Understanding Linguistic Signs and Meaning

The linguistic sign consists of two parts: the signifier, which is the sequence of phonemes or letters received by the speaker, and the meaning, which is the mental image associated with a particular signifier.

Semantics: The Study of Meaning

Semantics is the discipline that studies the meaning of linguistic signs. The study of meaning faces uncertainty as it depends on the linguistic context (the surrounding words) and the extralinguistic context (the situation in which a word is pronounced).

Semantic Fields

A semantic field is a set of associated words because they belong to the same grammatical category and share a part of their meaning. The semantic field is defined by the shared semes (meaning components) of all words belonging to it. The extension of a semantic field depends on the seme that defines it.

Denotation and Connotation

• Denotation: This is the objective meaning common to all speakers; its primary meaning does not change according to context.
• Connotation: This is the subjective meaning, which depends on the circumstances of the speaker. It is any secondary meaning associated with a term. Connotations can be collective (common to a large group of speakers) or individual (associated with a word by a person from personal experience).

Word Origins and Development

Economic Words and Cultisms

Many Castilian words today are the result of developments occurring over centuries from the original Latin form. These are the 'economic' words, where forms have evolved (e.g., f-passes h-/vowels transform/disappear). Cultisms are terms that have not developed normally but have retained a form closer to the Latin word.

Loan Words

We also incorporate words from other languages:

• Germanisms: (e.g., *guerra*, *guardar*, *yelmo*, *ganar*)
• Arabisms: (e.g., *ajedrez*, *azúcar*, *acequia*, *almohada*), predominantly related to agriculture and arts.
• Gallicisms: (e.g., *monje*, *garaje*, *salvaje*) due to historical contact.
• Americanisms: (e.g., *canoa*, *aguacate*)
• Italianisms: (e.g., *soprano*, *partitura*)
• Anglicisms

Semantic Changes Over Time

Words can change their meaning over time. Historical semantics deals with these diverse changes, which can occur due to:

Historical Causes

Sometimes, a reference evolves and changes completely, while the word designating it remains the same. In such cases, we can speak of a semantic change caused by extra-linguistic reality.

Social Causes

When a word is avoided because it is considered in bad taste, we call it a taboo. To circumvent a taboo, a euphemism is used – another word or expression that is equivalent but accepted. Over time, euphemisms can undergo degradation or wear.