signifiant

Signifiant is the French term for the signifier in semiotics and linguistics. In the framework established by Ferdinand de Saussure, a linguistic sign consists of two components: the signifiant (the perceptible form of the sign, such as a sound pattern, written letters, or other tangible marker) and the signifié (the concept or mental representation to which the form refers). The signifier and signified are linked within a given language system (the langue), and together they form the sign.

The relationship between signifiant and signifié is characterized as arbitrary: there is no intrinsic connection between a particular form and the concept it conveys, and the link is established through social convention within a language community. The signifier can be phonemes, syllables, words, gestures, or other perceptible forms, and its concrete realization may vary across languages and contexts. The concept conveyed by the signifier, the signified, exists in the minds of speakers rather than in the external form alone.

In practice, the term signifiant is used across linguistics and semiotics to discuss how signs operate beyond spoken language, including written text, icons, images, and other symbolic forms. It is often contrasted with the signified to emphasize the distinction between form and meaning. The concept remains central to discussions of structuralism, semiotics, and studies of how language and signs function within cultures. Note that signifiant is distinct from the English term significant, which has a different meaning outside semiotics.