Semiotics

Semiotics, as we can read in today’s literature, is the study of signs. Stemming from the Greek word semeion, this field of study allows for a closer look on how and why we attribute meaning to certain objects.

What do we mean by ‘sign’? The ‘objects’ in this case may refer to words, images, or anything that conveys meaning. The Swiss linguist Ferdinand de Saussure coined the term in the beginning of the 20th century. Saussure talks about two parts of the sign: the ‘signifier’ and the ‘signified’. The former is what is literally depicted, and the latter is the meaning which we attribute to it. Semiotics tries to find out how we as humans process the signifier to the signified, and why we do so. Though Saussure himself has not published any of his ideas, his students combined their notes and allowed for De Saussure to become an influential scholar on the subject of signs. Another influential person was Charles Sanders Peirce. A logician first and foremost, this American also engaged in mathematics and philosophy. It was Peirce who coined the terms icon, index and symbol. Using examples out of our everyday experience, I shall elaborate on these terms and what Peirce means by them, and what how these terms relate to the signs they represent.

Firstly, let’s talk some more about the term ‘icon’. Peirce uses these terms to describe signs which resemble what they stand for.  By this he means that one can identify the meaning of the sign without much prior knowledge, contrary to the ‘symbol’, which I will come back to later. An iconic sign which is visible in our daily FASoS experience, is the non-smoking sign which has recently been used to decorate our lovely courtyard. It takes little effort what this sign represents, since what is depicted is a simplified image of burning cigarette with a red line drawn through it.

The second term Peirce coins, is the idea of the ‘index’. Indexical signs, according to Peirce, are signs which adhere to a causal relation between the sign and the thing for which it stands. This causal relation is in its most basic form just the notion of “when X, then Y”. The most obvious, and frequently used example of a causal relation as Peirce describes it, is the fact that when one can see smoke, there must be a fire causing this smoke to exist.

The final concept Peirce introduces, is the idea of the ‘symbol’. This concept differs from the other kinds of signs, as interpreting the meaning of this kind of sign requires prior knowledge. The reason for this, is the fact that the meaning attributed to the sign is arbitrary. In fact, the relation of the sign and what is meant is merely based on an existing set of conventions. Language is an example of an arbitrary means of conveying meaning. The fact that one can write or say “dog” to imply the friendly canine has nothing to do with the fact that this animal is implied. The Dutch word ‘hond’ implies the same animal, but another means is used to mean the same thing. This distinction merely hinges on a set of conventions which we call language.

 

DOG

 

The word ‘dog’ has little to do with the actual dog depicted. Another arbitrary sign of which the meaning we have agreed upon are flags. Take for instance the flag of Japan.

To anyone unfamiliar with this flag, this will just look like a red circle. The fact that this dot represents the Land of the Rising Sun requires prior knowledge.

Semiotics, the study of signs, can be used to investigate core elements of our society. It allows us to look at connotations with objects and signs which we take for granted, allowing us to critically look at ourselves in a structured manner.

 

Sources:

Berger, A. A. (2010).
The objects of affection: semiotics and consumer culture. London: Palgrave Macmillan.

Branston, G., & Stafford, R.
(2003). The media student’s book. London/New York: Psychology Press.

Author: pepijn

Arts & Culture student at Maastricht University

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