signifiques

Signifiques is primarily the second-person singular present indicative form of the French verb signifier. In a sentence such as “tu signifiques ceci,” it means “you signify this.” As a standalone noun or technical term in linguistics, signifiques is not standard; the language-technical terms are generally signifiant (signifier) and signifié (signified).

In the study of semiotics and linguistics, the sign is analyzed as a unit comprising two related components: the signifier and the signified, together forming the linguistic sign as described by Ferdinand de Saussure. The signifier refers to the material form of the sign—the sound pattern in spoken language or the sequence of written characters—while the signified denotes the mental concept or meaning associated with that form. The relationship between signifier and signified is often characterized as arbitrary, conventional, and culturally contingent, meaning there is no inherent reason a particular form should correspond to a specific meaning.

The broader process by which signs convey meaning is called signification. It covers how words, images, and symbols stand for objects, actions, or ideas beyond their immediate physical form. In semiotics, signification is distinguished from denotation (the literal sense) and connotation (the associated or evaluative meanings). Because different linguistic and cultural systems can link different signifiers to the same signified, and vice versa, signification remains a central concept in understanding how communication produces meaning.

For further reading, see topics such as Saussurean semiotics, signifier, signified, sign, semantics, and semiology.