Semantics is the study of meaning.
It is a wide subject within the general study of language. An understanding of
semantics is essential to the study of language acquisition (how language users
acquire a sense of meaning, as speakers and writers, listeners and readers) and
of language change (how meanings alter over time). It is important for
understanding language in social contexts, as these are likely to affect
meaning, and for understanding varieties of English and effects of style. It is
thus one of the most fundamental concepts in linguistics. The study of
semantics includes the study of how meaning is constructed, interpreted,
clarified, obscured, illustrated, simplified negotiated, contradicted and paraphrased.
Some important areas of semantic
theory or related subjects include these: