A process in which an object or phenomenon under study is broken down – either physically (as in the chemical analysis of a substance) or conceptually – into its components in order to be more fully understood.
The analysis is one of the main procedures used in all areas of research. It is related to observation, classification, summarization, evaluation, and all other processes that take one or another form in human research, regardless of its subject.
Ferdinand de Saussure analyzes the sign in an aural image (the sound heard when the word or sentence is uttered) and in a mental image (the concept that is conveyed in an utterance); by generalizing these components into signifier and signified.
On the other hand, Charles Peirce considers semiosis or sign process in three components – sign or sign vehicle, object, and interpretant.
