Final answer:
Semantics is the study of meaning in language, enabling us to derive meaning from words and their usage in communication. In perceiving scenes, semantics pertains to interpreting and understanding the underlying context and symbolic elements present.
Step-by-step explanation:
In language, semantics refers to the process by which we derive meaning from morphemes and words. When applied to perceiving scenes, semantics refers to the interpretation and understanding of the context and symbolic elements within the scene. Semantics involves cognitive operations that enable us to extract meaning from language and visuals, going beyond the literal representation to include connotation, metaphor, and other rhetorical elements.
According to the foundational tenets of Saussure's linguistic theory, each word in a language has both an abstract component, or langue, and an experiential component, or parole. This distinguishes between the system of language as a structure and its usage in daily life. The relationship between words, or a lexicon, part of a language's vocabulary, and grammar, which is a set of rules to convey meaning, is intimately related to semantics. Moreover, semantics play a vital role in both verbal communication and the comprehension of a scene, where meaning is constructed not just by the elements present but also by the viewer's perspective and understanding.