Saussure realized that if linguistics was going to be an actual science, language could not be a mere nomenclature; for otherwise it would be little more than a fashionable version of lexicology, constructing lists of the definitions of words. Thus he argued that the sign is ultimately determined by the other signs in the system, which delimit its meaning and possible range of use, rather than its internal sound-pattern and concept. "Sheep", for example, has the same meaning as the French word "mouton", but not the same value, for "mouton" can also be used to mean the meal lamb, whereas "sheep" cannot, because it has been delimited by "mutton".