The study of signs is particularly important in the consideration of the generation of 'media memories' as it is through the structuring, presence and absence of certain signs that a perception of the past within the public sphere is generated by and through the media Bignell 7. Signs situate their audience in particular modes of appreciation and understanding, just as audiences themselves comprehend signs in particular ways. The study of signs is revealing as the ways in which signs are used, accepted and rejected is indicative of the tastes and desires of wider society.
The origins of semiology are located with the work of the French linguistic Ferdinand de Saussure, his study, Course in General Linguistics , set the agenda for the ways in which signs are examined. Saussure analysed the sign into its two basic components: a sound component which he named the signifier, and a conceptual component, which he called the signified. This conceptual component, the signified, is not a material object, but the thought, the idea of an object, it is what is called to mind when an individual hears or uses the appropriate signifier.
Therefore the idea of a cat is called to mind as a signified when the word 'cat' as a signifier is used. The signifier therefore constitutes the material aspect of language. In the case of the spoken language a signifier is any meaningful sound which is made, in the case of the written language a signifier is any meaningful mark written down, in the case of the media a signifier is any image which is relayed to the audience.
Signifiers and signifieds can be separated in this way by semiologists; in the encounter of signs in everyday life however they constitute a whole: a single sign. The study of semiotics was also greatly advanced by the American philosopher Charles Pierce, who analysed the notion of signs to reveal underlying components. It addresses somebody, that is, creates in the mind of that person an equivalent sign, or perhaps a more developed sign.
That sign which it creates I call the interpretant of the first sign. The sign stands for something, its object. Not only are languages and comnmunication systems such as morse code constituted by signs but, radical semioticians would argue, the world itself as it relates to the human mind consists entirely of signs since there can be no unmediated relationship with reality.
Semiotics investigates the various systems of signs that create the shared meanings that constitute any culture.
Language being the fundamental sign system for human beings, non-verbal signs such as gestures, forms of dress, numerous conventionalised social practices like eating, can be seen as akin to language in that they are constituted by signs which take on meaning and communicate by virtue of the relations between signs. Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF. Skip to main content. This service is more advanced with JavaScript available. Semiotics is a key tool to ensure that intended meanings of for instance a piece of communication or a new product are unambiguously understood by the person on the receiving end.
It is from this social science background that Sign Salad emerged. We apply the high-level thinking of semiotics to enable clients to understand the commercial implications of the culture around their brands and its impact upon consumers. Ultimately, we assist with the development of culturally relevant brand strategies and meaningful communication packaging, comms and point of sale.
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