Contextual Meaning

Contextual meaning is what most people mean by the term meaning when they use it in everyday conversation. Contextual meaning is the relationship between a formal item or pattern and an element of situation; that is, between a formal item or pattern and something which is outside the language itself, something which belongs to the world around.

For instance, the English lexical item man has contextual meaning. Users of English regularly associate the item таn with objects looking like this Xwhich occur in the world around. The relationship between the item man and the objects XXX is the regular association made between them by users of English. The contextual meaning of the item man is the relationship of regular association which it has with the objects XXX. The same relationship of regular association applies between the item leap and certain actions which occur in the world. The same relationship applies between the item clever and certain qualities which are perceivable in the world. In each case there is a relationship of regular association between a linguistic item and something which is extra-linguistic, something which is part of the situation of language rather than part of the language itself.

The statement, that contextual meaning is what most people mean by the term meaning in everyday conversation should perhaps be qualified. The term contextual meaning really has a wider meaning than that which most people give to the term meaning. [...]

Situation can be subdivided into thesis, immediate situation and wider situation. What most people think of as meaning is the relationship between a formal item and an element of thesis. However there can also be a relationship of regular association between a formal item and an element of immediate situation, or a relationship of regular association between a formal item and an element of wider situation. Both these kinds of relationship of regular association between a formal item and an element of wider situation. Both these kinds of relationship are included in contextual meaning as well as the relationship between a formal item and an element of thesis.

The relationships discussed above between man and certain objects, between leap and certain actions, between clever and certain qualities, are all examples of relationships between formal items and elements of thesis.

Examples of the second kind of contextual relationship, that between a formal item and an element of immediate situation provided by the items grub (=food) and luncheon. When the item grub is used, there are usually present in the immediate situation such elements as informality, familiarity between speaker and hearer, social equality between speaker and hearer. The item grub is regularly associated with informality, familiarity, social equality. It has a relationship of regular association with these elements of immediate situation. When the item luncheon (as opposed to lunch)is used, there are usually present in the immediate situation such elements as formality, ceremony, special occasion. The item luncheon isregularly associated with formality, ceremony, special occasion. It has a relationship of regular association with these elements of immediate situation.

Examples of the third kind of contextual relationship, that between a formal item and an element of wider situation, are provided by the items with it, trendy, switched on (all with the sense of ‘up-to-date’); afters, pudding, sweet, dessert (all referring to the course which follows the main course of a meal); mommet (=scarecrow), suant (=smooth). When the items with it, trendy, switched on, are used, the wider situation of the user usually includes either the element of belonging to a particular generation or the element of having spent quite a lot of time with members of that generation. Each of the items afters, pudding, sweet, dessert, is associated with a particular kind of social or educational background on the part of its users. When the items mommet or suant are used, the wider situation of the user usually includes the element of having spent a good deal of time in Devonshire or the element of being related to someone who has spent a good deal of time in Devonshire. All these items have relationships of regular association with elements of the wider situation of their users. Each of these three kinds of relationship between an item and situation enables the item, when it is used to provide a certain kind of information. [...]