Semiotics

Denotation/connotation

• Media texts are encoded by producers• Audience decodes

• Audiences are generally thought of as active

• Many different readings (polysemic)

• Codes = meaning system consisting of signs – signs are things which potential to generate meaning

• Looking at how communication is the product of shared meanings

• Messages, texts, images etc… all interact within social and cultural space

• Meaning often hidden/encoded within text

Denotation• Denotation is the part

of the sign which is immediately recognisable

• Has direct relationship to the real world

• Is what we see

Gold

Connotation• Connotation includes

associations which producer & audience bring to the sign

• Links to other concepts, memories, ideas

• Different cultures have different meanings

Gold

• Preferred reading = that which the producer meant i.e. they successfully encoded and consumer decoded

• Negotiated reading = encoder and decoder agree on some elements of the text

Aberrant reading• If audiences are

active and connotations are cultural and personal then sometimes we can incorrectly decode texts

• This is an aberrant reading

Analyse an image in pairs and write a brief summary including discussion of…

• Denotation• Connotation• Preferred meaning• Negotiated meaning• Aberrant meaning