A semantic device depends primarily on the ideas expressed and their relationship; changing a word to a suitable synonym may preserve that relationship. A verbal device depends more directly on letters, rhythm, or sound pattern, and may disappear when the wording changes.
This does not mean that meaning and form never overlap. A fine passage can possess both forms of beauty. The appropriate classification depends on what makes the specific device recognizable.
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Ilm al-Badiʿ: The First Nine Semantic Rhetorical Devices
A semantic device depends primarily on the ideas expressed and their relationship; changing a word to a suitable synonym may preserve that relationship. A verbal device depends more directly on letters, rhythm, or sound pattern, and may disappear when the wording changes.
This does not mean that meaning and form never overlap. A fine passage can possess both forms of beauty. The appropriate classification depends on what makes the specific device recognizable.