What is semantics in programming?

In programming, semantics refers specifically to the meaning of syntactic constructs or statements within a programming language. Understanding semantics enables developers to grasp what a piece of code is intended to do and how it behaves during execution. This is critical for both writing correct programs and for interpreting the logic behind existing code.

When discussing programming languages, semantics can encompass various aspects, including variable bindings, control flow, type checking, and more, providing clarity on how different code constructs operate based on their syntactic forms. For example, knowing that a for loop will repeatedly execute a block of code based on certain criteria is an essential part of understanding the semantics of the loop's structure.

On the other hand, aspects such as the execution speed of the code or the structure of the programming language do not pertain to semantics. Instead, they relate to performance considerations and language design, respectively. Similarly, debugging methods are focused on identifying and resolving issues in the code rather than understanding what the code means conceptually. Therefore, emphasizing the meaning and behavior of statements accurately defines the concept of semantics in programming languages.