♦ literal sense
O literal sense, or denotative, is the genuine, proper meaning of expressions and statements. This type of construction of meanings is used in texts whose main objective is to inform, argue and guide.
See an example below:
The “March to the West” was a program developed by the government of Getúlio Vargas during the Estado Novo period and had the objective of promote population development and economic integration of sparsely populated and developed areas in the Midwest and North of the Brazil. However, the results of the project were modest.”
Daniel Neves Silva - accessed on 8/26/2017 -
https://escolakids.uol.com.br/estado-novo-marcha-para-oeste-no-brasil.htm.
Note that, in this type of text, there is an informative function regarding the “West March”, in which the author uses a direct language, prioritizing the "basic" meaning of words, expressions and utterances in the construction of the meaning of the text.
♦ figurative sense
In texts where there is greater concern with aesthetics, it is common to use the figurative sense, or connotation, in their construction, such as in songs, poetry, poems, advertising texts, etc.
See an example:
- TIM, live without borders.
- Havaianas, the real ones.
Note that the use of the expressions “living without borders” and “the legitimate ones” forces the reader to establish relationships of meaning that extrapolate the basic meaning of these words, that is, they refer the reader to a knowledge beyond the text. This type of construction of meaning allows a new meaning to words, expressions and utterances, provoking a more stimulating effect on the reader.
