- In order to help establish a baseline for evaluating word meanings, dictionaries such as Webster's seek to establish the lexical definition of words. The lexical definition presents only the dry facts about the word --- whether it's a noun, verb, etc. --- and seek to define it in an irrefutable way. However, lexical definitions rarely provide hints as to why you might use one word over a similar word in different contexts. Lexical definitions exist so that those who have never experienced the word first hand can get a general, grammatical idea as to what an author might have intended. Such definitions are particularly useful for highly technical words with precise, often hard-to-understand meanings, such as "microprocessor" or "joist."
- If lexical definitions ignore context, ostensive definitions use nothing but. An ostensive definition is, quite literally, when one uses a real-world example to define a word or concept. This is particularly helpful in instances where jargon (words and phrases particular to an industry or lifestyle) might muddy an otherwise lexical meaning. For example, the word "jig" can, lexically, be defined as a lively dance; however, an avid fisherman might point to the multi-hooked, feathered lure at the end of his line by way of defining "jig." Ostensive definitions can have an even greater impact when referring to abstract concepts. A parent may point out a couple in a park to their child --- arms around each other, one's head resting on the other's shoulder while they watch the sun set --- and say, "that is 'love.'" Though love can have many meanings and applications, the child may develop a definition based on the image of that iconic couple.
- Since words and speech continue to evolve, we often end up with many words that, lexically, mean the same things but aren't always used interchangeably. Like the "love" example above, many people attach very specific meanings to words in spite of their lexical definition. To say, for example, that a person is "hasty" sounds different than saying that the person is "fast." The former implies a more "hurried" mindset, suitable for someone who is late for a business meeting. "Fast" implies a more direct evaluation of the speed at which the person is moving. Denotative meaning --- that is, a meaning like you'd find in a dictionary --- says that both of these words are related to the speed at which an object is moving. But because people apply certain values and expectations to words, you would use these two words in different instances. A runner in a 100-yard dash competition is fast; a floor runner at a stock exchange is hasty.
- A 2005 study in the "Journal of Neuroscience" suggests that the part of our brain that interprets meaning is wholly separate from the parts that interpret spoken or written words. In the study, Patricia M. Gough, Anna C. Nobre, and Joseph T. Devlin of the University of Oxford found that different areas of the brain were stimulated when evaluating either word sounds or word meanings.
Other studies have also found that our eyes process individual letters into a symbol that one might refer to as a word, but may simply be a learned interpretation of that symbol. In 2007, Simon Liversedge of the University of Southampton studied the eye movements of subjects as they read an article. Liversedge found that the eyes don't scan smoothly from left to right, but jump and return in jerky motions. These studies begin to highlight how different words can invoke significantly different reactions in readers. A "warm" summer day may bring to mind pleasant memories, but a blistering summer day may act as a warning to bring sunscreen and turn on the air conditioning.
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