Double articulation

The term double articulation is often pointed out as a crucial property of natural language. It refers to the fact that the minimal meaningful units of natural language are internally complex, i.e. made up of smaller (meaningless) elements, and that the system determining the composition of meaningless elements into (minimal) meaningful ones is independent of the system determining the composition of atomic meaningful elements into non-atomic meaningful elements.

Double articulation is closely related to the principle of the arbitrariness of the sign, as only systems consisting of arbitrary signs (symbols), but not systems consisting of non-arbitrary signs (icons), can exhibit double articulation.