A Basic Course in Anthropological Linguistics (Studies in Linguistic ...

100 A BASIC COURSE IN ANTHROPOLOGICAL LINGUISTICS
MEANING
To study meaning, it is necessary to start by noting that every word, phrase,
or sentence is a sign-it is something that stands for somethmg other than
itself. The word cat, for instance, is a sign because it does not stand for the
phonemes that comprise it, /kd, but rather for “a feline mammal.” The latter
is known, more specifically, as the referent. There are two kinds of referents
that signs encode, concrete and abstract:
a concrete referent, such as the animal designated by the word cat, is
something existing in reality or in real experience and is normally
available to direct perception by the senses (a cat can be seen, touched,
etc.);
an abstract referent, such as the meaning captured by the word idea,
is something that is formed in the mind and is not normally available
to direct perception by the senses (an idea cannot be seen or touched
physically).
The sign is a powerful mental tool because it allows its users to conjure
up the things to whch it refers even though these might not be physically
present for the senses to perceive. This feature of signs is known
psychologically as displacement. By simply uttering the word cat, people
understand what is being singled out in the world of experience, even though
an actual “cat” may not be present for people to observe. Similarly, by simply
saying the expression a bright idea, people will understand what is being implied,
even though no such thing is available for the senses to detect. This remarkable
feature of signs has endowed the human species with the ability to refer to
anything at will, even to something that is made up completely by human
fancy.
The relation that holds between a sign and its referent is what is intended
with the word meaning. This encompasses all the possible uses of the sign.
Take the English word cat, again. Some of its referents are as follows:
a small carnivorous mammal domesticated since early times as a
catcher of rats and mice and as a pet and existing in several distinctive
breeds and varieties;
an attractive and suave person, especially a male player or devotee of
jazz music, as in He S a cool cat;
a secret, as in He let the cat out of the bag.