Our first version of the communicative process, is by Karl Bühler. In this view, any sign has a threefold value, and each is related to a different function of language. In its relation to its meaning or its referent (the objects and relationships it signifies or refers to) the sign is a symbol that has a representative function. When we consider its relation to the sender, we study the sign as a symptom with an expressive function. When we see the sign in its relation to the receiver, we are seeing it as a signal with an appellative function. Figure 1 represents Bühler's view of the communicative sign.
Figure 1
1. Objects and relationships
Representation
(Symbol)
|
3. SIGN
/ \
2. Sender 4. Receiver
Expression Appellation
(Symptom) (Signal)