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Context In Word Meanings - School Essays

Context In Word Meanings

Context Gives Meaning

Many people seem to believe that a word, any word means, well, what it means. How hard would one have to look to see if this is true? Right off, the word "mail" comes to mind. Mail, as in letters, catalogs, magazines and bills: stuff the "mailman-mailperson" delivers to the house. Possibly that can be stretched to e-mail as in, "You've got mail!" All of this is true, unless, you are reading a book or article having to do with the Middle Ages. Then the same word, same spelling, means a garment of protection created from interlocking rings of metal.
Space. When used in the context of, "Space, the final frontier," there is one image. If used in a medical ...

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focuses its discussion of the word, "heredity" on the biological or genetic aspects of the word. In that same Mediaeval world, the first son would be deeply concerned about heredity as it would pertain to all his father had to leave in a strongly patriarchal culture that practiced primogeniture.
What further effect of context on language might we note? Headlines that tell us our troops in an area of conflict took casualties due to, "friendly fire." If we didn't know how this term is used in our modern world we would be confused. How , a person from a culture, that knows only the concept of fire for warmth and cooking, is one hurt by "friendly fire?" We might be tempted to consider this a perversion of the word friendly.
In doing research many years ago as to how language is used in what might be considered sexist ways, there was this example from an article concerning males and females on a trip in Europe. The author was describing the behaviors of various members of ...

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Context In Word Meanings. (2016, August 19). Retrieved January 11, 2026, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Context-In-Word-Meanings/105823

"Context In Word Meanings." Essayworld.com. Essayworld.com, 19 Aug. 2016. Web. 11 Jan. 2026. <http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Context-In-Word-Meanings/105823>

"Context In Word Meanings." Essayworld.com. August 19, 2016. Accessed January 11, 2026. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Context-In-Word-Meanings/105823.

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PAPER DETAILS

Added: 8/19/2016 07:00:05 AM
Category: English
Type: Premium Paper
Words: 865
Pages: 4

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