Lecture 5 - Semiotics

Missed lecture - hospital
Notes from other photography students and my own catch up reading

Notes from JM

Lecture 5 - Semiotics 

Semiotics is the study of Signs -

• Something that stands for something else, made up of two parts
• Signifier  
• Signified - what it stands for, referent:

1. Denotative. 

2. Connotative. 

3. Combination (to create a bigger meaning/Message)

Death of the Author - The author is not that important it’s the audience. It’s the effect it has on the audience and what it intended. 

Three different types of signs:

• Icon - resembles its referent. 
• Index - Linked to the referent. - Linked but you can’t see it. I.e. smoke and fire. 
• Symbol - Link to the referent is arbitrary. 

-  Deer linked to woodlands, Triangle says warning. 

I.e. Traffic symbols are symbolic, we decided what they mean. 

Group Examples - 

Traffic Symbol shape is an icon. The colour and writing is symbolic because we decide that. The colour represents danger. 

Index Examples - It is directly linked and a natural link. 

Foot prints are indexical. 

Thunder is indexical of Thunder. 

Pumpkin is indexical for Halloween. 

Cake with Candles represents a birthday

Star bucks cup is indexical for coffee. 

Paradigms - which sign (change the element changes meaning) 

IE - I hate you, I h8 u.  

Syntagms - in what order

Bryan loves Ben

Ben loves Bryan 

Paradigmatic - Choice of elements - Burroughs’s cut ups 

Syntagmatic - Order of elements - exquisite corpse 

"Nothing is a sign, unless it is interpreted as a sign"

Notes from EF

Semiotics

Sign – Signifier                                            1. Donotive               

            Signified – Referent                                    2. Conotive

3. Combination – to create bigger meaning message.

Death of the Author – Roland Barthes  Art (effect) more important to audience.

Icon – Resembles its referent.

Index – linked to referent. E.g. Smoke and fire. See smoke assume fire.

Symbol – linked to referent, is arbitrary.

Icon is the deer as it resembles a deer.

Index is when we think of deer, we think of countryside.

Symbol is the triangle shape, means warning. We have been taught that the triangle sign means warning.

Paradigm – which signs – Replacing one thing to another changes meaning completely.

Syntagm – in what order – I love you

                                                I hate you

                                                I loathe you

                                                Brian loves Ben

                                                Ben loves Brian

“Nothing is a sign, unless it is interpreted as a sign”