Chapter 2 Meaning as Sign

1. Chapter 2Meaning as Sign

2. Semiology = the study of signs & symbols • (also known as: the study of meaning) • Language can have meaning in two ways: 1-what it says – encoded sign – (Semantics) 2- what it does in context – action – (Pragmatics)

3. The linguistic sign • Human’s unique capacity to create ‘signs’ to communicate. • Sign = signifier + signified 1- Signifier: sound or word (e.g. rose) 2- Signified: concept or object or idea • Sign ‘refers to the relationship between the two’ • Clip

4. The linguistic sign is ‘arbitrary’ • Arbitrary: subject to individual will, preference, or judgment - not to laws • i.e. there is no direct relation bet the signifier and signified. • e.g. ‘table’ for both English and German speakers

5. The meaning of signs • 1- Denotative: the meaning that refers to a definable reality and can be looked up in a dictionary. - e.g. ‘rose’ in poem refers to real object found in gardens. • 2- Connotative: associations -of the word –that are evoked in the mind of the reader- usually ‘abstract’ concepts - e.g. (‘rose’ connotes beauty- innocence- love..) • 3- Iconic: the image created by the sign - e.g. ‘onomatopoeia’ (whack - smack) - the recurrent ‘s’ sound in poem ‘crushing image’ Thus type of meaning depends on the context

6. Cultural Encodings • Code: Language (either written, spoken, sign language...)- ( can also refer to part of language ‘word’) • Code cannot be separated from its meaning. • How does a ‘code’ get a ‘meaning’? • Every culture associates specific ‘meanings’ to their code - e.g. differences in the sign ‘table’ in English and Polish • Cultural encodings can also change over time in the same language. - e.g. German sign for ‘happiness’ - ‘soul’ ‘mind’ in Russian

7. Speech community • Discourse community • Cultural literacy: the body of knowledge that is shared by all members of a given culture. / subject to change over time ‘poem’ • Example of culturally informed icons: Onomatopoeia : words that link objects to sounds / i.e. words that imitate sound/ e.g. ‘bash-mash-smash-crash’

8. Semantic Cohesion • In any language, Semantic cohesion is established by: 1- cohesive devices (co-text) 2- prior text (community’s memory/ connections) 3- metaphors (e.g. shooting down someone’s argument)

9. The non-arbitrary nature of signs • Signs have no natural connection with the outside world arbitrary • Native speakers do not feel that words are arbitrary signs natural (feelits non-arbitrary) • Why? • Reason of the Naturalization of culturally created signs their motivated nature. • Motivated by the desire of language users to communicate and influence others. • The linguistic sign is therefore a ‘motivated’ sign.

10. SYMBOLS

15. Overtime, ‘signs’ become: • 1- naturalized • 2- conventionalized (following an accepted standard/ general agreement) • Symbols: Signs are Taken out of their original context (lose their denotative and/or connotative meaning) and used as a symbolic shorthand/ example of conventionalized signs. • The recurrence of ;symbols’ shapes the memory of their users.

16. Symbol: a thing that represents something else, usually sth physical that represents sth more abstract. • They help us communicate thoughts & feelings • Types: visual (heart) / written (an image, setting..in book) • What it represents depends on context surrounding it. • Clip (symbols & symbolism)/ symbols

17. Stereotypes • Is a belief that all members of a specific group share similar traits and tend to behave in a same way. • A type of ‘symbolic language’ • Frozen signs in a culture • Usually promotes negative themes in a culture • Clip (mute)