semantics

question de vocabulaire, querelle de mots

Désaccord sur le sens précis des mots, alors que les personnes s’accordent sur l’idée principale.

En anglais simple : Differences in what particular words mean, especially when people agree about the basic idea.

• Our disagreement is mostly about semantics.
• They argued over semantics rather than the actual plan.
• Whether we call it a fee or a charge is a matter of semantics.

Expressions courantes : argue over semantics, matter of semantics, debate about semantics

sémantique

Étude de la manière dont les mots et les phrases expriment un sens.

En anglais simple : The study of how words and sentences express meaning.

• She studies semantics at university.
• Our semantics course examines how sentences express meaning.
• His research connects semantics with the study of the mind.

Expressions courantes : study semantics, course in semantics, linguistic semantics

sens, sémantique

Sens ou ensemble de sens exprimés par un mot, une phrase ou un autre élément du langage.

En anglais simple : The meaning or meanings expressed by a word, sentence, or other part of language.

• The semantics of this word have changed.
• Context helps us understand the semantics of the sentence.
• The two expressions have similar semantics but different grammar.

Comment l'utiliser : the semantics of something (The semantics of this ancient phrase remain uncertain.)

Synonymes : meaning

Expressions courantes : semantics of something, word semantics, sentence semantics

broutilles, détails insignifiants

Petits détails jugés sans importance ou ne méritant pas qu’on en discute.

En anglais simple : Small details that someone considers unimportant or not worth arguing about.

• Forget that detail; it's just semantics.
• He dismissed the disagreement as mere semantics.
• To her, the difference was semantics and did not affect the result.

Synonymes : trivia, trivialities

Expressions courantes : just semantics, mere semantics, dismiss as semantics