Significantes

Significantes is the plural form of significante, a term used in semiotics and linguistics to denote the perceptible form of a sign. The significante is the material trace that conveys meaning within a system of signs, such as a sound pattern, a written word, an image, or any detectable form that signals a concept.

In the dyadic model advanced by Ferdinand de Saussure, every sign consists of two components: the significante and the signified. The signified is the concept or mental representation associated with the form, while the significante is the tangible form that carries that meaning. The connection between significante and signified is arbitrary and conventional, established by a language community rather than by natural necessity.

Signification arises through differences within a linguistic system. A significante gains its identity by contrasting with other signs; its meaning depends on its function relative to other significantes. Over time, the relation between form and concept can shift, leading to changes in meaning.

Examples help illustrate the concept: the English significante "tree" (the sequence of sounds or the written letters t-r-e-e) evokes the signified concept of a tree; in another language, the significante would differ (for instance, the Spanish "árbol") while the signified concept remains the same. The study of significantes therefore focuses on the perceptual form that signals meaning, not on the meaning itself.

Note: In other domains, the term significantes can be confused with “significant figures” (cifras significativas) in measurement. The two are distinct concepts: one concerns linguistic/ semiotic forms, the other numerical precision.