喜樂美語

核心畫面

Picture two sentences written on a board, using the same words in the same order, one of which sounds fine and one of which sounds wrong. Nothing about their shape explains the difference. Whatever does explain it is meaning — the side of language you cannot see in the letters. Semantics is the word for that side: sometimes the study of it, sometimes the meaning itself that a word or a line of code is carrying, and sometimes a complaint that a discussion has drifted onto it and away from the real question.

可以想成這個畫面：黑板上寫著兩個句子，用一樣的字、一樣的順序，可是一句很自然、一句怪怪的。從字的形狀上完全看不出差在…更多收起可以想成這個畫面：黑板上寫著兩個句子，用一樣的字、一樣的順序，可是一句很自然、一句怪怪的。從字的形狀上完全看不出差在哪裡。真正造成差別的是「意思」——語言裡看不見的那一面。semantics 就是在講那一面：有時候指研究它的學問，有時候指一個字或一行程式碼實際帶著的意思，有時候則是在抱怨話題跑到用字上，離真正的問題越來越遠。

From the word’s history

Recorded as coming from French sémantique (which displaced the earlier semasiology), going back to Ancient Greek σημαντικός (sēmantikós); by surface analysis, semantic + -ics, the ending English uses for the name of a field, as in physics and politics.

資料記載它來自法文 sémantique（取代了更早的 semasiology），再往前可以追到古希臘文 σημαντικός（sēmantikós）。從表面拆開看是 semantic 加上 -ics；英文裡 -ics 這個字尾常常用來命名一門學問，像 physics、politics，所以它一開始就是以「學科名」的身分進入英文的。

Wiktionary entry supplied in packet (kaikki:3f6f69a190036ae4:6141511), etymology_text: From French sémantique, displacing earlier semasiology. From Ancient Greek σημαντικός (sēmantikós). By surface analysis, semantic + -ics.

Three branches

意思這一面，當成學問來研究

這一家把「看不見的那一面」當成研究對象，是這個字進入英文時的身分。

noun · C1

The study of what words, phrases and sentences mean, and of how language carries meaning. It is one of the main branches of linguistics.

語意學

某段語言實際帶著的意思

從「研究意思」轉成「意思本身」：不再是一門學問，而是某個字、某句話、某行程式碼帶著的內容。

noun · C1

The meaning, or the whole set of meanings, that a word, phrase or other piece of language carries. It is often used about the meanings of the individual words rather than the overall sense of a passage.

語意

被嫌太小的那種意思差別

同樣是在講用字的差別，但語氣翻了過來：不是值得研究，而是不值得花時間。

noun · B2

Small differences in wording that the speaker thinks do not matter — used when you believe an argument is only about which words to choose, not about the real question.

咬文嚼字、文字之爭

原始詞典資料6 筆記錄

以下是外部詞典記錄的用法，原文照列，我們還沒有寫成教學內容。上面的說明才是我們自己寫的；有些用法可能上面已經講過了。

semanticsnoun/sɪˈmæntɪks/

  • 1

    human-scienceslinguisticssciencesA branch of linguistics studying the meaning of words.

    • Holonym: linguistics
    • Meronyms: semasiology, onomasiology
  • 2

    The study of the relationship between words and their meanings.

    • In fact, nowadays a lot is known about the semantics of natural languages, and it is surprisingly easy to build semantic representations which partially capture the meaning of sentences or even entire discourses.
  • 3

    The meaning or set of meanings of a linguistic element, such as a word, morpheme or utterance.

    • In very ancient or poorly documented languages, the precise semantics of words tend to be uncertain.
  • 4

    The meaning or set of meanings of a linguistic element, such as a word, morpheme or utterance.

    • The semantics of the terms used are debatable.
  • 5

    computercomputingengineeringThe meaning of computer language constructs, in contrast to their form or syntax.

    • file sharing and locking semantics
  • 6

    Pettiness or triviality.

    • Who cares? This is all just semantics!

資料來源：英文維基詞典 English Wiktionary（CC BY-SA 4.0）。 原文照列，未經改寫。