Semiotics

All around us are signs- things which communicate a message, that give you information. The more aware we are of our society and world, the most signs we are able to recognize.

   A sign comes in two parts: the signifier- what it actually is, e.g. a dog is a small animal (denotation), and the signified- what it suggests, e.g. man’s best friend, loyalty, et cetera (connotation). The signifier is the same for everyone; the signified isn’t.

   The signified can be based on:

-          Age

-          Cultural background

-          Knowledge

-          Personal experience (e.g. planes, dogs)

-          Gender (e.g. page 3 models)

-          Time (e.g. Burberry)

There are three types of sign:

-          Iconic sign

-          Indexical sign

-          Symbolic sign

Iconic sign: looks like what it represents (is), but has added meaning, e.g. a crown or a cowboy. In media these tend to be costumes, settings and props.

Indexical sign: is a sign which points to something we cannot or haven’t been able to see, e.g. smoke (fire), scars (fight), tears (sadness). In media these can be facial expressions and body language.

Symbolic sign: is a sign that has no logical reason for what we see it as- we have been conditioned to think that it represents a certain thing, e.g. a dove (peace), pink (girls), <3 (heart). In the media this is often colours.

Polysemic signs that have lots of meanings. Red is polysemic, as it can represent love, anger, danger, blood, et cetera.

Monosemic signs have only one meaning.