What is the difference between pragmatics and semantics?

Semantics refers to meaning, whereas pragmatics refers the deeper inferred meaning. For example, if I were to ask you a simple question such as, “Would you like a cup of coffee?”, the semantic meaning of that question is merely asking said person if they would like a hot beverage. The pragmatic meaning, however, refers to the deeper meaning in what this person is trying to say; tone of voice, context and gesture all play a role in this. For instance, by asking this question, this person could be suggesting that the other person has had a bad day, changing their tone of voice and body language to be empathetic. On the other hand, they could pragmatically be insinuating that they want this person to come inside by asking if they want a coffee, again changing their tone of voice and manner to suit their expression. This shows that while semantics gives a word or phrase one-dimensional meaning, pragmatics allows us to look at language in social contexts in far more depth. Or, perhaps, that offering coffee can mean far more than we think! 

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