The meaning of a phrase or a word is called significance.
Signification , from the Latin significatio , is the action and effect of signifying . This verb refers to manifesting or making something known . Said of a word or expression, it is linked to being the sign of a thought or something material while, applied to a thing, it refers to being, by nature or convention, a representation of another different thing.
Meaning is also the meaning of a word or phrase and the object that is meant. For example: “The coach's words had a very clear meaning within the group,” “The mayor spoke for hours with the victim's relatives, but his speech had no meaning for them,” “We would have to see what it is.” the meaning he wanted to give to his statement.”
How meaning is constructed
A linguistic sign is the minimum unit of the sentence that is made up of a meaning and a signifier . Both are inseparably linked through meaning. It can be said that the signified is a concept , while the signifier is an acoustic image : the signification is the entity of two interdependent faces that create this concept with its acoustic image.
Meaning is socially constructed within a given linguistic system. The term “lion” has meaning as a carnivorous mammal of the felid family. “Lion” , therefore, is the signifier of this animal by convention.
Another use of the notion of significance is associated with importance in any order : “This title has a very special significance for the team and we want to dedicate it to the colleagues who are no longer with us.”
The notion of significance is used in the field of statistics.
The concept in statistics
In the field of statistics, the significance of a result speaks of the absence of chance. In this sense, a statistically significant result is not necessarily important or relevant, but rather undeniable, possible to reproduce by logical and exact methods, unlike an unpredictable phenomenon.
Hypothesis verification (also called contrast , test and significance test ) is a method that allows determining whether an assumed property in a statistical population is compatible with what is observed in a sample of the population. The significance level of a test can be defined as the probability of deciding to reject the null hypothesis if it is true, which is known as type I error .
Clinical significance
In medicine, the action of professionals must be supported by studies that can demonstrate that it has statistical, clinical and social significance . In this case, statistical significance serves to detect whether the occurrence of the observed phenomenon has taken place due to reasons inherent to chance. When it can be established that its appearance is not random, then it is possible to say that it has statistical significance.
On the other hand, clinical significance is the evaluation of the usefulness of a given treatment and the act of comparing it with others, and can be expressed in the following ways, among others: Risk , Relative Risk, Relative Risk Reduction and Number Needed to Treat.
In the significance of a disease , for example, many elements appear that combine scientific knowledge with common sense and culture; Some of them are myths, fears, beliefs and stigmas , which do nothing but distort the approach that medical care should have.
This arises from the image that society acquires of the best-known diseases, given that the information to which it is exposed cannot always be understood without certain technical resources. The significance that a phenomenon studied by medicine can have in society is usually very different from that which it provokes in scientists, and the difference is not only based on the lack of knowledge but also on the involvement of feelings, instead of a objective look with a view to finding a solution to the problems.