Difference between meaning and signifier

In terms of linguistics there are some concepts that must be known in order to understand how language is formed and the different structures that human beings have followed in order to establish communication and understanding when we speak. The meaning and significance are two basic aspects in this conception of human communication and all our words contain these two aspects that nourish and shape them. Then in we will discover the difference between meaning and signifier so that you can understand what we mean when we talk about one or the other.

What is the meaning

Saussure is one of the linguists who studied in a deeper way the linguistic sign and the elements that intervene in human communication, for that reason, it is due to the differentiation between signifier and meaning that determines the basis of our speech and, therefore, , of our communicative capacity.

The " meaning " refers to the idea that comes to mind when we say a word, what we are referring to in our real world when we speak. Let's think that words have been a system that we humans have invented in order to communicate with each other and each of them refers to an element of our reality, that idea, that relationship between mind and reality is the " meaning".

For us to understand this concept we will give an example: when we talk about a house everyone comes to mind what a house is (a building in which some people live, where they sleep, live, etc.). All that association of ideas that comes to us when we speak of "house" is the meaning of that word.

What is the significant

When we speak of "significant" we refer precisely to the other part of the previous association of ideas. That is, we have said that meaning is the concept that is given to a word, right? For the signifier is the word itself, that is, that set of linguistic signs (phonemes and morphemes) that we use to communicate with the rest of the people. The signifier is the tool we use verbally or in writing to send an idea, a concept to the person who will receive (the receiver) the information.

Let's go with an example so that we understand exactly what we mean: in the term "house" you have to use that exact word (significant) to be able to make reference to the concept, to the idea that we all have of house (meaning).

When instead of writing, we speak, then the linguistic sign changes because we are not using morphemes but we use phonemes (the system of signs that reflects our way of speaking). Thus, in the case of the word "house" when we speak the signifier is the set of articulated phonemes that result in / k /, / a /, / s /, / a /.

That is, we can not say that the signifier is a "word" because in linguistic terms it is not correct; is the set of signs that have a meaning and that we use to establish human communication.

Concept of "reference"

Another linguist, Charles Sanders Peirce, added a third element to this linguistic sign: the reference . In this sense we are talking that for there to be an interrelation between the meaning and the signifier is also essential that there is a reference in real life, an object to refer to, otherwise, there would be no possible relationship.

In other words, for there to be a relationship between the signifier "house" and its meaning, there must exist in that reality the building in question that we are talking about, otherwise, communication would not be possible. With this third element, Sanders incorporated reality in this linguistic conception, something essential.

Thus, the structure of the linguistic sign would be an interrelation between meaning, signifier and reference, as we show in the following image.