Full Idea
On internalist inferential (or conceptual role) semantics, the inferential relations of an expression do not depend on what, if anything, it refers to, ...rather, the meaning is something like its place in a web of inferential relations.
Gist of Idea
Inferentialist semantics relies on internal inference relations, not on external references
Source
Timothy Williamson (Knowledge First (and reply) [2014], p.6)
Book Reference
'Contemporary Debates in Epistemology (2nd ed)', ed/tr. Steup/Turri/Sosa [Wiley Blackwell 2014], p.6
A Reaction
Williamson says the competition is between externalist truth-conditional referential semantics (which he favours), and this internalist inferential semantics. He is, like, an expert, of course, but I doubt whether that is the only internalist option.
Related Ideas
Idea 19534 How does inferentialism distinguish the patterns of inference that are essential to meaning? [Williamson]
Idea 19535 Internalist inferentialism has trouble explaining how meaning and reference relate [Williamson]