An example of how the semantic space is divided differently across languages is the word “cerdo” used in Spanish to refer to the animal in the field and the meat on the plate. In English we find two different words to refer to this animal; “pig” for the animal and “pork” for the meat.

Finally, according to Saussure, the two parts of a sign are the signifier and the signified. The former refers to the words used to express the meaning of something, whereas the latter refers to the image drawn in our mind. 

The positive side of this is that through the emphasis we give to our words we can convey our ideas more clearly, but, on the other hand, it can have the opposite effect, i.e. cause a negative and problematic effect.

From my point of view, words always influence human thought because they have the power to transmit messages of free interpretation. 

I’ve had to face type-token mismatches and it’s been difficult to establish communication because although the other people know and understand what they are talking about I’m reading their words in another way and I’ve had to stop the conversation to ask for more details in order to understand what they really want to mean.

I think that the type-token relationship is useful in helping us to communicate with each others because through this we can establish exactly the concept we want to express, taking into account both the signifier and the significant.