semiotics: signs + meaning

SEMIOTICS SIGNS

MEANING +

he studies semiotics. i think it’s the study of laundry or something. bret easton ellis, the rules of attraction

ferdinandde saussure

1857–1913

ferdinand de saussureSwiss professor of linguistics

Proposed new science of signs which he called semiology

Died before his theories were published

His work published in 1915 by his students

A sign is made up of two fundamental elements:

Signifier (Sr)

Signified (Sd)

model SS

D

R

de saussure’s

DOUCHEBAG

SD

SR

charlespeirce

sanders

1839–1914

charles sanders peirceAmerican philosopher

Developed a parallel study of signs, called semiotics, at the same time as de Saussure

Many similarities with de Saussure’s work

Less concerned with language—focuses on how we make sense of the world around us

Triangular model

Sign (S/R) Also called the representamen

Object (O) External reality referred to by sign

Interpretant (I)Concept of sign based on user’s cultural experience

O IS/R

peirce’smodel

interpretantI

Mental concept of the sign

Based on user’s cultural experience of the sign

Interpretant is not fixed—does not have a single definable meaning

Meaning will vary depending on the reader of the sign

GIFT

a sign is anything that can be used to tell a lie. umberto eco, a theory of semiotics

categories of signsde Saussure

Peirce

1. Iconic

2. Arbitrary

1. Icon

2. Index

3. Symbol

Same as de Saussure’s iconic sign

Physically resembles the object it represents

Can be photographic or more abstracted

icon

indexDirect link between the sign + the object

For example, smoke is an index of fire

Most traffic signs fall into this category

symbol

Same as de Saussure’s arbitrary sign

No logical connection between the sign + what it means

Relies exclusively on reader having learned the connection between sign + its meaning

rolandbarthes1915–1980

death of the authorSignificant role played by the reader in the process of reading meaning

Two different levels of signification:

The physical reality of the object which is signified

The meaning is affected by the background + knowledge of the reader

2. Connotation

1. Denotation

a text’s unity lies not in its origin but in its destination. roland barthes, image music text

Misconceptions about the properties + meanings we attach to the images of the things around us

Meanings are seen as the natural order of things

Generated by those who have control of the language + the media

Filters the political content out of signification

myth

language

MYTH

sign

SD

SD

SR

SR

SIGN

Second-order semiological system

The sign in the first system becomes a mere signifier in the second

modelbarthe’s

System for reading text/image combinations:

Linguistic message The text itself, ususally in the form of a caption or slogan

Coded iconic message Symbolic message working at connotative level

Non-coded iconic message Direct message working at denotative level

text/image

pierrebourdieu1930–2002

legitimate languageNeither languages nor dialects have natural limits

Externally there is a political process which leads us to accept an ‘official language’

Legimate language is imposed, defended, + sanctioned institutionally

Any person who, without reasonable excuse, wilfully or recklessly destroys or damages any property belonging to another shall be guilty of the offence of ‘vandalism’.

Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act, 1980

unofficiallanguage

An attempt to act through words beyond the limits of delegated authority

Message transferred from unofficial language to official language

magicaltheact

umbertoeco

1932–

open + closed textsIn 1962, Eco published The Open Work, in which he defines texts as:

Texts that are the most open are the most dynamic, lively, + psychologically engaged

Open—allows multiple or mediated interpretation by the reader

Closed—leads the reader to one intended interpretation

when i use a word, it means just what i choose it to mean—neither more nor less. lewis carroll, through the looking-glass

Barthes, R. Mythologies (1989). Original work published 1957.

Barthes, R. The Death of the Author. In Image, Music, Text (1977). Original work published 1967.

Bourdieu, P. Language and Symbolic Power (1991).

Crow, D. Visible Signs (2003).

Eco, U. The Open Work (1989). Original work published 1962.

de Saussure, F. Course in General Linguistics (1974). Original work published 1915.

references

remember, words can only hurt you if you read them. don’t play their game. derek zoolander

CHRISTOPHER03/2012

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