The process by which something purely potential becomes real (for example, the emergence of a flower from a seed).
A.J. Greimas and J. Courte explain that in the context of semiotics this term means “transition from system to process” Thus language (langue) is a real system that is updated in speech (parole) and discourse “(1982, 9).
When a code is used to convey a message (for example, when English as a langue or system produces sentences), the code is updated in and through those sentences. It should not be assumed that the code or langue is a passive tool in the hands of individuals who thus acquire an ability other than their semiotic competence (i.e., their ability to produce and interpret signs). For many semioticians, these codes or systems have their own life and valence.
They themselves are impersonal agents or forces acting on and through personal agents (or speakers).
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