What Does Linguistic sign Mean
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 . The linguistic , meanwhile, refers to that which relates or revolves around the language (understood as a system or communication tool).
And it is because of something the etymological origin of the aforementioned term is found in Latin and more specifically in the word lingua that can be translated as "language".
From the definitions in the previous paragraph, the notion of linguistic sign can be understood . It is the smallest unit of every sentence , in which there is a signifier and a signified that are inseparably linked through signification .
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 image ), presenting itself as an entity with 2 dependent facets that cannot be separated.
In addition to all the nuances, we can state that every linguistic sign has four signs of identity 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 comes to express this characteristic is that the larger linguistic units have the ability to divide into smaller ones. Specifically, they can be divided into what are monemes, which have meaning and signifier, and also into morphemes, which are identified as having no 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 signified.
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, so they are mutable. However, on the other hand, it is also clear that a person in question cannot modify those as he sees fit, that is, they are immutable.
It is important to note 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 any act of communication. Specifically, they are the essence of the code that allows the receiver and the sender to communicate, to transmit a message also taking into account the referent and through a channel.
For Ferdinand de Saussure , the concept is in the mind of the speaker of a language and can be marked 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 argues that the latter is the real element to which the sign alludes, with the signifier as a material backing (captured by the senses) and the signified as the mental image (an abstraction).