What is Language?

What is Saussure's definition semiology?

1. Semiology is "A science that studies the life of signs within society..."

2. A semiological approach is synchronic and not diachronic

3. A semiological approach studies langue and not parole.

What is a semiological system?

•   A semiological system is a closed system of signs.

• Because the system is closed, part of the sign’s value comes from being not the values of the other signs in the system (Saussure’s negative meaning).

What is a sign?

• A sign is a unity of a signifier and a signified.

• Both the signifier and signified are concepts and not things.

• The connection between the signifier and signified is arbitrary (nonessential).

• The types of signified are not fixed or given.

A Lexical Sign

Human language is the semiological system par excellence.

• How is human language a closed system of signs?

• The sentences of human language are signs.

• They are, in fact complex signs, i.e., consist of signs within signs within signs.

What are the Sign Systems of Human Language?

• Three Levels

• Lexical Words and Morphemes

• Tactic/Syntax

• Representational – Phonological, Orthographic and Gestural

Lexical Signs

• To be a sign the word must have a signified and a signifier.

• Each word has a signified (meaning (value))

• Each word has a signifier – Either a string of letters

(graphic mode) or a string of phonemes (acoustic mode).

Syntactic Signs• To be a sign the sentence

must have a signified and a signifier.

• The signified is the (meaning (value) of the sentence.

• The signifier is spelled by parts of speech. Parts of speech are represented by words. Each word in the lexicon must be assigned a part of speech.

A Syntactic Sign

Representational Signs

• To be a representational sign the letter or the phoneme must have a signified and a signifier.

• The signified of a letter or phoneme is its value - it is not any of the other members of the closed set of letters or phonemes.

• The signifier is the contrastive token.• a. sound image (phonemes)• b. graphic image (letters)• c. gestural image

Representational Signs Orthographic

• A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Just For Fun

A

E

I

O

U

J

B

F

P

V W

C

G

K

Q

X

H

L

R

Y

D

S T

Z

M N

What is adult human language?

• Definition 1a: a semiotic system of signs used by humans to communicate.

• Definition 1b: a complex sign system consisting of syntax, lexical and phonological (or graphic) signs.

• Definition 2: A Process of communication.