The Function of Signs

Saussure points out that language is basically arbitrary; it is a tool that humans use to communicate, but does not supply a one-to-one correlation between word and thing. He says, "in language there are only differences without positive terms" (40). The word "book" is not a positive term; it is not the thing itself nor is it the way of naming the thing; it is a sign used to describe the thing, an object consisting of a front and back cover with multiple pages of paper inbetween, held together by some sort of binding. In other words, the thing itself is not a book; book is simply what we call it. If language perfectly described reality, then all languages would be the same; in fact, there would only be one language, the language. But this is certainly not the case. In Italian, "libro" is used to describe the object we call a book. Libro and Book are not even close to sounding or looking like the same word, but they mean the same thing. So, the way we use language determines how we create meaning of reality. For example, we have the general word book. But we also have notebook, journal, diary, ledger, tome, etc. These different words all contain different specific meanings, even though they all fall under the same category of book. Diary means to us something different than does journal, notebook, or just book. The difference gives it its unique meaning. We can use a word like diary and understand that it is not quite the same thing as a notebook or a journal; and even though it is a type of book, it holds a different meaning than does the word book.

This seems like common sense. Of course a diary isn't a notebook. But what about snow? How many different words for snow do we have? Just a handful: snow, sleet, hail. Eskimos have something like 50 different words for snow (I've heard different numbers; someone even claimed it was over 100). Eskimos see differences in types of snow that we either don't pay attention to or don't see at all. They have words that cannot be translated into English. It would be like if someone saw a diary and called it a book; yes, it is a book, but it's specifically a diary. Yes, that stuff is snow, but it's specifically a certain type of snow. Since we don't have a language for it, we don't have a conception of that specific element of reality. It makes me wonder how much I am limited in understanding about the world not only in terms of not knowing other languages, but in what has not, or perhaps cannot, be expressed linguistically.