The word: meaning and signifier
In this video we will talk about linguistic sign or word theory. We will basically deal with the Saussure's linguistic sign theory and the meaning and signifier of the word as well as the characteristics of the sign.
First, it will be necessary to take into account what is a sign. A sign is an element that we perceive through the senses (hearing, sight) that represents another element.
Saussure in its linguistic sign theory says that humans communicate through signs (words, road signs, emoticons, ...). These signs are organized into verbal and non-verbal languages.
- verbal language: uses the word as the most complete form of communication and expression that exists.
- nonverbal language: the one who does not use words (pictograms, images, ...)
The word is a symbolic linguistic sign that unites the signified and the signifier.
- meaning: It is the concept or idea that is represented in our mind.
- significant: It is the succession of sounds called phonemes.
The sign has the following features:
- arbitrariness: the sign is arbitrary, it is the product of a human agreement.
- linear character: the sign develops in the succession of sounds (when speaking) or in the succession of letters (when writing).
- immutability / mutability: it is immutable (the speaker cannot change it because he belongs to a community) but at the same time it is mutable (the language evolves over time through use).
- double joint: It has a double joint.
You will understand all these aspects much better and will be treated in more detail in the video so I invite you to see it and do the printable exercises with their solutions that we have attached on the web.
