Monday, 17 September 2012

Semiotics

 In media we have been learning about semiotics.
Semiotics helps understand the genre of something and also the study of signs and their uses.

Signifier: any material thing that signifies for example words on a page, facial expression, an image.

Signified: The Concept that a signifier refers to.
Semiotics came from a French Theorist called Ferinand de Saussure.  He believed that all the ways that humans communicate can be interpreted as languages. For example the word dog means nothing to someone however as soon as the dog starts barking you automatically think danger. The barking is a symbol.  

We also learnt about 3 types of signs. Iconic, Indexical and Symbolic.

Iconic : signs where the signifier resembles the signified. For example a picture or photograph.

Indexical sign: signs where the signifier is caused by the signified. For example ‘Smoke’ signifies ‘Fire’.

Symbolic signs: are arbitrary sign, where the relation between signifier and signified is purely conventional and culturally specific.

We also learnt the definitions of:

Denotation: the most basic and literal meaning of signs, E.g. the word ‘rose’ signifies a particular kind of flower.

Connotation: the secondary, cultural meanings of signs or ‘signifying signs’ that are used as signifiers for a secondary meaning. For example the word ‘rose’ signifies passion.

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