Augustine: Earlier Writings (continued)
THE TEACHER y
signs? ^^.—No. Aug.—It seems to me that in speaking we use words to signify words or other signs, as when we say "gesture" or "letter"; for these two words also signify signs. Or we may express in words something which is not a sign, as for example when we say the word "stone." The word is a sign for it signifies something, but what it signifies is not a sign. But this kind of case where words signify things that are not signs does not concern our present discussion. For we undertook to consider those cases where signs are demonstrated by signs, and we found that they fall into two classes; those in which we teach or call to remembrance by signs similar signs, and those in which we teach or call to remembrance different signs. Do you agree? Ad.—Clearly.
8. Aug.—Tell me, to what sense do verbal signs pertain? Ad.— To the sense of hearing. Aug.—And gesture? Ad.—To sight. Aug.—What about written words? Surely they are words? Or are they better understood as signs of words? A word is a meaningful articulate sound, and sound is perceived by no other sense than hearing. When a word is written, a sign is given to the eyes whereby something that properly belongs to the ears is brought to mind. Ad.—I agree entirely. Aug.— You will also agree, I imagine, that when we pronounce the word, nomen [name], we signify something. Ad.—True. Aug.— What, then? Ad.—That by which something or somebody is called; for example, Romulus, Rome, Virtue, a River, etc., etc. Aug.—These four names signify something. Ad.—Indeed they do. Aug.—Is there a difference between these names and the things they signify? Ad.—A great difference. Aug.—I should Hke you to tell me what is the diflference. Ad.—In the first place, the names are signs; the things are not. Aug.—Shall we call things which can be signified by signs but are not signs "significables," as we call things that can be seen visible? It will simplify our discussion of them. Ad.—Very well.^w.—Can these four signs you have just mentioned be signified by no other sign? Ad.—I am surprised that you should think I have already forgotten that we found that written words are signs of spoken words, signs, therefore, of signs. Aug.—What is the difference? ^flf.—Written words are visible. Spoken words are audible. Why should we not use the word, audible, if we allow "significable"? Aug.—I allow it at once, and am grateful lor your suggesdon. But I ask again whether these four signs cannot be signified by any other audible sign as well as by the visible signs you have called to mind. Ad.—I recall that this too was ^6 AUGUSTINE: EARLIER WRITINGS said recently in our discussion. I said that a name signified some thing and I gave these four examples. I recognize that the word "name" and these four names are all audible when spoken.
Aug.—What, then, is the difference between an audible sign and other audible signs signified by it? Ad.—So far as I can see the difference between the word "name" and the four examples is this; it is the audible sign of audible signs; they are the audible signs not of signs but of things, partly visible, like Romulus, Rome, River, partly intelligible, like Virtue.
9. Aug,—I understand and approve. But you know that every articulate sound pronounced wdth some meaning is called a word. Ad.—I do. Aug.—A name, therefore, is a word when it is pronounced articulately with a meaning. When we say of a fluent man that he uses good words, we mean also that he uses names. When the slave in Terence said to his aged master, "Good words, I pray you," he used many names. Ad.—I agree. Aug.—So when we pronounce these two syllables, ver-bum, we also signify a name, and the one word is the sign of the other. Ad.—I agree. Aug.—Here is another question I should hke you to answer. You have said that "word" is a sign pointing to "name," and "name" is a sign pointing to "river," and "river" is the sign of a thing which can be seen. Also you have explained the difference between this "thing" and "river," which is its sign, and between "river" and "name," which is the sign of a sign. What do you think is the difference between the sign of a name, that is a word, and the name itself of which it is the sign? Ad.—I understand the difference to be this. What is signified by "name" is also signified by "word." A name is a word, and "river" is a word. But everything that has a verbal sign does not have a nominal sign. For si at the beginning of the verse you quoted, and ex, where this long course of reasoning started, are words but they are not names. And there are many other such words. All names are words, but all words are not names. So the difference between a word and a name is, I think, clear, that is, between the sign of a sign which signifies no other signs, and the sign of a sign that points to other signs. Aug.—Every horse is an animal, but every animal is not a horse? Ad.—Indubitably. Aug.—There is the same difference between "name" and "word" as between horse and animal. Unless perhaps you are prevented from assenting by the fact that we use the word "verb" in a special sense to signify those things which have tenses—I write, I wrote; I read, I have read. Clearly these are not names. Ad.—You have mentioned exactly what caused me