Communication Elements, Language Functions, Linguistic Signs

Elements of Communication

The elements involved in an act of communication are:

• Sender: Produces the message and sends it.
• Receiver: Receives the message and interprets it.
• Code: A set of signs and rules that the sender and the receiver know and use to encode and decode the message.
• Message: The statement sent by the sender and received by the receiver.
• Channel: The physical environment or medium through which the message travels.
• Context: The circumstances (psychological, social, emotional, etc.) surrounding the sender and receiver, which influence the message's transmission and reception.
• Referent: The real-world element or situation to which the sender's message refers.
• Noise: Any interference affecting any of the other elements, which causes the communication act to fail.

Language Functions

We discuss the functions or purposes that a message can have:

• Referential Function: The message transmits objective information. The focus is on the Referent.
• Expressive Function: The sender expresses their mood, emotions, or opinions. Subjectivity prevails.
• Conative Function: The receiver is sought to perform a specific action or behavior. The key element is the Receiver.
• Phatic Function: Checks or maintains contact between the sender and receiver. The important element is the Channel.
• Poetic Function: Focuses on the message itself and how it is communicated, often emphasizing form or aesthetics. The highlight is the Message.
• Metalinguistic Function: The message focuses on the Code itself, discussing language or its rules.

Linguistic Properties of the Sign

These are properties of the linguistic sign:

Linearity

The sign is linear because the signifier unfolds over time, one unit after another in successive, discrete units that occur linearly in time. In writing, time is replaced by space, but the linear nature is retained. Keep in mind that language is primarily oral, and writing is a secondary event, a code replacement that may not exist in all languages.

Discretion

Language is, according to Saussure, a structure of discrete elements, meaning they are independent of each other and clearly separated. This independence is defined by relations of opposition and identity. A sign is either opposed to another or identical; there is never an in-between state.

Conventionality and Immutability

The relationship established between the signifier and signified is conventional (agreed upon by speakers), but it cannot be changed by an individual speaker. Instead, it is governed by the historical evolution of language. This evolution is continuous and dynamic. (An example is the recent change in the use of the word mouse, adapting the noun to new concepts).

Double Articulation

This is a particular phenomenon of the signifier that affects meaning. These are the smallest units of the signifier, and we can distinguish between them:

• Monemes: Monemes are minimal units with meaning. They are classified as:
  • Morphemes: Minimum parts that express grammatical meaning like gender, number, tense, etc. (Example: the -s in girls).
  • Lexemes: Minimum parts that express the core conceptual meaning of the word itself (Example: the girl- in girls).
• Phonemes: Phonemes are the smallest units without meaning on their own, but which combine to form monemes.