ideational (adj.)

A term sometimes used in SEMANTICS as part of a classification of types of MEANING. It refers to that aspect of meaning which relates to the speaker’s COGNITIVE awareness of the external world or (in a behavioral definition) to the objectively verifiable states of affairs in the external world, as reflected in LANGUAGE. This function of language, for the expression of CONTENT, is usually contrasted with INTERPERSONAL (or social), EXPRESSIVE and TEXTUAL meaning. Terms with similar meaning include ‘conceptual’, ‘referential’, ‘propositional’ and COGNITIVE. The cognitive process of forming ideas and relationships of meaning, prior to their formulation in language, is known as ideation.