In a “language” without double articulation, the formal sides of all signs would
be constituted by individual sounds, and the number of different sounds would be
equal to the number of signs. One example would be a system of communication
where the formal side of of each sign is a specific cry. A human being would probably
be able to distinguish several hundreds of cries, but such a system would not only be
poor, but also uneconomical, and extremely vulnerable to noise