ABSTRACT
In this chapter and the next one, we shall consider the two basic aspects of the semantic matrix of language: denotative meaning and connotative meaning.
Translation is concerned with meaning. But, as has already become very clear, the term 'meaning' is elastic and indeterminate, especially when applied to a whole text. This is true even of denotative meaning (also known as 'cognitive', 'propositional' or 'literal' meaning). Denotative meaning is that kind of meaning which is fully supported by ordinary semantic conventions, such as the convention that 'window' refers to a particular kind of aperture in a wall or roof.
