diff --git a/pmd-core/src/main/java/net/sourceforge/pmd/lang/ast/SemanticErrorReporter.java b/pmd-core/src/main/java/net/sourceforge/pmd/lang/ast/SemanticErrorReporter.java
index 608b3736e3..0eb88fdb20 100644
--- a/pmd-core/src/main/java/net/sourceforge/pmd/lang/ast/SemanticErrorReporter.java
+++ b/pmd-core/src/main/java/net/sourceforge/pmd/lang/ast/SemanticErrorReporter.java
@@ -29,7 +29,8 @@ public interface SemanticErrorReporter {
 
     /**
      * Report an error at the given location. Errors abort subsequent analysis.
-     * The produced error can be thrown by the caller.
+     * The produced error can be thrown by the caller if it cannot be recovered
+     * from.
      *
      * @param location   Location where the error should be reported
      * @param message    Message (rendered using a {@link MessageFormat})
diff --git a/pmd-java/src/test/kotlin/net/sourceforge/pmd/lang/java/ast/TypeDisambiguationTest.kt b/pmd-java/src/test/kotlin/net/sourceforge/pmd/lang/java/ast/TypeDisambiguationTest.kt
index 05af1baf19..304b9fbbf2 100644
--- a/pmd-java/src/test/kotlin/net/sourceforge/pmd/lang/java/ast/TypeDisambiguationTest.kt
+++ b/pmd-java/src/test/kotlin/net/sourceforge/pmd/lang/java/ast/TypeDisambiguationTest.kt
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ import net.sourceforge.pmd.lang.ast.test.*
 import net.sourceforge.pmd.lang.ast.test.shouldBe
 import net.sourceforge.pmd.lang.java.symbols.JClassSymbol
 import net.sourceforge.pmd.lang.java.symbols.table.internal.JavaSemanticErrors
+import net.sourceforge.pmd.lang.java.symbols.table.internal.JavaSemanticErrors.*
 import net.sourceforge.pmd.lang.java.types.JClassType
 import kotlin.test.assertEquals
 import kotlin.test.assertNull
@@ -86,7 +87,7 @@ class TypeDisambiguationTest : ParserTestSpec({
 
 
         doTest("Unresolved inner type should produce a warning") {
-            val (node, args) = logger.warnings[JavaSemanticErrors.CANNOT_RESOLVE_MEMBER]!![0]
+            val (node, args) = logger.warnings[CANNOT_RESOLVE_MEMBER]!![0]
             args.map { it.toString() } shouldBe listOf("Bar", "com.Foo", "an unresolved type")
             node.shouldBeA<ASTClassOrInterfaceType> { }
         }
@@ -128,12 +129,12 @@ class TypeDisambiguationTest : ParserTestSpec({
 
 
         doTest("Ambiguous inner type should produce an error (ref in Foo)") {
-            val (_, args) = logger.errors[JavaSemanticErrors.AMBIGUOUS_NAME_REFERENCE]?.first { it.first == refInFoo }!!
+            val (_, args) = logger.errors[AMBIGUOUS_NAME_REFERENCE]?.first { it.first == refInFoo }!!
             args.map { it.toString() } shouldBe listOf("Mem", "p.Scratch.A.Mem", "p.Scratch.B.Mem")
         }
 
         doTest("Ambiguous inner type should produce an error (ref in Scratch)") {
-            val (_, args) = logger.errors[JavaSemanticErrors.AMBIGUOUS_NAME_REFERENCE]?.first { it.first == refInScratch }!!
+            val (_, args) = logger.errors[AMBIGUOUS_NAME_REFERENCE]?.first { it.first == refInScratch }!!
             args.map { it.toString() } shouldBe listOf("Mem", "p.Scratch.A.Mem", "p.Scratch.B.Mem")
         }
 
@@ -177,14 +178,14 @@ class TypeDisambiguationTest : ParserTestSpec({
                 acu.descendants(ASTFieldDeclaration::class.java).map { it.typeNode as ASTClassOrInterfaceType }.toList()
 
         fun assertErrored(t: ASTClassOrInterfaceType, expected: Int, actual: Int) {
-            val errs = logger.errors[JavaSemanticErrors.MALFORMED_GENERIC_TYPE]?.filter { it.first == t }
+            val errs = logger.errors[MALFORMED_GENERIC_TYPE]?.filter { it.first == t }
                     ?: emptyList()
             assertEquals(errs.size, 1, "`${t.text}` should have produced a single error")
             errs.single().second.toList() shouldBe listOf(expected, actual)
         }
 
         fun assertNoError(t: ASTClassOrInterfaceType) {
-            val err = logger.errors[JavaSemanticErrors.MALFORMED_GENERIC_TYPE]?.firstOrNull { it.first == t }
+            val err = logger.errors[MALFORMED_GENERIC_TYPE]?.firstOrNull { it.first == t }
             assertNull(err, "`${t.text}` should not have produced an error")
         }
 
@@ -259,14 +260,14 @@ class TypeDisambiguationTest : ParserTestSpec({
                 acu.descendants(ASTAnnotation::class.java).map { it.typeNode }.toList()
 
         fun assertErrored(t: ASTClassOrInterfaceType) {
-            val errs = logger.errors[JavaSemanticErrors.EXPECTED_ANNOTATION_TYPE]?.filter { it.first == t }
+            val errs = logger.errors[EXPECTED_ANNOTATION_TYPE]?.filter { it.first == t }
                     ?: emptyList()
             assertEquals(errs.size, 1, "`${t.text}` should have produced a single error")
             errs.single().second.toList() shouldBe emptyList()
         }
 
         fun assertNoError(t: ASTClassOrInterfaceType) {
-            val err = logger.errors[JavaSemanticErrors.MALFORMED_GENERIC_TYPE]?.firstOrNull { it.first == t }
+            val err = logger.errors[MALFORMED_GENERIC_TYPE]?.firstOrNull { it.first == t }
             assertNull(err, "`${t.text}` should not have produced an error")
         }
 
diff --git a/pmd-java/src/test/kotlin/net/sourceforge/pmd/lang/java/ast/VarDisambiguationTest.kt b/pmd-java/src/test/kotlin/net/sourceforge/pmd/lang/java/ast/VarDisambiguationTest.kt
index 7081ce162c..d890ddd97d 100644
--- a/pmd-java/src/test/kotlin/net/sourceforge/pmd/lang/java/ast/VarDisambiguationTest.kt
+++ b/pmd-java/src/test/kotlin/net/sourceforge/pmd/lang/java/ast/VarDisambiguationTest.kt
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ import net.sourceforge.pmd.lang.java.JavaParsingHelper
 import net.sourceforge.pmd.lang.java.symbols.JClassSymbol
 import net.sourceforge.pmd.lang.java.symbols.JTypeParameterSymbol
 import net.sourceforge.pmd.lang.java.symbols.table.internal.JavaSemanticErrors
+import net.sourceforge.pmd.lang.java.symbols.table.internal.JavaSemanticErrors.*
 
 class VarDisambiguationTest : ParserTestSpec({
 
@@ -153,7 +154,7 @@ class Foo<T> {
 
         doTest("Unresolved field") {
 
-            logger.getWarning(JavaSemanticErrors.CANNOT_RESOLVE_MEMBER, 0) { node, args ->
+            logger.getWarning(CANNOT_RESOLVE_MEMBER, 0) { node, args ->
 
                 args shouldBe listOf("noField", "com.foo.bar.Foo.Inner", "a field access")
                 node.shouldMatchN {
@@ -170,7 +171,7 @@ class Foo<T> {
 
         doTest("Unresolved field chain") {
 
-            logger.getWarning(JavaSemanticErrors.CANNOT_RESOLVE_MEMBER, 1) { node, args ->
+            logger.getWarning(CANNOT_RESOLVE_MEMBER, 1) { node, args ->
 
                 args shouldBe listOf("noField", "com.foo.bar.Foo.Inner", "a field access")
                 node.shouldMatchN {
@@ -189,7 +190,7 @@ class Foo<T> {
 
         doTest("Unresolved type var member") {
 
-            logger.getWarning(JavaSemanticErrors.CANNOT_RESOLVE_MEMBER, 2) { node, args ->
+            logger.getWarning(CANNOT_RESOLVE_MEMBER, 2) { node, args ->
 
                 args shouldBe listOf("fofo", "type variable T", "a field access")
                 node.shouldMatchN {
@@ -206,7 +207,7 @@ class Foo<T> {
 
         doTest("Unresolved type var member (in type ctx)") {
 
-            logger.getWarning(JavaSemanticErrors.CANNOT_RESOLVE_MEMBER, 3) { node, args ->
+            logger.getWarning(CANNOT_RESOLVE_MEMBER, 3) { node, args ->
 
                 args shouldBe listOf("Fofo", "type variable T", "an unresolved type")
                 node.shouldMatchN {