The specific features of de Saussure's sign theory of language seeks to rest on two elements that prompt a great deal of thought and inquiry.  For de Saussure, the sign theory of how language operates in terms of the dynamics of signifier and signified becomes incredibly important.  It is this element of combining both the verbal development of language and what language signifies to the social group that helps to form the basis of de Saussure's sign theory of language.  

de Saussure's point was that in foreign languages, one of his speciality, different words signify the same experience even through they are not near one another.  The German word for "Dog" is vastly different from the Spanish word for "Dog."  ("Hund" and "Perro.")  Yet, they both end up meaning the same construction for what we consider to be the animal.  de Saussure suggests that language has a signified function in that the specific use of language refers to a specific signified meaning that is shared.  The sign theory of language rests upon the understanding of both signifier and signified.  This is a distinctive feature of the de Saussure's sign theory of language.