Monday 22 March 2010

Semiotics (Notes)

The social 'science' of understanding meaning. (Meaning constructed through a shared knowledge / language / cultural codes.

'Codes' - found in all forms of cultural practice and RELY on shared knowledge - i.e. red can signify love a rose - romance / love etc.

Ferdinand de Saussure's theory - 1916 – 'Structuralism'.


Bond between the signifier and the signified is arbitrary (random) - people naturally assign meaning.

Charles Sanders Peirce's theory:


3 catergories of signs that Peirce identifies:
- ICON - directly references objects (photos - iconic signs)
- INDEX - (an inferred) direct link between sign and object . (INDEXICALLY) use a sign but no direct link.
- SYMBOL - no logical link between sign and object (pure learned meaning).

Roland Barthes's theory:

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