29th September, Semiotics
29th
Sept, Semiotics
- Signs, symbols and signifiers
- Key theorists
- Study of signs and symbols
- How signs and symbols are used to communicate
- Anything used in human communication can be considered a sign
- We interpret things as signs by relating them to similar conventions
- Allows us to break down messages into different parts
- Allows us to look at cultural and social conventions
- Meanings can change after experiences
- Ferdinand de Saussure
- Roland Barthes
- Charles Sanders Pierce
- Umberto Eco
- Swiss Linguist
- Formalised distinction between signifier and signified within signs
- Considered one of the founders of modern semiotics
-
Sign
has two elements
- Signifier – form that gives meaning
- Signified – the object or form itself
- A sign is formed of the recognisable combination of signifier and signified
- Same signifier could stand for different signified if in different location
- Philosopher and theorist was less concerned with language
- Regarded all forms of communications as signs
- Proposed triangular model of interpretation
Sign
– representation
Object
– what is being referred to by the sign
Interpretant
– concept of sign based on uses cultural experiences
- Argued a sign can never be ‘fixed’ they are fluid
- What a sign means for one person in one situation may mean something very different for another
- Interpretation is based on users cultural experiences and this meaning will vary
- A pictoral representation, a photo, architect’s model of a building are all icons because they imitate or copy aspects of their subjects
- Indicate what they stand for with a factual or casual link
- Term comes from index finger pointing at something
- Smoke is an index of fire
- Signs can be both icon and index
An
example could be a birds nest
The
index
- Signifying birds
- The
icon
- It is an icon of a home
Symbols
- Symbols have an arbitrary relationship between the signifier and signified
- No logical connection between sign and meaning
- The interpreter understands symbol through previous knowledge and experience
Meta
Symbols
- Have cultural reference points which allow audience to understand the context
- History, culture and tradition all influence meta symbols
Roland
Barthes (1900s)
- French literary theorist
- His theory focuses on how signs and photographs represent different cultures and ideologies
- Significant role played by the reader in the process of reaching meaning
Denotation
Connotation
- The meaning is affected by the background and knowledge of the reader
- Argues that denotation and connotation combine to produce ideology
Example
Denotation
- Marilyn Monroe
Connotation
- At start of her career, Glamour, Beauty, Sexuality
- Nearing end of her life, Depression, drug-taking
Myth
- The myth of Hollywood “dreams come true make you a star”
- Is a chain of semiotic events which when experienced or seen by members of society creates a subconscious meaning
-
Theorises
a system for reading text/ image combinations:
- Linguistic
message
The
text, usually in the form of a caption or slogan
-
Coded
iconic message
Symbolic
message working at connotative level. These are derived from social
understandings.
-
Non-coded
iconic message
Direct
message working at denotative level
Umberto
Eco (1900s)
- Stated semiotics is concerned with ‘everything that can be taken as a sign’
- Eco felt that all cultural phenomena could be studied and explained as a form of communication
- Critical of Iconism and instead proposed a more considered classification of signs
- These signs always originate from a sender. They are produced consciously by someone, based on specific conventions and with the aim of communicating something to someone.
- Every function is automatically transformed into a sign of that function.
- These objects refer to a primary function, and a secondary function as well. These are also signs combining both functions.
- The object of the sign refers to a primary function such as sitting in the use of a chair
- E.g. a sports car because it is associated with wealth that would be a primary function rather than its secondary function which should be its prime is moving you from one place to another.
Combined
function signs
- Signs originate from a natural source; They do not have a human sender
- The position of the sun indicates what it is; for example; an accommodation of grey clouds signifies an approaching storm
Citroen
ZX 1991 Advert analysis
After
viewing the advert, you can clearly identify that Citroen are trying to
advertise the quality of the car. They do this by linking sound with quality.
Initially they present many situations where sound links to its individual
meaning, examples of these are the clapping of hands representing approval and congratulations.
At the final scenes of the video they then link the sound of the closing door
on the car with the representation of quality and good design.
Citroen
want to primarily advertise the quality of their product in order to interest
the customer along with making the car stand out from other competitors. The simple
narrative of the video helps the customer understand the primary point Citroen
are putting across, leaving a strong impression on their minds.
Looking
at the advert from a semiotics standpoint we can link Ferdinand de Saussure’s
theories to the advert. The sound created by the closing of the door of the
car, signifying quality, can be seen as a sign. The two elements of this can
then be broken down. The signifier would be the sound of the car door closing while
the signified is the representation of this sound which is good quality build
and design. This representation works as people recognise that good sound can
represent high quality within motor vehicles.
Suzi
afternoon lesson
Book
cover redesign using scanners
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