Linguistic sign
The linguistic sign is a representative element that presents two aspects: the signified and the signifier, which are currently fundamental to Semantic SEO.
The classic definition of a sign (since the Middle Ages, at least) is that of something that is used, referred to, or taken in place of something else (aliquid pro aliquo).
When we hear the word "dog," we recognize the sequence of sounds that form that word. These sounds are identified with the memory of them that is stored in our minds. This memory constitutes a real sound image, stored in our brain, which is the signifier of the sign "dog."
In linguistic signs, the signifier and the signified of a word unite, forming an inseparable whole. This notion of the sign was created by the linguist Ferdinand de Saussure, the father of linguistics.
Characteristics of linguistic signs
Linguistic signs have two main characteristics:
Arbitrariness of the sign
The union of meaning and signifier is arbitrary; there is no natural reason for this association. It is unmotivated. The representation of the concept could therefore be made with any signifier.
Linearity of the signifier
Linguistic signs are considered in only one dimension. Letters and words follow one another in a line, one after the other.
In addition to these two main characteristics, linguistic signs are simultaneously immutable and mutable:
Immutability
Speakers do not choose signifiers; they are taught by other speakers of the language who have already established the relationship between meaning and signifiers. It is, therefore, an imposed association, like a cultural inheritance, stemming from the linguistic habits of each language.
Mutability
All languages are subject to change over time. This process is long-term and is influenced by the social and collective use of the language. A single individual cannot cause changes in linguistic signs. These changes are important for preserving the continuity of the language.
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