An Introduction to Semiotics.

Aims:

*Understand the basics of semiotic theory.

*Have an idea of how to apply semiotic theory.

*Understand the following terms- code, sign, signifier, signified, arbitary, denotation, connotation, myth.

*Understand the importance of 'meaning' in the study of art, design, and culture.

What is semiotics?

*The "science" of studying signs- a social science which emerges from linguistics (anything that can give meaning in society).

Meaning of semiotics and linguistics were developed by Ferdinand de Sanssure (Swiss Linguist).

Linguistics is the science which explains how language works- the "agreed" meaning of words, formed by society.

In the same way we can unravel meaning in language by understanding the written and spoken material, we can also unravel meaning in cultural as operating like a language.

a code=a system of symbols or signs.

*Culture operates like a system. Semiotics is understanding how meaning is structured. All meaning is constructed through codes- symbols and signs which collectively form a meaning.

One example we evaluated to distinguish systems of meaning was looking at different ways in which a suit can be worn, with three examples: "ghetto/ganster" culture, "punk rock" culture, and the stereotypical image of a business man in a suit. This system of meaning (suit) is referred to as a "text" in linguistic- even if we are talking about an image, it is referred to as "text" due to the fact that we read them (deeper meaning and analysis).

The text is created from various riffs within an agreed cult or social culture- conformists/uncornformists, etc- belonging to a particular group, developed to a system that everyone comes to know and understand, a "code".

Films such as Blazzin' Saddles and Star Wars challenge semiotics, whereupon the debunk the nature of cultural codes and why they mean what they do. Along with many other paradoies of the Western genre, Blazzin' Saddles has a central character of an Afro-Carribean cowboy (which, as history has shown us, this would never of happened in this social culture), whereas Star Wars plays up to te conventions of outer space.

*Codes are found in all forms of cultural practice.

*In order to make sense of cultural artefacts we need to learn and understand their codes.

*We need to acknowledge that codes rely on a shared knowledge.

As aforementioned, the theory of semiotics was developed by Swiss linguist, Ferdinand de Saussure, who tried to show the unlogical relationship between words and their signified meaning.

For an example, we looked at an image of a dog- the name 'dog', although having no particular link with the animal itself has had a concentual agreement to be named this particular name, whereas 'woofer!' or 'barker!' would, of course, be more appropraite, in it's sound/image signifier form.

THERE IS NO LOGICAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE SIGNIFIER AND THE SIGNIFIED IN LANGUAGE.

THIS RELATIONSHIP IS ARBITRARY.

How is a sign made-up?

A sign has two parts:

signifier + signified= sign

A signifier is:

*Written word e.g 'dog'

*Spoken word 'dog'

*Barking by a dog

*Picture of a dog

Signified is:

*Mental concept of a dog

Signifier= Sound Image

Signified= Mental Concept

Rolan Barthes wrote 'Mythologies' in 1957- an analitical study of meaning within society. Barthes was a critical and theoretical essayist, writing deeply about aspects of French culture and what they mean within society.

Breaking down signifers and signified analysis further, meaning can be broken down into "denotation" and "connotation".

Denotation: Basic understanding og a dog 'four legged creature' etc.

(what is 'denoted')

Connotation: associational meanings of a dog- 'loyalty', 'companionship', 'Krufts', 'walks', 'smells'.

Connotations are culturally specific and taught by society- with a deeper meaning embedded within our subconcious- associations that we always make, not a concious thought or decision.

We studied an image- an advertisement for Scotch Whiskey with a couple sitting on a luxurious sofa amongst the open wilderness of a Scottish Glen, with the title above reading

"Take yourself to the Glen of tranquility"

We searched for what the image connoted, and I came up with these particular points:

*advertisement for whiskey connoting relaxation, "the wild outdoors", peace, "breathtaking wilderness", Scotland (the heartland of whiskey), a shared experience, calming, fresh, a social element: "drinking this whiskey will take you to Scotland". The Corbusier sofa gives an air of sophistication in it's Modernist design, a stylishness in the mixture of traditionality and modern sophistication*

Barthers said that MYTH comes into play in the realms of connotation, and became problamatic for him- he saw it that many didn't understand that they are socially given connotation in their idealogies.

'The Myths which suffuse our lives are insidious precisely because they appear so moral"- Barthes, R.

We then went on to analyse John Constable's 1821 painting, 'The Haywain', which, through time has come to connote the myth of quintessential Englishnes- green, pleasant, pastural land with big, rolling hills. Images such as this have a large part to play in this idealology that many still maintain to this day, nearly two hundred years on.

The image was infact painted at a time of mass rioting, and this would have been painted for the wealthy land-owner to compliment their fantasies and rose-tinted view of the country.

However, as I have previously mentioned, this connotation has now become "the norm" of Britons, and people the world over today.

This goes hand-in-hand with people's views and the connoted view of England as a prosperous and victorious country- stemmed from the myth of St. George (the Country's Patron Saint), whose courageous slaying of the ruthless dragon resulted in a Pagan country converting to Christianity- even portayed today in popular culture, football matches etc- sense of pride and symbolism.

We looked at various other images and how they can be connoted- what symbolism the images intended to represent- ranging from the Eva Hertzegonia 'Double Major' Wonderbra advert (famously causing road traffic accidents as men couldn't take their eyes from the advertising billboard!) sexualising and dumbing-down the image of modern woman to appeal to the majority of men, to the racial sterotypes of 'wicked won' chinese restaurant's "no! we no see cat of yours. no more ask please." advertisment. This, perhaps both contreversial, and yet humuorous advert works as a tool to attract people to their restaurant, promoting their "Chinese-ness", yet also potentially offensive- contreversey sells!