘viper’, ‘go away’ and ‘piss off’, etc. Each of these expressions has overtones that differentiate it from its synonym. We shall call such overtones ‘connotative meanings’ – that is, associations that, over and above the denotative meaning of an expression, form part of its overall meaning. In fact, of course, connotative meanings are many and varied, and it is common for a single piece of text, or even a single expression, to combine more than one kind into a single overall effect. However, it is useful at this stage to distinguish six major types of connotative meaning, because learning to identify them sharpens students’ awareness of the presence and significance of connotations in STs and TTs alike. Note that, by definition, we are only concerned here with socially widespread connotations, not personal ones. Only in exceptional circumstances do translators allow personal connotations to influence a TT.
