Semiotics
To put it simple semiotics is tough topic to define. Many people consider it the study of signs however it includes much more than just this and it also has many sub categories to it such as the following: which were listed by Chandler, D. (2011) cited in Morris (1938, p. 6-7)
‘semantics: the relationship of signs to what they stand for;
syntactics (or syntax): the formal or structural relations between signs;
pragmatics: the relation of signs to interpreters .’
The website also gave a good introduction into what semiotics are. I’m not going to define semiotic but only apply it to an image or two.The image I am going to look at first is the image of the toilet signs shown below.
Betterclean Services (2010) Toilet sign 1-2 [online]. Available at: http://www.bettercleanservices.co.uk/wash%20room%20servicing.php (accessed: 20 March 2011)
Very simple to look at and identify which is male and which is female. Looking at it longer you could ask yourself why exactly do these shapes represent to us the forms of male and female. They are both clearly not in anyway what an actual human being looks like. I mean do humans have floating circular head hovering over their stick like bodies? Of course not but these symbols have been universally translated to almost all cultures to signify what and where a male or female toilet is. When I look at this image I instantly think that the toilet sign for men and women. So just from the simple symbol shapes on this sign, which would be called signifier, I can easily reach the meaning represented of the gender specific toilet areas, which would be the signified. This is from Saussure diagram showing signified over signifier as shown in the image below.
Saussure- 1[online] Available at: http://www.cyberartsweb.org/cpace/theory/luco/Hypersign/Saussure.html (accessed: 20 March 2011)
This is a foundation of semiotics developed from Saussure. There’s more than just this to semiotic, Peirce, Charles Sanders added the modes of the relations the signs have. These were:
· Symbol/Symbolic this is a sign in which the signifier doesn’t actually resemble the signified. So the meaning has to be known before hand.
· Icon/Iconic this is where the signifier does resemble the signified in some way.
· Index/Indexical this is where the signifier is connected to the signified in a more direct way such as physically or causally.
Now to apply the toilet sign above I would have to say the sign is iconic as it does resemble some idea of what the human form is however from that particular toilet I would say the shapes themselves that make up the male and female figures fall into Symbolic because if you weren’t aware of what the signs meant you wouldn’t know that they refer to the toilet facilities just that they might resemble a man and female.
The next image is harder to define using semiotic, as it is tattoo on an arm.
Akber (2011) Flower Tattoo Design on Arm for Cute Girls [online] Available at: http://www.photofunblog.com/fashion/beautiful-flower-tattoo-design-ideas-for-girls/attachment/flower-tattoo-design-on-arm-for-cute-girls-2011/ (Accessed: (accessed: 20 March 2011)
Ok to start with I’ll focus on the tattoo itself. Its iconic as the signifier resembles the Signified, being a cartoonish illustration style tattoo of a flower and butterflies. Tattoos are seen as fashion statement in modern times but people also get tattoos to represent important moment or factors in their lives. Because of the colour being pink and traditionally being a girl’s colour we can assume its girl who that tattoo is on. But this is reinforced with the arm itself as its size being feminine as well. The arm being iconic as its am photo of an actual arms so it resembles an arm. Because of the light form the right hitting the surface of the arm and floor it is signifier of the sun and that’s its daytime. This would be indexical as it’s connecting directly to the signified as it’s caused be the light from the sun and the signifier being the light itself.
sources:
Chandler, D. (2011) Aber. Available at: http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Documents/S4B/ (accessed: 20 March 2011)
Akber (2011) Flower Tattoo Design on Arm for Cute Girls [online] Available at: http://www.photofunblog.com/fashion/beautiful-flower-tattoo-design-ideas-for-girls/attachment/flower-tattoo-design-on-arm-for-cute-girls-2011/ (Accessed: (accessed: 20 March 2011)
Betterclean Services (2010) Toilet sign 1-2 [online]. Available at: http://www.bettercleanservices.co.uk/wash%20room%20servicing.php (accessed: 20 March 2011)
Saussure- 1[online] Available at: http://www.cyberartsweb.org/cpace/theory/luco/Hypersign/Saussure.html (accessed: 20 March 2011)
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