Denotation and connotation for poets.
Most people go through life using language haphazardly. That’s how we get words like irregardless, which has the exact same meaning as regardless.
But writers, and especially poets, don’t have the luxury of throwing words around indiscriminately. Clear and compelling prose and verse demand that we pay due diligence to the words we choose. We look for the most precise and accurate words available to express any given idea.
Words have two basic meanings: denotation and connotation. Let’s find out the difference between the two and look at how we, as writers, can use denotation and connotation to strengthen our prose and verse.
Denotation
Denotation is the literal meaning of a word, the dictionary definition.
The word mom means a female parent. The word mother also means a female parent. These two words share the same definition (and therefore the same denotation), but as we’ll soon see, they can have very different connotations.
Connotation
Language evolves over time through common usage, and words acquire cultural and emotional overtones. Connotation is the implied meaning of a word, which goes beyond its dictionary definition.
Connotation could also be thought of as the flavor of a word. Mom and mother both have the same dictionary definition, but these words have different flavors once we put them into context. Consider the following sentences:
Mom, can I audition for the school play?
Mother, may I audition for the school play?
The word Mom has an intimate and casual connotation whereas Mother carries a more formal overtone. These words have the same meaning but the subtext is different. This is due, in part, to context. Mother may sound formal in the example sentence above, but there may be contexts in which that is not the case:
She’s a loving and devoted mother.
As we can see, a word might express different connotations in different contexts.
Using Denotation and Connotation in Poetry Writing
In poetry writing, denotation and connotation are critical considerations. A key component of poetry is word choice — the language we use to express thoughts, ideas, and images. Denotation and connotation allow us to choose words that give our poetry greater depth and deeper meaning.
Some words have multiple definitions. Most writers will default to the simplest word and most common definition. If they want to show a detective chasing a suspect through a forest, they might say the detective sprinted through the trees. But a poet will look for a word that can be used more fully: the detective darted through the trees.
The word sprint works because it means “to run fast,” but the word dart deepens the meaning because it denotes running fast, a spear-like weapon, and a small projectile that is shot at a target. All of these definitions underscore what is happening when a detective is chasing a suspect.
Although these literary devices aren’t exclusive to poetry (they are found in all forms of writing), poets tend to make the best use of denotation and connotation because the craft of poetry emphasizes language and word choice. Poets spend an inordinate amount of time laboring over word choices, searching for language that perfectly expresses whatever they want to say.
Writers outside the realm of poetry can learn a lot from poetic devices like denotation and connotation, using these tools and techniques to enrich their own work, whether they write fiction, creative nonfiction, or anything else.
Are you a poet? Do you ever pause to carefully consider your word choices? Have you ever applied the concepts of denotation or connotation to your writing? Share your thoughts and experiences by leaving a comment, and keep writing!
I am a poet and do labor over my words carefully. In fact my thesaurus is almost always by my side when I edit and revise a draft of a poem. The connotations are important but with poetry, I often want the right sounds for further express the meaning and the right rhythm to fit the cadence of the poem. Sometimes it will take me two days to polish an 8-line poem.
I actually started writing a paragraph about making word choices based on sound, but that was a huge tangent that was taking the article away from the main topic, so I had to cut it. But I know what you mean — for us poets, sometimes the musicality is the deciding factor.
It’s also about the feel /rhythm of the words that matter.
I agree that the musicality matters, but this post is about meaning (see title). Meaning should hold greater weight than musicality in most cases, but all else being equal between two words, we would definitely choose the one that sounds better.
I sometimes revise twenty times, although my favorite poet, Charles Bukowski, never revised at all.
I need some help… I am searching for an English word or words to translate the Vietnamese poetic term “mẹ già”. Literally, it means “old mother”. However, in Vietnamese literature, the age of the mother in this expression is insignificant. In fact, the term “mẹ già” is used to lovingly refer to one’s mother, when one has at least reached adulthood. When a woman, young or old, is referred to by this term, we know that she’s a sweet, caring mother and is loved and respected by her now adult child. The context also indicates that the child, who most likely has left the home, is missing his/her mother back in the home village.
Hi Khoi. I don’t know of a word or phrase in English that fits what you’ve described.
matriarch?
I’m a 68 year old grad student pursuing an MFA in Creative Writing – Poetry, and my fellowship includes teaching duties. I hope you don’t mind, but I’ve copied and pasted this into a Word document giving you and your website full credit. I want to use this with my Intro to Creative Writing students. I’ll probably adapt it to a PowerPoint presentation as spring semester will be entirely online due to COVID. This is absolutely excellent. I wish some of my peers would think about the subtleties of connotation and denotation. (I won’t put in my url as it’s having indigestion at the moment!)
Hi Betsy,
For inquiries about permission to use the content on Writing Forward, please use the Contact page (link in the menu) and send a private message.
Thanks,
Melissa
What are your thought on made up words in poetry. In a recent poem I used “wretching” to evoke the feeling I wanted. Even SIRI wants me to use “wrenching!”
Hi Patrice. Great question! I think it depends on the situation. Making up words is fun and innovative. It doesn’t work if the word already exists but has another meaning or if there are other words with the meaning you need. I think “retching” is already a word.
Look at the work of Lewis Carroll! “Jabberwocky” is an excellent example. By the sounds Carroll used and the context in which he used them, his meaning is quite clear. I actually do a lesson plan for my students on created language. We read “Jabberwocky” and discuss Klingon, Dathraki (did I spell that correctly?), and Elvish. I tell my students, they certainly may invent words because language is dynamic not static, but I need to be able to tell by the context what is meant. One of my students said to me, “I’m not athletic; I’m MATHaletic.” He was a finance major. What a great word!
me personally do not and will not be placed inside of anyone set box …this is verbally spoken speech and or other wise…. a great professor shared his view point with me on just that above….. he gave me a phrase to share to convey tha point and that phrase was…. that i do not like to be and or will be marginalized in anything that i do….including but not limited to writing. shit….Shakespeare did tha damn thang and look at some of tha words spoken today… he help shape modern day speech
Between an overzealous spell check and the inability to see mistakes until just after hitting the send button. sometimes language becomes mushed, smushed, and mistouched. Mother/Mom was a good example of connotation and denotation.
Thanks!