Tony Cooper
On Fri, 01 Aug 2014 09:15:06 +1200, Eric Stevens <eric.stevens@sum.co.nz>wrote:

Eric Stevens
On Thu, 31 Jul 2014 11:35:56 -0400, Tony Cooper <tonycooper214@gmail.com>wrote:

Tony Cooper
On Thu, 31 Jul 2014 21:34:24 +1200, Eric Stevens <eric.stevens@sum.co.nz>wrote:

Sandman
Semantics, the trolls last resort.

Eric Stevens
You don't understand the meaning of semantics, either.

Sandman
I love it when you illiterate trolls tell me that I don't understand something.

Eric Stevens
You think semantics is about word meanings. Well, it isn't. Look it up.

Tony Cooper
That's news to me. "Semantics" is the study of word meanings and the meaning of words as they are used context.

Eric Stevens
Word meanings are but a small part. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semantics

"Semantics (from Ancient Greek: ?????????? se-mantikós, "significant")[1][2] is the study of meaning. It focuses on the relation between signifiers, like words, phrases, signs, and symbols, and what they stand for, their denotation. Linguistic semantics is the study of meaning that is used for understanding human expression through language."

Tony Cooper
That definition is simply an amplification on the definition I provided. If you want to expand further, you have to get into sub-categories like formal semantics, lexical semantics, and conceptual semantics.

"Signifiers" groups words, phrases, signs and signals, but all of those are studied for meaning and studied contextually.

Personally, I dislike definitions like the above. The writer is one of those who thinks that a complicated definition is preferable to a simple definition. So, the writer has added "for understanding human expression through language".

Why does that need to be said? If it's about verbal and written signifiers, of course it's about the use by humans. Only humans express thoughts by use of these signifiers verbally and in writing.

Non-human animals use signifiers, but an entirely different group of signifiers.

What Popinjay doesn't understand is that pointing out that a wrong word was chosen is not trolling.

Eric Stevens
It's trolling if you are attempting to correct the ultimate authority on the usage of the English language.

Tony Cooper
Popinjay's primary failing is not in understanding basic usage, but in understanding nuance and appropriate use.