Semantics and pragmatics are two fields of linguistics. Both
of them are concerned with the study of the meaning of human speech signs.
However, each of the tackles meaning from different angles:
Semantics:
Semantics is the branch of linguistics that studies the
meaning of words, phrases, sentences, and texts. It pays attention to the
literal meaning of words (dictionary meaning).
It seeks to understand how language represents ideas, objects, and
relationships, and how meaning is constructed and interpreted i.e. it combines
words into phrases and sentences. It is essential for clear communication, and
it helps to detect ambiguity and resolve misunderstandings.
Pragmatics:
Pragmatics is a branch of linguistics that studies how
people understand and use language in context. It focuses on the intended
meaning of an utterance (what the speaker means) that is conveyed not just by
the words themselves, but by how, when, where, and to whom something is said. It
is concerned with the use of language in different contexts and ways in which
people produce and comprehend meaning through language.
For example, when someone says, “it is cold here,”-
semanticist will explain the meaning as dictionary; a pragmatist will explain
it by saying the speaker wants.
Pragmatics helps to explain why the same sentence can mean
different things in different situations.
Semantics is the level of linguistics that has largely been affected by pragmatics, but they have some differences. They are given below:
|
Semantics |
Pragmatics |
|
·
Semantics is context-independent ·
Semantics is only concerned with grammar,
vocabulary, and the conceptual meaning of a word. ·
In semantics, the meaning of a sentence
remains constant whenever a certain expression is uttered. ·
Semantics has a narrow scope as it deals with
meaning. ·
Semantics doesn’t consider the context. ·
Semantics focuses on the meaning of language. |
·
Pragmatics is context-dependent ·
Pragmatics concerns with the intended meaning
of an utterance. ·
In pragmatics, the meaning of a sentence may
vary as the speaker wants to mean. ·
Pragmatics has a wider scope or broad field as
it analyses the context of the situation where it occurs. ·
Pragmatics considers the context. ·
Pragmatics focuses on language use. |
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