Word as a linguistic sign. Saussure's and other approaches

dealing with the very nature of lg

to see it as a means of communication

through which sounds convey meaning

Saussure

acoustic image: primarily a psychological
and not a material reality.

arbitrary: in the sentes that thereis NO reason FOR WHICH a particular string of sounds should be associated with a certain meaning.

Cours de linguistique générale marked a turning point in the history of modern linguistics
His theory of the ling. sign remained a cornerstone for all subsequent theories

principles enlarged and modified by other authors

OGDEN AND RICHARDS: THE SEMIOTIC TRIANGLE

HJELMSLEVS APPROACH

BUHLER'S ORGANON MODEL

The meaning of meaning

criticized S, for neglecting the thing for which signs stand,

Triangle:

Symbol is the linguistic element

thought and referent account for the concept

not necessarily any obserbable or direct relationship between the sign and the referent. A lg symbol (word) text does not directly connect with its referent in the world. This connection is indirect, through a mental representation of the element of the world.

binary reality

expression (signifier)

content(signified)

substance and form. Each form established is associated with substance

semiotic model "Sprachtheorie"(theory of language)

founded on Plato's metaphor of lg as organon (tool)by means of which one person (sender) comunicates to another person (receiver) about the things being communicated

3 factors constituting signs that correspond to these three funcitons of the ling. sign: the lingusitc expression or sign links the sender with the addressee and the represented objects.