When people use the word “semantics,” they’re usually referring to, well, words (at least if they understand what they’re saying). Phrases such as “it’s just semantics” and “you’re arguing semantics” are usually invoked when a debate is becoming unproductive, often when at least one side’s position has become muddled. But the actual definitions of “semantics” and the phrase “it’s just semantics” go deeper than a choice of words and have to do with meaning. Semantics is, in fact, the study of meaning in a linguistic context: how words get their meaning, how we use words to understand the meaning of complex concepts, and what meaning itself actually is. Which is to say, calling something “just” semantics is a bit like saying Socrates was “just” a philosopher.
The word itself comes from the Greek verb sēmainō, “to mean” or “to signify,” and the noun sēmantikos, “significant.” Consider, for instance, the famous Romeo and Juliet observation that “a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” While that’s true, Shakespeare deliberately chose the example of a rose rather than, say, a lily, because different flowers — and, indeed, different words — have different connotations. Roses evoke elegance, romance, and a fanciful air in a way that other flowers don’t, at least not to the same extent. Saying that “a skunk cabbage by any other name would smell as rotten” would be accurate, but it would convey an entirely different meaning. Shakespeare’s choice of the rose was semantics at play.
If you believe that there’s a nice (or at least diplomatic) way to say pretty much anything, you’re a believer in the inherent power of semantics. The next time someone says “that’s just semantics,” use that as a springboard for a deeper dive, instead of an ending point to the conversation. What is the meaning of the words at play? What is being signified by those particular choices? Words shape our understanding of the world, which is why choosing the right ones is so important.
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