A Semantic Analysis of Associative Meaning in the Song “The Visitor” by Sienna Spiro

Abstract

This study entitled “A Semantic Analysis of Associative Meaning in the Song ‘The Visitor’ by Sienna Spiro” investigates how associative meanings are expressed in the song lyrics and how they contribute to the emotional and thematic interpretation of the song. The objective of this study is to identify the types of associative meaning found in the lyrics and explain their roles in conveying implied meanings and emotional experiences. This study applied a descriptive qualitative method using content analysis. The data consisted of 24 lyric excerpts selected from the song lyrics based on their relevance to Leech’s theory of associative meaning. The findings revealed that all six types of associative meaning were found in the lyrics, namely connotative, social, affective, reflective, collocative, and thematic meanings. Among these types, affective meaning appeared as the most dominant because the lyrics mainly expressed emotional attachment, longing, sadness, and inner conflict. Connotative meaning was reflected through symbolic expressions that conveyed deeper emotional interpretation, while reflective meaning appeared through words containing multiple interpretations. In addition, the findings indicated that associative meanings in the song often overlapped and worked together in expressing psychological and emotional experiences.