区别辨析issue、subject、theme与topic

issue、subject、theme与topic这些名词均有“主题、话题”之意。

issue : 指有争论、议论,急需讨论研究的热点话题。

  • environmental/ethical/personal issues
    环境/道德/个人问题
  • As employers we need to be seen to be addressing (= dealing with) these issues sympathetically.
    作为雇主,我们需要让大家知道我们在处理这些问题时富有同情心。
  • Don't worry about who will do it - that's just a side issue (= not the main problem).
    不要担心这件事由谁来做——那只是次要问题。

subject : 一般用词,使用广泛。指书籍、文章、演讲、讨论等中所隐含的、暗示的,需要由读者或听众推断的主题或中心话题。

  • Our subject for discussion is homelessness.
    我们讨论的话题是无家可归问题。
  • She has made a series of documentaries on the subject of family relationships.
    她拍摄了一系列以家庭关系为题材的纪录片。
  • The guest lecturer took as her subject (= decided to speak about) "punishment and imprisonment in modern society".
    特邀演讲人演讲的题目是“现代社会的刑罚与监禁”。

theme : 系正式用词,多指文学、艺术作品的主题,或论文、演说的主题。

  • The theme of loss runs through most of his novels.
    失落这一主题贯穿了他的大多数小说作品。

topic : 普通用词,含义广泛,但其范畴小于subject。既可指文章、讲话的题目,谈话的内容,又可指提纲中的标题甚至段落的主题或中心思想。

  • Our discussion included topics such as acid rain and the melting of polar ice.
    我们的讨论涉及各种话题,例如酸雨和极地冰层融化。