# What do semantics mean? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 15, 2014, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-semantics-mean/683746 "2014-03-15T04:48:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![fifty-six](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@fifty-six](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fifty-six)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2014, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-semantics-mean/683746/1 "2014-03-15T04:48:09Z")
What do semantics mean? ---
**Author:** ![flatlined](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb9ed0/32.png) [@flatlined](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flatlined)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2014, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-semantics-mean/683746/2 "2014-03-15T04:49:33Z")
Whilst I’d love to have this discussion with you, I think you might have wanted to put this in IMHO. I’ll just report it for you. ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2014, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-semantics-mean/683746/3 "2014-03-15T04:49:34Z")
That’s just, like, your opinion man. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2014, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-semantics-mean/683746/4 "2014-03-15T04:50:40Z")
Semantics means the study of meaning, i.e., what words and other symbols mean. ---
**Author:** ![Itself](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/d07c76/32.png) [@Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Itself)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2014, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-semantics-mean/683746/5 "2014-03-15T05:16:48Z")
In linguistics, semantics refers to the study of meaning within language: how people disambiguate different meanings of the same word, how thematic roles are assigned, and generally how people go from sounds and words to meaning. This is distinct from phonology (how sounds are made, recognized, and classified), morphology (how cases, affixes, etc. change words), syntax (how words are arranged into meaningful sentences), and so on. Sentences like “Colorless green ideas sleep furiously,” are perfectly grammatical but don’t make any sense. On the other hand, sentences like, “The gostak distims the doshes,” are easy to parse— there’s something called a ‘gostak’ that’s doing an action called ‘distimming’ to something called ‘doshes’— without knowing what half the words in the sentence actually mean. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2014, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-semantics-mean/683746/6 "2014-03-15T05:30:18Z")
Another note: Although the noun _semantics_ appears to be an English plural noun, it’s actually an English singular noun. ---
**Author:** ![fifty-six](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@fifty-six](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fifty-six)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2014, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-semantics-mean/683746/7 "2014-03-15T06:06:06Z")
> [@flatlined](#): > > Whilst I’d love to have this discussion with you, I think you might have wanted to put this in IMHO. I’ll just report it for you. I wanted it here. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2014, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-semantics-mean/683746/8 "2014-03-15T06:11:31Z")
> [@fifty-six](#): > > I wanted it here. Just 'cause? ---
**Author:** ![fifty-six](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@fifty-six](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fifty-six)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2014, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-semantics-mean/683746/9 "2014-03-15T06:25:41Z")
I am waiting for an argument. ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2014, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-semantics-mean/683746/10 "2014-03-15T06:36:22Z")
> [@fifty-six](#): > > I am waiting for an argument. why? ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2014, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-semantics-mean/683746/11 "2014-03-15T06:45:42Z")
> [@fifty-six](#): > > I am waiting for an argument. So sorry, this is “Abuse;” you want the Monty Python thread down the hall in Cafe Society. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2014, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-semantics-mean/683746/12 "2014-03-15T06:51:54Z")
OP: There’s a difference in usage. For some (perhaps most, even) people, the term _semantics_ is merely an insult for another person’s position. For linguists, the term is the name of a particular branch of linguistics. See [here](http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/semantics?s=t) for the definition of the term and a cultural note regarding its dismissive use. Now, if you’re looking for an argument, you should present your side of the argument. If you’re looking for a debate about the term, you should pose a coherent position and present that in GD. If you’re curious as to what the the term means to various posters, then IMHO is likely the right place. All you did in your OP was pose a question, the answer which is easily obtained, and that should’ve been in GQ. So, what’re you getting at? ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2014, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-semantics-mean/683746/13 "2014-03-15T07:33:14Z")
If only there was this electronic connection between many different people from many different places that one could access to discover this information. Of look up the god damn word in a fucking dictionary. That works too. ---
**Author:** ![Molotok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@Molotok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Molotok)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2014, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-semantics-mean/683746/14 "2014-03-15T07:40:20Z")
> [@fifty-six](#): > > I am waiting for an argument. It does not, you silly sausage! ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2014, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-semantics-mean/683746/15 "2014-03-15T07:43:06Z")
> [@fifty-six](#): > > I am waiting for an argument. I quirk my eyebrow at you. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2014, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-semantics-mean/683746/16 "2014-03-15T07:47:25Z")
It’s like what the definition of “is” is. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2014, 8:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-semantics-mean/683746/17 "2014-03-15T08:09:21Z")
Moved to IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2014, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-semantics-mean/683746/18 "2014-03-15T08:11:50Z")
That would depend on what you mean by “moved,” wouldn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![Molotok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@Molotok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Molotok)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2014, 8:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-semantics-mean/683746/19 "2014-03-15T08:30:37Z")
So that’s an ixnay on the argument, then? I was waiting for a humdinger! ---
**Author:** ![Ace309](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ace309/32/1050_2.png) [@Ace309](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ace309)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2014, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-semantics-mean/683746/20 "2014-03-15T11:02:07Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > So sorry, this is “Abuse;” you want the Monty Python thread down the hall in Cafe Society. _slow clap_ [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-semantics-mean/683746.md?page=2)