The Triangle of Reference The Triangle of Reference (also known as the Triangle of Meaning ) is a model of how linguistic symbols are related to the objects they represent. The triangle was published in The Meaning of Meaning (1923) by Ogden and Richards . The Semantic Triangle of Meaning has three parts. Symbol, Reference (Thought), and Referent. - - A S ymbol is an item used to represent other things, ideas, or events (2013, p. 178). - - A Reference is the initial thought you have associated with a word. - - A Referent is the actual meaning of the word In order to illustrate his point that there is a direct relationship between symbols and thought, Ogden and Richards created the “Semantic Triangle.” The triangle is a simple model in which the three factors involved with the state...