A Critical Assessment of Logical Structure of Signification with Emphasis on the Views of Earlier Logicians

Since a term (word) carries meaning and their rules sometimes overlap, logicians and scholars of science of principles of jurisprudence have paid especial attention to the issue of terms, especially the issue of ‘signification’ as a bridge linking a term to its meaning. To identify the nature of signification and its various kinds, this article studies the phenomenon of signification as an effect. In order to have signification, there have to be two concepts (of signifier and signified) in our mind, having mutual relations such that one reminds the other. Signification is divided into rational, natural and conventional. It is only the conventional signification that is divided into verbal and non-verbal. [Based on another standard] signification is divided into signification of complete accord, signification of partial accord and signification by implication. The signification in metaphor is a signification by complete accord. On another ground, signification by complete accord is divided into literal and metaphorical. These three divisions can occur within non-verbal conventional signification as well.