Semiotics

Semiotics is the study of signs. It is both the theory and analysis

of signs and signifying practices. This comes under the two
theorists Ferdinand de Sassure {1857-1913} and Charles Sanders
Peirce {1839-1914}.

Ferdinand de Sassure was a French Linguist who was the first to

produce the semiotic theory during work in the early Name Ferdinand de
1900s. Sassure stated that a sign is made up of two parts, Sassure
the Signifier and the Signified. Born-Death 1857-1913
Discovered Signifier
Signifier- Any motion, gesture, image, sound, pattern, or
Signified
event that conveys meaning and communicates.

Signified- The concept that a signifier refers to, the meaning it

conveys.

e.g. Love
Signifier- The word love, the feeling or a gesture felt given
towards someone
Signified- A red heart, roses

Charles Sanders Peirce was an American philosopher that also

formed another semiotic theory around the early 1900s. Pierce
stated semiotics to be the relationship between a Symbol, Icon
and an Index.

Name Charles
Icons- Signs where the signifier resembles the signified.
Sanders
Peirce
Symbols- Signs where the relation between signifier and
Born-Death 1839-1914
signified is purely conventional and culturally specific.
Discovered Symbol
Indexes- Signs where the signifier is caused by the Icon
signified. Index

e.g. Icons- Pedestrian Traffic Signal

Index- Wait or cross the road
Symbols- I have to wait or cross according to the sign
In general, both Ferdinand de Sassure and Charles Sanders Peirce both have a
great importance of furthering the was media has progressed today, for
instance its led us as a human race to realise both the Signifier and the
Signified. Ferdinand de Sassure created a simpler version of what Charles
Sanders Peirce did due to the added complication of Indexes. This is rather
simple once you understand the overall meaning of why it exists. It simply
means what the audience thinks of a particular image or photograph shown, it
could be shown in different respects as well.

e.g.

This is a male hiding behind a smaller photograph because he is afraid to show

other people his identity as he thinks his appearance is unpleasant.

This may not be true but thats all to do with how the audience think and
consume the photograph given to them to analyse. From this photograph you
can not identify the Icons and the Symbols because there is nothing iconic
about this photograph. Whereas is it was of the KFC logo this would be classed
as an Icon due to how unique it is and how everyone can identify what brand it
is straight away. With Symbols if you were given the Moana fish hook image
this would come under that as it symbolises that film Moana and could link to
the overall theme of Disney Films.

Overall both Ferdinand de Sassure and Charles Sanders Peirce have created a
massive impact through the use of practicing and figuring out new ways and
methods in the way of how the human race remember and process different
logos or key notices that they see around their environments.