Khross wrote:
Diamondeye wrote:
Connotation is an essentially subjective, unscientific concept. The fact that you think I should have stated it was "in my estimation" or something like that indicates you still fail to grasp the concept. There is no test by which we can determine what connotation any word does or does not carry; it's based simply on our individual observations of how others react to the word.
The linguist in me strongly disagrees, perhaps vehemently denies, these statements. Indeed, were connotations not shared at some broader level than individual, we would have no slang.
I did not say that they were not shared beyond the individual. We gain our understanding of connotation from observing what connotations they seem to ahve to others. They just cannot be precisely defined or limited in the way the dictionary definition is. There is no precise way of saying how strong a connotation is, or how much it encompasses. There are large grey areas. Clearly, however, they must be shared.