This thesis is a study of Nelson Goodman s theory of symbols. We approach the question of the relationship between world and language starting from Goodman s theory of art. The main objective of the thesis is to show how Goodman reconciles a referencial theory of the languages of art with the thesis of the construction of worlds through the use of symbols. First, we try to make explicit how this theory of language allows us to treat the notion of representation without the metaphysical commitments traditionally associated with it - that is, without the implication of mirroring of reality by language. Secondly, within the nominalistic framework of Goodman s philosophy, we discuss reference - in its many aspects - as a relation among real objects. Finally, we show how the worlds of language become real worlds by the process of implementation of these worlds within the culture. Symbols can be experienced by being implemented, and it is this experience that constitutes what we call the real world.