Semiotics is about a System of Meaning

Semiotics is about aSystem of Meaning

• The word “cat” only makes sense in relation to other words:– “dog”– “animal”– “pet”– “owner”– “cute”– “purr”– “lick”– “hunt”

Semiotics is about aSystem of Meaning

“animal”

“purr”

“cute”

“lick”

“hunt”

“owner”

“dog”

“cat”

Semiotics is about aSystem of Meaning

• No sign can make sense on its own but only in relation to other signs.

Semiotics is about aSystem of Meaning

• No sign can make sense on its own but only in relation to other signs.

• The meaning of signs is in their systematic relation to each other rather than deriving from any inherent features of signifiers or any reference to material things.

Semiotics is about aSystem of Meaning

The word “cat” has more in common with other words than it does an actual cat, or whatever a ??? may actually be.

Language isBinaristic and Negative

• Cat vs. Dog• Man vs. Woman• Nature vs. Culture• Good vs. Evil• Yes vs. No• Black vs. White• 0 vs. 1• Life vs. Death• Gay vs. Straight• Up vs. Down

• Cold vs. Hot• Happy vs. Sad• Sleep vs. Awake• Free vs. Pay• Pretty vs. Ugly• West vs. East• Paper vs. Plastic• Republican vs.

Democrat • Healthy vs. Sick• Few vs. Many

Things are defined not by what they are, but by what they are not.

Things are defined not by what they are, but by what they are not.

“red”

Most of the information communicated is actually negative.

“red”

Linguistic Signs are Immaterial(Saussure)

• Word signifiers have no material value magically embedded in their sounds or appearance.

Linguistic Signs are Immaterial(Saussure)

• Word signifiers have no material value magically embedded in their sounds or appearance.– This immateriality is their value.– If linguistic signs draw attention to their materiality

this hinders their communicative transparency.– New words can be invented or imported as needed

Signifier is physical, sensual

Signified is psychological

Dyadic Model(Saussure)

Signifier is physical, sensual

Signified is psychological

Object in the real world orspeaker’s mind

Triadic Model(Peirce)

Representamen is physical,sensual

Interpretant is meaning fromdecoding representamen

Triadic Model(Peirce)

Object in the real world orspeaker’s mind

Three ways signs represent objects(Peirce)

• Symbol

• Icon

• Index

Three ways signs represent objects(Peirce)

• Symbol– Arbitrary or purely conventional– 100% needs to be learned– language in general, alphabet, punctuation marks,

numbers, Morse code, traffic lights

• Icon

• Index

Three ways signs represent objects(Peirce)

• Symbol– Arbitrary or purely conventional– 100% needs to be learned– language in general, alphabet, punctuation marks,

numbers, Morse code, traffic lights

• Icon– Resembling or imitating the signified– similar in some quality– portrait, cartoon, onomatopoeia, metaphors, sound effects

imitative gestures

• Index

Three ways signs represent objects(Peirce)

• Symbol– Arbitrary or purely conventional– 100% needs to be learned– language in general, alphabet, punctuation marks,

numbers, Morse code, traffic lights

• Icon– Resembling or imitating the signified– similar in some quality– portrait, cartoon, onomatopoeia, metaphors, sound effects

imitative gestures

• Index– existential connection to the signified– evidence, smoke, footprints, pain, thermometer, clock,

knock on a door, photograph, handwriting,

Three ways signs represent objects(Peirce)

• Symbol

• Icon

• IndexSigns can be one, two or all three of these at once.