Signifikát

Signifikát is a term used in semiotics and linguistics to denote the signified—the concept or mental representation associated with a linguistic sign. It appears alongside signifikant, the term often used for the signifier or the sign’s external form (the spoken sound pattern or written appearance). In the familiar Saussurean account, a sign consists of the signifer (signifikant) and the signified (signifikát), together forming the linguistic sign.

The signified and the signifier are linked by convention within a language community; the relationship is arbitrary rather than natural, and meaning arises from the culturally shared association between form and concept. Although the terminology varies by language, the core idea is that a sign pairs a form with a concept or idea.

Examples help illustrate the distinction: the signifier “dog” corresponds to the signified concept of a domesticated canine. In discussing languages other than English, signifikát may be used to refer to the concept component, while signifikant refers to the phonological or written form.

Usage and variations: the terms signifikát and signifikant are common in some German- and Slavic-language semiotic and linguistic literature, whereas many English-language works simply use signified and signifier. The concept has been influential across linguistics, anthropology, and philosophy, though it has also faced critiques from cognitive and usage-based perspectives that emphasize context, embodiment, and variability in meaning.

See also: signifier, signified, Saussure, semiotics.