Understanding Human Communication: Signs, Language, and Functions

Communication

Communication is a social phenomenon by which humans transmit information. Any act of communication consists of six essential elements: sender, receiver, message, channel, context, and code.

Signs

Signs are visible or physical realities that represent another element or reality. Their function is to serve as a communication tool and a vehicle for thought. They are classified as follows:

• Icon: Maintains a resemblance to what it represents.
• Index: Has a relationship of contiguity with what it represents; it lacks communicative intent and requires a suitable interpreter.
• Symbol: The relationship is arbitrary, conventional, and unmotivated, as its form and meaning are established through social agreement. This category includes most linguistic signs.

Nonverbal and Verbal Communication

Nonverbal communication is established through non-linguistic codes and systems. Depending on the sense used to capture information, we distinguish various types: visual, acoustic, olfactory, gustatory, and tactile. Iconic images are a highlight of nonverbal communication, consisting of two types:

• Analog: Reflecting reality.
• Created: Designed to convey specific meaning or capture attention.

Verbal communication is established through verbal language and utilizes two primary channels:

• Speaking: Spontaneous and direct, involving interaction between sender and receiver. It is often dominated by emotional content, utilizing gestures, looks, and intonation. It frequently employs colloquial phrases and lexical imprecision.
• Writing: Thoughtful and precise, lacking extra-linguistic support. While there is no direct interaction, it is more durable over time and adheres to standard, precise language.

The Linguistic Sign

The linguistic sign is the primary tool of verbal communication, attaching meaning to a succession of articulated sounds. Its features include:

• Arbitrariness: No inherent similarity exists between the sound sequence and the concept.
• Conventionality and Immutability: The relationship between signifier and signified is based on social agreement.
• Linearity: It develops in time and space with ordered elements.
• Double Articulation: It is divisible into smaller units that combine to form new sequences. The first articulation divides the sign into monemes, and the second into phonemes.

The Functions of Language

Every act of communication has an intention and purpose. There are six main functions of human language, linked to the elements of communication:

• Expressive function: Sender
• Conative function: Receiver
• Poetic function: Message
• Phatic function: Channel
• Referential function: Context
• Metalinguistic function: Code