Semiotics is the study of signs – How acts of communication contain meaning.
Semiotics was first suggested by Ferdinand de Saussure
Saussure said that when an act of communication happened a sign was created, which consisted of a signified and a signifier. If these were both registered a sign would be formed.
The signifier is the thing that signals something (such as a spoken or written word). The signified is how that is registered in the mind of the person getting the message.
The problem arises when there is no guarantee how the signified is thought of.
If the word tree is the signifier, what tree is the signified? Is it just “tree-ness”? How does that register in the mind of the person receiving the message?
Denotation and Connotation – 2 key parts of a signifier
Denotation is the simplest level of what is seen (heard, smelt and so on).
Connotation is what that means to you – the things is makes you think of.
Denotation of this image – Bright lights, night sky, fun, laughter
Connotation of this image – Funfair, friends, family, happiness, loud, candy floss, rides, screams, music, smell of popcorn.
Polysemic Images = many meanings
Anchoring is normally used by labelling the image, so viewers are guided to the right meaning.
People can interpret this image to have many meanings such as –
- House survived terrible storm
- A famous celebrity once lived here
- House for sale
Sarah Killick 