signifiedsignifier

The term signifiedsignifier refers to a pair of concepts crucial to semiotics, the study of signs and symbols. This pairing was popularized by Ferdinand de Saussure, a Swiss linguist and semiotician. The signified is the concept or idea that a sign represents. It is the mental image or meaning we associate with a word or image. The signifier is the physical form of the sign, the sound pattern of a spoken word, the written word, or the image itself. Together, the signified and signifier form a linguistic sign, which is the fundamental unit of meaning in Saussure's theory.

For example, in the word "tree," the signifier is the spoken sound "tree" or the written letters "t-r-e-e." The signified is the mental concept of a large, woody plant with a trunk, branches, and leaves. The relationship between the signifier and the signified is arbitrary, meaning there is no inherent, natural connection between the word "tree" and the actual plant. Different languages use different signifiers for the same signified concept (e.g., "arbre" in French, "Baum" in German). This arbitrary nature of the sign is a core principle of Saussurean semiotics, highlighting that meaning is socially constructed and conventional. The signifiedsignifier model helps to analyze how meaning is created and communicated through various systems of signs.