Languages consist of tens of thousands of signs, which are combinations of form and
meaning. Form in spoken languages is a sequence of sounds, in written languages for
example a sequence of letters (depending upon what kind of writing system we are
talking about) and in the sign languages of the deaf a certain combination of gestures.
Here, we shall concentrate on spoken languages, and one example of a sign is the
English word sit, which has the form /sIt/. Speakers of English associate a certain
meaning with this form: ‘to assume a position of rest in which the weight is largely
supported by the buttocks’. The form and the meaning together constitute a sign, as
shown in FIGURE 1. You can read more about signs in chapter 2.