Linguistic Sign Characteristics: Essential Properties
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Linguistic Sign Characteristics
The following are key characteristics of linguistic signs:
- Solidarity: The signifier (sgte) and signified (Sgdo) mutually require each other. A string without an associated Sgdo is not a linguistic sign. Conversely, a Sgdo cannot exist without a sgte. They are interdependent.
- Arbitrariness: The connection between a signifier and its signified is unmotivated and based on agreement among users. The sequence of sounds forming the sgte has no inherent relation to the concept it evokes. Therefore, an alternative sgte could have been chosen.
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Articulated: Linguistic signs are composed of smaller units and are divisible. Martinet described this as a double articulation:
- Units of the 1st articulation: Signs can be divided