Connotative Interpretations of Sexuality - Related Terms

The relationship between a word and its possible meanings is known as semantics (Megginson, 1996). Depending on context, this relationship may add complexity to interpersonal communication. The very mention of particular words can produce two types of meaning: denotative, or referential, and connotative, or representational. A person may be able to give the denotative meaning (i.e., dictionary definition) of a word willingly, whereas, at the same time, be reluctant to provide its representational meaning due to the emotional association brought about by the word (Megginson, 1996; Weaver, 1974). Representational interpretations of specific words can be influenced by people's previous experience and sets of beliefs, and, thus, two people may assign entirely different connotative meanings to the same word (Osgood, Suci, & Tannenbaum, 1957). Therefore, under certain circumstances, the communicative value of language may be altered that could create significant communicative roadblocks.