Specialbetydelse

Specialbetydelse is a Danish term used in linguistics to denote a meaning that is distinct from a word's core, denotative sense. The concept captures additional layers of meaning that arise from usage, context, or domain-specific conventions. A special betydelse can include connotations, metaphorical extensions, or technical senses that are not part of the dictionary definition but are recognized within a particular linguistic community.

In practice, specialbetydelse appears in several contexts. In legal or technical texts, defined terms may carry a special betydelse that is explicitly stipulated in the document, giving them a meaning that overrides ordinary usage. In everyday language, a phrase can acquire a special betydelse through metaphor, cultural associations, or discourse patterns, yielding interpretive nuances beyond the literal words.

Relation to other concepts: Specialbetydelse overlaps with ideas such as connotation, pragmatics, polysemy, and domain-specific terminology. It is primarily used in Danish-language linguistic discussions and may not be widely adopted as a universal term in international semantics. As a descriptive label, it helps analysts articulate how language encodes multiple layers of meaning depending on context, audience, and field.

See also: denotation, connotation, semantics, pragmatics, polysemy, domain-specific terminology.