ABSTRACT

Kenneth Grahame has elaborated on the two synonyms, ‘rambled’ and ‘meandered’, by adding adverbs after them. Mole ‘rambled busily’ and he ‘meandered aimlessly’. This to some extent controls the readers’ reactions more tightly – keeps their imaginations within bounds. As it happens, in my case the connotations I bring to the words are just those the adverbs seem to reinforce. Ramblers for me are energetic people in shorts and hiking boots, whereas those who meander are much less purposive. I imagine them in sandals with floppy hats on their heads. (Though not Mole, I hasten to add.)

Frequently words are carefully chosen so that their connotations might conjure up an emotional response in the mind of the reader or listener, might persuade them to look at an issue from the writer’s or the speaker’s angle. Before any words are written, or put into a prepared talk, a considerable amount of mental work takes place. The speaker or writer hopes to tap into shared experiences with the reader or listener, not just in terms of everyday life, but shared history, shared reading, films, TV programmes and so on. They can never be sure, of course, exactly what the effect of their words will be.