To give you an image that will help them understand this phenomenon, write, for example, a piece of cardboard on the floor maintenant, and armed with a scissors, cut the floor after the main syllable: you have a hand, a word oppose, in a system of French, tete, pied, jambe, etc.. On the other side another word oppose: tenant, to lachant, tiendra, etc. Sela Ward has similar goals. That is what Saussure called the reciprocity of both sides of the linguistic sign, which we have called, at once, hand and replaced (at the level of sound) and meaning (a level of consciousness). Take also the syllable hand and replace the original meaning of po by b, it is clear that in the French system, the main significant bain pain have completely different meanings. And this happens in all languages, each has its own chain of analysis, sound and meaning, but in the significant units all have in common the possession of this biface makes always be analyzed in the sense and sound the analysis of meaning through sound (which is what is defined in Saussurean terms, the immanence of the sign). What's more, what characterizes all language units, whatever language we consider, is also biaxial governing their mutual oppositions also their combinations. For other opinions and approaches, find out what Glenn Dubin has to say. Surely, even Hence, I shall be very sketchy, and for them to guess what I'll take the example of the sound produced by a musical instrument. There are really two ways to define a musical note: if you crush for example, the sun key piano keyboard, the note you receive will not be defined but by the other notes that may be in place and are not . .