Associative Meaning and Communicative Effect

Dini Ika Lestari

Abstract
Associative meaning is an unstable meaning that has variants
based on individual experience. The associative meaning of
an expression has to do with individual mental understanding
of the speaker. there are types of associative meanings
connotative meaning, stylistic meaning, affective meaning,
reflected meaning, and collocative meaning. The semantic
analysis, generally, must explain how the sentences of a
particular language are understood, interpreted, and related to
states, processes and objects in the world. When learns more
about semantics, it finds out a lot about how the world's
languages match forms to meanings. And in doing that, learns
a lot about ourselves and how we think, as well as acquiring
knowledge that is useful in many different fields and
applications.
Keywords: semantics, associative meaning, communicative effect
A. INTRODUCTION

Language has a powerful influence over people and their behavior. Language
can be regarded as a communication tool that relates something to be communicated
with something that communicates a message on the one hand with a set of signs or
symbols. When learning language, it will be more understandable for people to learn
the meaning of language (Crystal, 1987: 100). Meaning is an idea that can be transferred
from the mind of the speaker in the mind of the hearer by embodying them in the form
of one language or another. Meaning must be completed with context in accordance
with the time and space in which an expression is applied because similar expression
may have different meaning if it is used in different condition or context. Semantics is
the study of the way in which words and sentences convey meaning.

Study of meaning is one of the major areas of linguistic study. Linguists have
approached it in a variety of ways. Members of the school of interpretive semantics
study the structures of language independent of their conditions of use. In contrast, the
advocates of generative semantics insist that the meaning of sentences is a function of
their use. Still another group maintains that semantics will not advance until theorists
 consider the psychological questions of how people form concepts and how these relate
to word meanings.
B. DISCUSSION
1. Semantics
Semantics is one the branches of linguistics studying about meaning, and it is
considered as a major branch of linguistics devoted to the study of meaning in
language (Crystal, 1991: 310). Semantics is traditionally defined as the study of
meaning; and this is the definition which we shall initially adopt (Lyons, 1997: 1).
It can be concluded that semantics is a study of meaning. Semantics as a field of
study also has significant ties to various representational theories of meaning
including truth theories of meaning, coherence theories of meaning, and
correspondence theories of meaning.
Crystal (1991:310) stated that semantics is one the branches of linguistics
studying about meaning and it is considered as a major branch of linguistics devoted
to the study of meaning in language. Crystal (1991:100) also said that the study of
properties of definitions is an important part of semantics, but it is only a part. The
more important thing is the study of the way in which words and sentences convey
meaning in the everyday situations of speech and writing.
Some people would like semantics to pursue study of meaning in a wider sense
of ‘all that is communicated by language’; others (among them most modern writers
within the framework of general linguistics) limit it in practice to the study of
logical or conceptual meaning. It needs no great insight to see that semantics in the
former, wider sense can lead us once again into the void from which Bloomfield
retreated with understandable misgivings-the description of all that may be the
object of human knowledge or belief. On the other hand, we can, by carefully
distinguishing types of meaning, show how they all fit into the total composite
effect of a linguistic communication, and show how method of study appropriate to
one type may not be appropriate to another.
It has been observed that there is tremendous renewal of interest in semantic
theory among linguists in the last few years. The main reason is the development of
generative grammar with its emphasis on the distinction between ‘deep structure’
and ‘surface structure’. On the one hand semantics deals with the way words are
and sentences are related to objects and processes in the world. On the other hand,
it deals with the way in which they are related to one another in terms of such
 notions as ‘synonymy’, entailment’, and ‘contradiction’. According to John I Saeed,
Semantics is the study of meaning communicated through language. He further says
that a speaker’s semantic knowledge is an exciting and challenging task.
The semantic analysis, generally, must explain how the sentences of a particular
language are understood, interpreted, and related to states, processes and objects in
the world.
When learns more about semantics, it finds out a lot about how the world's
languages match forms to meanings. And in doing that, learns a lot about ourselves
and how we think, as well as acquiring knowledge that is useful in many different
fields and applications.
In this case, semantic can be used to figure out the meaning and effects are made
in the slogans through advertisement language to convey a message from the seller
to buyer. It delivers a good communication.
2. Associative Meaning
It has been explained that connotative meaning, stylistic meaning, affective
meaning, reflected meaning, and collocative meaning according to Leech (1974:
21) are unstable meaning and have variants of individual experience. It is an
expression has to do with individual mental understanding of the speaker. Sarifah
(2008: 11) emphasizes that associative meaning is the sense associations that are
not part of a world’s basic meaning and have variants meaning based on individual
experience or the context of the sentences. For instance, the word “black” is
associated with the meaning of darkness and sadness.
Considering the classification of associative meanings based on Leech’s theory,
five meanings can be illustrated on the table of associative meanings below:
Table Types of Associative Meaning
Connotative Meaning What is communicated by virtue of
Associative what language refer to
Meaning Stylistic Meaning What is communicated of the social
circumstances of language use
Affective Meaning What is communicated of the
feelings and attitudes of the
speakers\writer
Reflected Meaning What is communicated through
association with other senses of the
same expression
Collocative Meaning What is communicated through
association with which tend to occur
in the environment of another word
3. The Types of Associative Meaning
Based on Geoffrey Leech’s theory, there are five types of associative meanings
are connotative meaning, stylistic meaning, affective meaning, reflected meaning,
and collocative meaning. The explanation of them is followed:
a. Connotative meaning
Leech (2003:23) defines that Connotative meaning is the
communicative value of an expression according to what is referred to, exceed
the above contents are purely conceptual. For example: the word “woman” as
conceptual meaning has three characteristics “Manusia, Perempuan, Dewasa”
(+HUMAN,-MALE, ADULT)’ can be more explained as the connotative
meaning comprising ‘the nature of putative’ of reference, caused by the views
received by the individual or group or all members of society. Thus, connotative
meaning is owned by the communicative value of the expression based on what
it refers, over and above that is owned by its conceptual meaning.
Based on the explanations before, it can be deduced that the connotative
meaning is vary from time to time, and one society to another societies. For
example, the slogan of Pizza Hut is “Flavor of Now”. The word” flavor” used
to hide the meaning and it is a satire to the readers to taste their food.
b. Stylistic meaning
Leech (2003: 25) stated that stylistic meaning is that which a piece of
language conveys about the social circumstances of its use. It is meaning which
appear as result of the use of language. We can explain about stylistic meaning
through some dimensions and levels of language use.
People know some language use, like dialect, the use of language in
formal situation, language use in literary work and language use in market.
Stylistic meaning related to language use that cause effect, especially to reader.
So that why, stylistic meaning can more be felt in literary work. Example of
stylistic meaning is: “What he is saying is that change is possible; pluralism is
a good thing, and everyone should have the chance to dream.” In this sentence,
the word “pluralism” is usually used in the scope of society. Another example
from the slogan of Dunkin’ Donuts is “America Runs on Dunkin’”. In this
 sentence, the word “America” talking about the everyday folks who get things
done. It used in the scope of society who are busy and do not have time to linger.
Language use can be formal, neutral and casual in style. The stylistic
features of words, which make words appropriate for appropriate situations,
constitute stylistic meanings of words.
c. Affective meaning
Affective meaning has to do with the personal feelings or attitudes of
the speaker. In a manner comparable to social meaning affective meaning is
only indirectly related to the conceptual representation.
Leech (2003: 27-28) stated that affective meaning is often explicitly
conveyed through the conceptual or connotative content of the words used. For
example, the slogan of Mcdonals is “I’m Lovin’ It”. The word “Lovin’ It” as
the evidence that this sentence describes the writer’s and reader’s feeling
towards the product.
d. Reflected meaning
Leech (2003:29) conveyed that what is communicated through
association with another sense of the same expression or the meaning which
arises in case of multiple conceptual meaning when one sense of word forms
part of our response to another sense. It means that one sense of a particular
word affects the understanding and usage of all the other senses of world. This
is usually caused when familiarity with one sense of a word effects of our
interpretation of another sense. For example, the slogan of KFC is “Finger
Lickin’ Good”. This sentence makes many assumptions for the readers. The
word “good” reflected to the food which is tasty and make the people feel want
to lick their finger.
e. Collocative meaning
Leech (2003:30) stated that collocative meaning consists of the
associations a word acquires on account of the meanings of words which tend
to occur in its environment. For example, the words pretty and handsome. Pretty
and handsome share common ground in the meaning “good looking”, but may
be distinguished by the range of nouns with which they are likely to co-occur
or collocate:
Pretty: girl, boy, woman, flower, garden, colour, village, etc
Handsome: boy, man, car, vessel, overcoat, airliner, typewriter, etc.
 It can happen that the words overlap as like handsome woman and pretty
woman. Both of them can be received, although they have different
attractiveness because of collocative associations of the two adjectives.
From this, people can know the proper word to be used with other word
in a sentence. In English, sometime one word has some synonyms with other
words, but not all of synonym words can be used with other word. Another
example from the slogan of Dairy Queen is “Fan Food Not Fast Food”. The
word “fan” in the sentence shows that it changes the real meaning of the word
itself. It depends on the context of sentence.
C. CONCLUSION
Some people would like semantics to pursue study of meaning in a wider sense
of ‘all that is communicated by language’; others (among them most modern writers
within the framework of general linguistics) limit it in practice to the study of logical
or conceptual meaning. It needs no great insight to see that semantics in the former,
wider sense can lead us once again into the void from which Bloomfield retreated with
understandable misgivings-the description of all that may be the object of human
knowledge or belief. On the other hand, we can, by carefully distinguishing types of
meaning, show how they all fit into the total composite effect of a linguistic
communication, and show how method of study appropriate to one type may not be
appropriate to another.

REFERENCES

Crystal, D. 1987. The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language. Melbourne, Australia:

Crystal, D. 1991. A Dictionary of Linguistics and Phonetics 3rd Edition. Cambridge, MA:
Leech, G. 1974. Semantics. New York, U.S.A: Penguin.
Leech, G. 1974. Semantik. Translated by Paina Partana. 2003. Yogyakarta: Pustaka Pelajar.
Leech, G. 1966. English in Advertising. London: Longman
Lyons, J. 1997. Semantics Volume I. Great Britain: University Press, Cambridge.
Morley, G, D. 2000. Syntax IN Functional Grammar: An Introduction to Lexicogrammar in
systematic Linguistics. New York: Continum.
Sarefah, L. 2008. The Associative Meaning in The Headlines of The Jakarta Post.
Unpublished Thesis. The State Islamic University of Malang.
ASSOCIATIVE MEANING AND COMMUNICATIVE EFFECT

NAME : DINI IKA LESTARI

NPM : 20177470024

EDUCATION ENGLISH PROGRAM

FACULTY OF POST GRADUATED

UNIVERSITY OF INDRAPRASTA PGRI JAKARTA

2018