Semantics and Pragmatics || Definition of Pragmatic | Semantic Definition [Remastered]

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Almost everyone complained about the BGM of the previous version of this video. So that I've made a new one without any noisy BGM. Sorry for the disturbance, I was really a noob when making that video... In fact, I am still a noob, hehe. Enjoy the new version and keep in touch.

When learning the English language, understanding the differences between semantic and pragmatic meaning can be a valuable tool to maximize your linguistic ability. Although both are terms used in relation to the meanings of words, their usage is drastically different.

What Is Semantics?

Semantics refers to the meaning of words in a language and the meaning within the sentence.

Semantics considers the meaning of the sentence without the context. The field of semantics focuses on three basic things: “the relations of words to the objects denoted by them, the relations of words to the interpreters of them, and, in symbolic logic, the formal relations of signs to one another (syntax)” [1]. Semantics is just the meaning that the grammar and vocabulary impart, it does not account for any implied meaning.
In this sense, there’s a focus on the general ‘rules’ of language usage.

Pragmatic Word Usage

Pragmatic meaning looks at the same words and grammar used semantically, except within context. In each situation, the various listeners in the conversation define the ultimate meaning of the words, based on other clues that lend subtext to the meaning.

For example, if you were told to, “Crack the window," and the room was a little stuffy, and the speaker had just said prior to this that they were feeling a little warm, then you would know, pragmatically, that the speaker would like you to open the window a ‘crack’ or just a little.

If you were with a friend who was locked out of his home, and you were standing at a back door trying to get inside, your friend might say ‘crack that window’ and literally mean to put a ‘crack’ in the window or break the window.

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