diff --git handlers/views_handler_field.inc handlers/views_handler_field.inc
index 86b4c1d..7bb887e 100644
--- handlers/views_handler_field.inc
+++ handlers/views_handler_field.inc
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@
  *                      'field' => fieldname); as many fields as are necessary
  *                      may be in this array.
  * - click sortable: If TRUE, this field may be click sorted.
+ * - no semantic: If TRUE, it disables the semantic output.
  */
 class views_handler_field extends views_handler {
   var $field_alias = 'unknown';
@@ -145,6 +146,9 @@ class views_handler_field extends views_handler {
    * Return DIV or SPAN based upon the field's element type.
    */
   function element_type() {
+    if ($this->options['element type']) {
+      return $this->options['element type'];
+    }
     if (isset($this->definition['element type'])) {
       return $this->definition['element type'];
     }
@@ -152,6 +156,28 @@ class views_handler_field extends views_handler {
     return 'span';
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Return the class of the field.
+   */
+  function classes($values) {
+    $classes = $this->options['class'];
+    if (strpos($this->options['class'], '[') !== FALSE) {
+      $fake_item = array(
+        'alter_text' => TRUE,
+        'text' => $this->options['class'],
+        'values' => $values,
+      );
+      $tokens = $this->get_render_tokens($fake_item);
+      foreach ($values as $field_alias => $value) {
+        if (isset($tokens['[' . $field_alias . ']'])) {
+          $tokens['[' . $field_alias . ']'] = $value;
+        }
+      }
+      $classes = $this->render_altered($fake_item, $tokens);
+    }
+    return $classes;
+  }
+
   function option_definition() {
     $options = parent::option_definition();
 
@@ -177,6 +203,8 @@ class views_handler_field extends views_handler {
         'html' => array('default' => FALSE),
       ),
     );
+    $options['class'] = array('default' => '');
+    $options['element type'] = array('default' => '');
     $options['empty'] = array('default' => '', 'translatable' => TRUE);
     $options['hide_empty'] = array('default' => FALSE);
     $options['empty_zero'] = array('default' => FALSE);
@@ -203,6 +231,23 @@ class views_handler_field extends views_handler {
       '#default_value' => $this->options['exclude'],
       '#description' => t('Check this box to not display this field, but still load it in the view.  Use this option to not show a grouping field in each record, or when doing advanced theming.'),
     );
+    $form['element type'] = array(
+      '#prefix' => '<div class="views-left-30">',
+      '#suffix' => '</div>',
+      '#title' => t('Element'),
+      '#type' => 'textfield',
+      '#size' => '10',
+      '#default_value' => $this->options['element type'],
+    );
+    $form['class'] = array(
+      '#prefix' => '<div class="views-right-70">',
+      '#suffix' => '</div>',
+      '#title' => t('Class attributes'),
+      '#description' => t('You may enter data from this view as per the "Replacement patterns" used in "Rewrite the output of this field".'),
+      '#type' => 'textfield',
+      '#size' => '30',
+      '#default_value' => $this->options['class'],
+    );
 
     if ($this->allow_advanced_render()) {
       $form['alter']['#tree'] = TRUE;
diff --git theme/theme.inc theme/theme.inc
index 50246e9..5cc12cf 100644
--- theme/theme.inc
+++ theme/theme.inc
@@ -173,9 +173,10 @@ function template_preprocess_views_view_fields(&$vars) {
       $inline = $object->inline;
 
       $object->handler = &$view->field[$id];
-      $object->element_type = $object->handler->element_type();
+      $object->element_type = check_plain($object->handler->element_type());
 
       $object->class = views_css_safe($id);
+      $object->classes = views_css_safe($object->handler->classes($vars['row']));
       $object->label = check_plain($view->field[$id]->label());
       $vars['fields'][$id] = $object;
     }
@@ -346,6 +347,11 @@ function template_preprocess_views_view_table(&$vars) {
 
     // Render each field into its appropriate column.
     foreach ($result as $num => $row) {
+      // Add semantic classes
+      if ($classes = $fields[$field]->classes($row)) {
+        $vars['semantic_classes'][$field][$num] =  views_css_safe($classes);
+      }
+
       if (!empty($fields[$field]) && empty($fields[$field]->options['exclude'])) {
         $field_output = $renders[$num][$field];
 
diff --git theme/views-view-fields.tpl.php theme/views-view-fields.tpl.php
index 056d562..578d1ff 100644
--- theme/views-view-fields.tpl.php
+++ theme/views-view-fields.tpl.php
@@ -34,6 +34,6 @@
       // $field->element_type is either SPAN or DIV depending upon whether or not
       // the field is a 'block' element type or 'inline' element type.
       ?>
-      <<?php print $field->element_type; ?> class="field-content"><?php print $field->content; ?></<?php print $field->element_type; ?>>
+      <<?php print $field->element_type; ?> class="field-content <?php print $field->classes;?>"><?php print $field->content; ?></<?php print $field->element_type; ?>>
   </<?php print $field->inline_html;?>>
 <?php endforeach; ?>
diff --git theme/views-view-table.tpl.php theme/views-view-table.tpl.php
index 8a622b7..2c35621 100644
--- theme/views-view-table.tpl.php
+++ theme/views-view-table.tpl.php
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@
     <?php foreach ($rows as $count => $row): ?>
       <tr class="<?php print implode(' ', $row_classes[$count]); ?>">
         <?php foreach ($row as $field => $content): ?>
-          <td class="views-field views-field-<?php print $fields[$field]; ?>">
+          <td class="views-field views-field-<?php print $fields[$field] . ' ' . $semantic_classes[$field][$count]; ?>">
             <?php print $content; ?>
           </td>
         <?php endforeach; ?>