Linguistic Dimensions and the Power of Human Expression

The Nature of Human Language and Symbols

Humans have the ability to express themselves through a language with meaning, which provides two kinds of elements: a set of words (vocabulary) and a series of rules (grammar). A language has meaning when the order of words and rules allows for the significance of what is said. In language, words are signs; within them, we can distinguish the signifier and the signified, establishing a relationship we call meaning.

Symbols and the Human Imagination

There are signs that refer to a deeper meaning, which is partly hidden and partly revealed in its immediate significance: these are symbols. The relationship with the symbolized object is conventional, social, and cultural. According to Aristotle's formula, man is the only animal that possesses logos. The human animal boasts a fantastic ability to create innovative perspectives and fictions; we can imagine the future, delve into fantasy, or revisit the past. We do not live solely in a physical world, but in one we create, requiring us to live in a world of invention.

The Three Functions of Language

• Representative: Linguistic signs act as symbols that serve to represent states of affairs.
• Expressive: The symptoms are linguistic signs that reveal the internal states of the speaker.
• Appellative (Appeal): The signals are linguistic signs directed toward a partner, from whom a particular reaction is expected.

Linguistic Knowledge and Communication

The constitution of language and linguistic knowledge provides the possibility of organizing human beings, allowing us to know both the external world and our interior world. Language is the medium in which the activity of understanding takes place.

The Three Dimensions of Semiotics

• Syntactic Dimension: These are the syntax rules that refer to the order of words. They indicate how words must be placed so the resulting sentence can convey a message.
• Semantic Dimension: This involves the relationship of signs with relevant meanings. In a dictionary, meanings are linked to each word according to the typical uses of the relevant linguistic community.
• Pragmatic Dimension: Meaning can change depending on the intent of the person who uses the sign. In the case of language, the users are speakers, the signs are words, and the pragmatic dimension is constituted by the intention of the speaker and the context in which communication takes place.