Semiotics is the study of signs and symbols and their use. In our daily routines of communicating, even though we may not realize it, the use of language AND signs affect the way our messages are being delivered, received, and making meaning out of it.
Signs communicate ideas, attitudes, and beliefs to us. Signs that can be found in media can be used to represent and relay information to the audience. These signs can be constructed to form certain meanings. They are able to communicate certain messages.
Glossary
a) signifier and signified
b) paradigm and syntagm
c) iconic, index, and symbolic signs
d) myths and binary oppositions
Signifier
– the perception of the sign’s physical form which may be material, acoustic, visual, olfactory or a taste
– a signal or hint that comes in a physical form which reminds the concept
Signified
– the mental concept we learn to associate with… [the object below]
– the concept associated to the signal; meaning associated to the object
paradigm
– the most obvious paradigm/criterion to which the the subject is associated with
– the qualities that distinguish one sign from another that give the sign meaning
syntagm
– comes after the formation of other paradigms according to the rules of langue
– anchors the meaning of individual signs (from the paradigms) by creating a context; contextualizer
– helps us to choose the appropriate paradigm of a sign, therefore prevents confusion by limiting the number of meanings
Iconic
– a sign which bears a resemblance to what it represents, can be an image, images or graphical
Index
– a sign which has a direct relationship, or causal link, to what it represents
Symbolic
– any arbitrary sign, since it can only be a sign because of the consensus about what it means
Myths
– defining occurences that associate meanings with signs through connotations
Binary Oppositions
– meanings of signs are defined through its opposing relationship with other signs
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