In a linguistic sign, there is a signifier and a signified that are related through signification.
A sign (a word from the Latin term signum ) is all kinds of objects, actions or phenomena that, either by nature or by convention, can represent, symbolize or replace other issues or elements . Linguistics , for its part, refers to that which is related to or revolves around language (understood as a communication system or tool).
And there is a reason why the etymological origin of the aforementioned term is found in Latin and more specifically in the word lingua , which can be translated as “tongue.”
From the definitions in the previous paragraph, the notion of linguistic sign can be understood. It is the smallest unit of any sentence , in which there is a signifier and a meaning that are inseparably linked through signification .
What is a linguistic sign
A linguistic sign, therefore, is a reality that can be perceived by man through the senses and that refers to another reality that is not present. This sign combines the meaning (a notion or concept ) with its signifier (based on an acoustic type image ), presenting itself as an entity with 2 mutually dependent facets that cannot be separated.
In addition to everything nuanced, we can state that every linguistic sign has four hallmarks that clearly identify it:
Linear. This means that within the aforementioned sign all the elements that compose it are presented one after the other both orally and in writing.
Articulate. What this characteristic expresses is that larger linguistic units have the capacity to be divided into smaller ones. Specifically, they can be divided into monemes, which have meaning and signifier, and also into morphemes, which are identified by not having meaning.
Arbitrary. This term makes it clear that the relationship established between the signified and the signifier is arbitrary and traditional, since in each language there is a different signifier for the same meaning.
Mutable and immutable. With this, what is determined is that, on the one hand, the linguistic signs change as time goes by and with them the languages, which is why they are mutable. However, on the other hand, it is also clear that a person in question cannot modify them as he sees fit, that is, they are immutable.
A linguistic sign works by social convention: that "bicycle" refers to a two-wheeled vehicle is the result of a collective construction in a given context.
A social convention
It is important to highlight that a linguistic sign represents a construction of social support , that is, it is valid within the framework of a certain linguistic context. The sign places one element in place of another: the word “bicycle” refers to a two-wheeled vehicle that serves as a means of personal transportation. That “bicycle” is the signifier of this vehicle is a social convention.
For all this we can determine that linguistic signs are essential elements in every act of communication. Specifically, they are the essence of the code that allows the receiver and sender to communicate, and a message to be transmitted, also taking into account the referent and through a channel.
The linguistic sign according to Saussure and Peirce
For Ferdinand de Saussure , the concept is found in the mind of the speaker of a language and can be indicated with minimal elements of meaning. The acoustic image, for its part, is not the sound, but a psychic imprint in the mind.
CS Peirce adds another facet to the linguistic sign, in addition to the signified and the signifier: the referent . Peirce maintains that the latter is the real element to which the sign alludes, with the signifier as material support (captured by the senses) and the signified as the mental image (an abstraction).