The Morphology of Meaning: 2 Semiotic Units and System Realisation — The Atoms of Meaning

Having established how patterns emerge through differentiation, we now turn to the granularity of morphology: the minimal semiotic units through which relational potential is realised and made interpretable.

Semiotic Units as Relational Realisations

A semiotic unit is a relationally grounded actualisation of potential: a configuration of realisations that is recognisable and functionally coherent within the field. Units are not isolated “atoms” in the classical sense; they exist only in relation to other units, as part of the systemic network of potential.

Each unit embodies a set of co-conditioned potentials, stabilised by phase synchrony, alignment, and valence weighting. Its significance arises from how it interacts with surrounding units: it anchors, contrasts, mediates, or propagates patterns across the field.

System Realisation and Differentiation

System networks provide the space of potential realisations; semiotic units are the actualised outcomes. Differentiation occurs as some options are realised more prominently, others in support, and some remain latent.

This produces functional roles within the field: anchor units maintain coherence, mediator units connect patterns, contrast units enable variation. Morphology emerges from the relational configuration of these roles, rather than from any intrinsic property of the units themselves.

Interpretability and Relational Coherence

A unit becomes meaningful when its relational configuration is recognisable and interpretable. Recognition depends on repeated co-realisation patterns, relational weighting, and the semiotic context established by prior events and surrounding units.

Thus, semiotic units are both products and operators of morphology: they express differentiated potential and, through interaction, influence future realisations.

Towards Pattern Recurrence and Variation

Units alone do not constitute morphology; it is their recurrence, combination, and variation that produce recognisable forms. In the next post, Pattern Recurrence and Variation — Morphological Stability and Flexibility, we will explore how repetition stabilises forms, variation enables adaptability, and both sustain intelligibility across the relational field.