Analyze and comment on the following.Comment on the following 2 sentences to illustrate the features of affective meaning of words. Sentence 1 “One who is filled with ambition usually works hard.” Sentence 2 “Knowledge of inequality has stimulated envy, ambition and greed.”
AFFECTIVE MEANING INDICATES THE SPEAKER‘S ATTITUDE TOWARDS THE PERSON OR THING IN QUESTION. WORDS THAT HAVE EMOTIVE VALUES MAY FALL INTO TWO CATEGORIES: APPRECIATIVE OR PEJORATIVE. WORDS OF POSITIVE OVERTONES ARE USED TO SHOW APPRECIATION OR THE ATTITUDE OF APPROVAL, WHILE THOSE OF NEGATIVE CONNOTATIONS IMPLY DISAPPROVAL, CONTEMPT OR CRITICISM IN SENTENCE 1, AMBITION IS OBVIOUSLY USED IN GOOD SENSE SHOWING APPROVAL ON THE PART OF THE SPEAKER. IN SENTENCE 2, AMBITION UNDOUBTEDLY CONVEYS A PEJORATIVE OVERTONE. THEREFORE, TO A LARGE EXTENT THE AFFECTIVE MEANING OF THE WORD DEPENDS ON THE CONTEXT WHERE THE WORD IS USED.
