In semiotics, the meaning of a sign is its place in a sign relation, in other words, the set of roles that it occupies within a given sign relation. This statement holds whether sign is taken to mean a sign type or a sign token. Defined in these global terms, the meaning of a sign is not in general analyzable with full exactness into completely localized terms, but aspects of its meaning can be given approximate analyses, and special cases of sign relations frequently admit of more local analyses.

Two aspects of meaning that may be given approximate analyses are the connotative relation and the denotative relation. The connotative relation is the relation between signs and their interpretant signs. The denotative relation is the relation between signs and objects. An arbitrary association exists between the signfied and the signifier.

Triadic relation

Sign relation

Connotative relation

Denotative relation

See also

• Connotation and denotation
• Connotation
• Denotation
• Connotation in semiotics
• Denotation in semiotics
• Denotational semantics
• Fully abstract
• Information theory
• Logic of information

• Meaning in linguistics
• Pragmatic maxim
• Pragmatics
• Peirce, Charles Sanders
• Relation
• Semantics
• Semiotic information theory
• Sign relation
• Triadic relation