Linguistic Sign Characteristics: Essential Properties

Linguistic Sign Characteristics

The following are key characteristics of linguistic signs:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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 into minimal units with both sgte and Sgdo, known as monemes. These can be free (coinciding with a word) or bound (forming compound words). For example, a word can be composed of a lexeme and a morpheme.
   • Units of the 2nd articulation: These are phonemes, the minimal units of expression without a Sgdo. Phonemes are distinct from each other and contribute to the meaning of monemes.
4. Linearity: Signs appear in a sequence in time and space, and cannot overlap. The linear nature of signs means they form a chain in a message, with one sign following another in both time and space.
5. Discretion: Signs are distinguished from each other through opposition. For example, 'alba' (dawn) is distinct from 'morning', 'afternoon', 'sunset', and 'night'.
6. Orality: The primary form of a sign is oral. Writing is a substitute for oral language. Languages are semiotic processes that exist independently of both oral and written forms.
7. Syntagmatic and Paradigmatic Relations:
   • Syntagmatic: These are horizontal relationships. The meaning of each sign is influenced by its relation to other signs within a sentence. Signs form a chain in time due to linearity, but they also interrelate.
   • Paradigmatic: These are vertical relationships. Words belong to categories, forming a paradigm of interchangeable elements.