Describe || Semiotics

-
Hello Netizens,

For today, I would like to introduce you to Semiotics. It is the study of creating symbols that carry meaning, which includes; signs, sign processes, likeness, indication, designation, allegory, analogy, metaphor, symbolism, metonymy, communication and signification.

According to the American pragmatist philosopher, Charles Sanders Peirce Semiotics is, "theory of meaning which identifies the content of a proposition with the experienciable difference between it being true or false."

History 

Signs have been used through out history, be it drawn on caves, carved on wood or typed on your keyboard. They are a significant part of our society, and they have been recognised though out the history of psychology and philosophy. 

Cave paintings of cattle, c. 15,000 bce; in the Hall of the Bulls, Lascaux Grotto, near …
Ralph Morse—Time Life Pictures/Getty Images

The idea of Semiotics rose as an interdisciplinary system in the late 19th and earl 20th centuries with the work of Saussure and of the American philosopher Charles Sanders Peirce. Peirce's work in semiotic was linked with logic and pragmatism. He established a sign as, "something which stands to somebody for something.” And one of his main contribution in semiotics was categorising signs into three different groups: 
  1. Icon, it resembles what it refers to (e.g: roadsigns). 
  2. Index, it is linked with is referent (smoke means there is a fire). 
  3. Symbol, it is associated to what it refers to by convention (Traffic light). 
Charles Sanders Peirce, 1891.
Public Domain

Saussure handled language as a sign system, and in his work on linguistics he has provided the concepts and methods that semioticians apply to sign-systems excluding language. A main semiotics concept is Sausser's differentiation between the two components of a sign:
  • The signifier, the speech sounds or marks on a page. 
  • The signified, the idea or meaning behind the sign.

Moreover, he distinguished parole from langue, the unexpressed set of conventions that make speech understandable. Langue is what mostly interest semioticians. 

Semiotics is linked with structuralism due to the interest in the structure behind the practise of particular signs. Saussure's theories are considered to be the structure of structuralism too and to post-structuralism.

Ferdinand de Saussure, c. 1900.
Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Postmodern Semiotics  

Postmodern Semiotics: Material Culture and the Forms of Postmodern Life by Mark Gottdiener is a developed look on postmodernism. It distinguishes the meaning of symbols in postmodern culture, moreover, it helps the reader to analyse contemporary society.

Gottdiener discusses the relationship between semiotics and postmodern culture and rejects the effects of Saussure's semiotics. John Locke's concept of semiotics influences what is refereed to 'postmodern semioyics', which is "the study of sign or sign systems, applied to any type of sign." The three main influencers of postmodern semiotic are, Charles Pierce, Ferdinand de Saussure and Umberto Eco. 

Gottdiener makes three points in his book, on the multiplicity of ideas and arguments of Semiotics. One being that Semiotics that are restricted by the sign can only explain the symbolic meaning. Another point is that, “ Meaning is not produced through the free play of signifier alone”. Finally, the last argument made by him is that “Postmodernism criticism should not be confined to textual analysis alone, or the critique of forms of representation alone… everyday life”.





References:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Book Review || Frida Kahlo: A Spiritual Biography by Jack Rummel

-
Image
Hello Beautiful people,  I first came to know about Frida Khalo, through my studies in University. I had to write an essay about Surrealism, and she was one of the artists that popped up during my research. When I read about Khalo online, I have become interested in her artworks and in her, the artist. To know more about Frida Khalo, I decided to read this biography about her life, art and country. The biography also tries to show a spiritual side to Frida Khalo and her artworks, although she was an atheist. The writing in this biography is fun to read through, and I simply found myself flying through it. I am always worried I might not end up finishing a nonfiction book, because of the writing style, however, in this one, all my worries were gone. The writer manages to hold my interest and make me enjoy reading the book. Although it is a biography about Frida Khalo, it also covers the political situation of Mexico (and the world), and relates it to Khalo's beliefs a
Read more

Book Review || Behind the Scenes: Avant-Garde Techniques of Contemporary Design

-
Image
Hello Beautiful People,  A while ago I've picked up this book on architecture and design from the library, and I finally finished reading it now. The topic interested me, and I thought I would find something useful for my major (I am taking Industrial Design). The book started on a good note, talking about CAD, the software used and how they function. I find the later unnecessary, nevertheless, it is great to read about if you don't know how the software processes your inputs. The book slowly progresses toward techniques architects have used to create their designs. it is interesting, but so much of what is tackled in the book I already knew about. Especially the second half. The book switches to discuss topics such as; interface design, interactivity and VR, which isn't why I have picked this book up for . Moreover, everything the book mentions about VR is generally known knowledge, but written obnoxiously. The writing style makes the book an extreme
Read more

Book Review || The A.B.C Murders by Agatha Christie

-
Image
Hello Netizens,  Recently I have read the A.B.C Murders by Agatha Christie, as a way for me to see if Agatha's book are my cup of tea. I have read previously 'Murder on the Orient Express' and I wasn't pleased at all with the ending.  Let me first introduce you to the book. Title: The A.B.C. Murders  Author: Agatha Christie Genre: Crime/Mystery Synopsis:  When Alice Ascher is murdered in Andover, Hercule Poirot is already on to the clues. Alphabetically speaking, it's one down, twenty-five to go. Rating: (4/5) Stars Review:   This book is a crime mystery about a serial killer, that murders their victims alphabetically. The story is told from the perspective of Hasting, however, sometimes it would switch to an unknown narrator. I was a little confused at the beginning with narrative, because it didn't follow the same narrative style in 'Muder on the Orient Express.' The characters in this story are well fleshed, considering
Read more