CONTEXT
CONTEXT.
1. Also co-text. The speech, writing, or print that normally precedes and follows a word or other element of language. The meaning of words may be affected by their context. If a phrase is quoted out of context, its effect may be different from what was originally intended.
2. The linguistic, situational, social, and cultural environment of an element of language, an action, behaviour, etc. Technically, the occurrence of a word in a linguistic context is said to be determined by collocational or selectional restrictions: the use of rancid with butter and bacon, of flock with sheep and birds, of pack with dogs, wolves, and cards. Generally, such association is largely or wholly determined by meaning (drink milk/beer, eat bread/meat), but meaning can be affected by collocation: white as in white wine, white coffee, and white people. Non-linguistic context is often referred to as situation, and meaning expressed in terms of context is reference (in contrast with SENSE, which exists in and among language elements regardless of context). To illustrate the meaning of ram by pointing to a picture or an animal is to use context, but to define it as male sheep in contrast with ewe is to do so by means of sense. See SEMANTICS.
1. Also co-text. The speech, writing, or print that normally precedes and follows a word or other element of language. The meaning of words may be affected by their context. If a phrase is quoted out of context, its effect may be different from what was originally intended.
2. The linguistic, situational, social, and cultural environment of an element of language, an action, behaviour, etc. Technically, the occurrence of a word in a linguistic context is said to be determined by collocational or selectional restrictions: the use of rancid with butter and bacon, of flock with sheep and birds, of pack with dogs, wolves, and cards. Generally, such association is largely or wholly determined by meaning (drink milk/beer, eat bread/meat), but meaning can be affected by collocation: white as in white wine, white coffee, and white people. Non-linguistic context is often referred to as situation, and meaning expressed in terms of context is reference (in contrast with SENSE, which exists in and among language elements regardless of context). To illustrate the meaning of ram by pointing to a picture or an animal is to use context, but to define it as male sheep in contrast with ewe is to do so by means of sense. See SEMANTICS.
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