Editing Semantics (section)

=== Semiotic triangle ===
[[File:Semiotic triangle.svg|thumb|alt=Diagram of the semiotic triangle|The semiotic triangle aims to explain how the relation between language (''Symbol'') and world (''Referent'') is mediated by the language users (''Thought or Reference'').]]

The [[semiotic triangle]], also called the triangle of meaning, is a model used to explain the relation between language, language users, and the world, represented in the model as ''Symbol'', ''Thought or Reference'', and ''Referent''. The symbol is a linguistic [[signifier]], either in its spoken or written form. The central idea of the model is that there is no direct relation between a linguistic expression and what it refers to, as was assumed by earlier dyadic models. This is expressed in the diagram by the dotted line between symbol and referent.<ref name="auto3">{{multiref | {{harvnb|Palmer|1976|pp=25–26}} | {{harvnb|Noth|1990|pp=[https://books.google.com/books?id=rHA4KQcPeNgC&pg=PA89 89–90]}} | {{harvnb|Dirven|Verspoor|2004|pp=[https://books.google.com/books?id=OM58J4nQJaYC&pg=PA28 28–29]}} | {{harvnb|Riemer|2010|pp=13–16}} }}</ref>

The model holds instead that the relation between the two is mediated through a third component. For example, the term ''apple'' stands for a type of fruit but there is no direct connection between this string of letters and the corresponding physical object. The relation is only established indirectly through the mind of the language user. When they see the symbol, it evokes a mental image or a concept, which establishes the connection to the physical object. This process is only possible if the language user learned the meaning of the symbol before. The meaning of a specific symbol is governed by the conventions of a particular language. The same symbol may refer to one object in one language, to another object in a different language, and to no object in another language.
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