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MUSCOVITE Posted 14 years ago
Vocabulary
theme - topic - subject
Hi,
(1) One can say, what's the subject of that email?
Can I modify this question as follows:
what's the topic of that email?
what's the theme of that email?
Perhaps there're some nuances (= subtle differences) here?
(2) Which of the following versions sounds ok to you?
Do you know ...
(a) the conference theme?
(b) the conference topic?
(c) the conference subject?
I guess (a) is flawless ...but not sure if "topic"/"subject" are good enough replacements for 'theme' here
Thank you so much!
mus-te
(1) One can say, what's the subject of that email?
Can I modify this question as follows:
what's the topic of that email?
what's the theme of that email?
Perhaps there're some nuances (= subtle differences) here?
(2) Which of the following versions sounds ok to you?
Do you know ...
(a) the conference theme?
(b) the conference topic?
(c) the conference subject?
I guess (a) is flawless ...but not sure if "topic"/"subject" are good enough replacements for 'theme' here
Thank you so much!
mus-te
Top answer
Hi Muscovite This is a very interesting question. These are my views: (1) I would use either "subject" of an e-mail, or "topic" of an e-mail. I would never use "theme" when referring to an e-mail.
- Hi Muscovite This is a very interesting question.
- These are my views: (1) I would use either "subject" of an e-mail, or "topic" of an e-mail.
- I would never use "theme" when referring to an e-mail.
- This is because an e-mail is usually short and has a specific subject or topic.
- "theme" is more of a general word and to my mind is more of an abstract concept.
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4 Answers
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Hi Muscovite
This is a very interesting question.
These are my views:
(1) I would use either "subject" of an e-mail, or "topic" of an e-mail. I would never use "theme" when referring to an e-mail. This is because an e-mail is usually short and has a specific subject or topic. "theme" is more of a general word and to my mind is more of an abstract concept.
(2) All 3 versions ca
This is a very interesting question.
These are my views:
(1) I would use either "subject" of an e-mail, or "topic" of an e-mail. I would never use "theme" when referring to an e-mail. This is because an e-mail is usually short and has a specific subject or topic. "theme" is more of a general word and to my mind is more of an abstract concept.
(2) All 3 versions ca
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Hi Mo,
Thank you for your detailed (and very interesting) comments!
I have got a follow-up question for you...
Do I understand correctly that "theme" is the most formal of the three (theme-subject-topic)? and "topic" is the least formal?
Or maybe this classification only exists in my imagination? :-)
Thanks again! Enjoy your weekend!
Thank you for your detailed (and very interesting) comments!
I have got a follow-up question for you...
Do I understand correctly that "theme" is the most formal of the three (theme-subject-topic)? and "topic" is the least formal?
Or maybe this classification only exists in my imagination? :-)
Thanks again! Enjoy your weekend!
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Hi again Muscovite
I would agree with your rough classification that "theme" is the most formal, then "subject" then "topic".
"theme" also has a shade of meaning of something that recurs or goes throughout something. It is often used in literary criticism. For example:
"Recurring themes in Fyodor Dostoevsky's novels; despair, suffering and redemption. This artic
I would agree with your rough classification that "theme" is the most formal, then "subject" then "topic".
"theme" also has a shade of meaning of something that recurs or goes throughout something. It is often used in literary criticism. For example:
"Recurring themes in Fyodor Dostoevsky's novels; despair, suffering and redemption. This artic
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I think it bears mentioning that the part of an e-mail that shows in the in box is called the subject line, and so people tend to speak of the subject of an e-mail rather than its topic. Of course, in a general way there is nothing to prevent your calling the gist of an e-mail its topic.
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