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Understanding a passage involves understanding four levels
of meaning:
☆ conceptual meaning
☆ propositional meaning (to
be learned in Unit 4)
☆ contextual meaning (to be
learned in Unit 5)
☆ pragmatical meaning (to be
learned in Unit 6)
These four kinds of meaning can be found in every text, though
sometimes one is more important than another.
The conceptual meaning of a word is known as the dictionary
meaning which indicates the concepts. In reading we can find
many different words have the same conceptual meanings. Take
the word walk as an example, the conceptual meaning or the
primary dictionary meaning is to move forward by placing one
foot in front of the other. There are also a few other words
that, according to the dictionary, mean to move forward on
foot:
The newlyweds strolled
down the streets of Paris.
(Stroll suggests a leisurely,
carefree walk)
The wealthy businessman swaggered
into the restaurant and demanded a table.
(Swagger suggest walking
in a bold, arrogant manner.)
The overweight man lumbered
along, breathing heavily and occasionally tripping.
(Lumber suggests a clumsy,
awkward movement.)
From the examples, you can see that these synonyms, although
with different connotative meanings, have the same conceptual
meaning.
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