Everyone is constantly unconsciously interpreting the meaning of signs

around them – from traffic lights to colors of flags, the shapes of cars,
the architecture of buildings, and the design of cereal packaging.
Semiotics is seen as the queen of the interpretive sciences, the key that
unlocks the meanings of all things great and small.

Semiotics is an investigation into how meaning is created and how

meaning is communicated.
Its origins lie in the academic study of how signs and symbols (visual
and linguistic) create meaning. We need to understand the context in
which a sign is communicated in order to comprehend its real meaning,
and hence act appropriately.

Semiotics started out as an academic investigation of the meaning of

words (linguistics), it moved into examining people’s behaviour
(anthropology and psychology), then evolved to become an enquiry into
culture and society (sociology and philosophy), following that it moved
onto assisting with analyses of cultural products (films, literature, art –
critical theory), and finally and more recently became a methodology for
researching and analysing consumer behaviour and brand
communications.

For instance, when we see the different colours of a traffic light, we

automatically know how to react to them. We know this without even
thinking about it. But this is a sign which has been established by
cultural convention over a long period of time and requires a deal of
conscious cultural knowledge to understand its meaning.

1. What are codes?

Linguistic codes (phonological code, morphological code, syntactic code, semantic code,
pragmatic code, discourse code)
Visual codes (images, colors, -- a picture of sun can represent sunshine, warmth, happiness)
Social Codes- rules of etiquette, dress code, social hierarchy, courtship and marriage

2. Parole and Langue

 Langue is the idealized, standardized form of language that exists independently

of individual speakers. It is the underlying system that enables communication
and understanding among members of a linguistic community.
 Saussure used the term "langue" to emphasize the systematic and structural
nature of language, distinct from its actual usage in concrete instances.

Parole is the independent act of speaking. Parole depends upon Langue for communication.
You need to abide by the rules of langue when you speak to be understood. It is shaped by
factors such as social context, personal style, communicative goals and audience
considerations.
3. Signifier and signified
1. Signifier:
 The signifier is the physical form or representation of a sign. It can be a
sound, word, image, gesture, or any other perceptible element that
conveys meaning.
 Signifiers are the material manifestations of signs, the sensory experiences
that we perceive through our senses.
 For example, in the word "tree," the combination of letters t-r-e-e
constitutes the signifier, representing the physical form of the word that
we see or hear.
2. Signified:
 The signified is the conceptual or mental concept that a signifier
represents. It is the idea, meaning, or mental image evoked by the
signifier.
 Signifieds are the abstract, cognitive associations or meanings that we
attribute to signifiers.
 Using the previous example, the signified of the word "tree" may include
the mental image or concept of a tall, woody plant with branches and
leaves, representing a specific type of vegetation.

4. Denotation:
 Denotation refers to the literal, explicit, or dictionary definition of a sign. It
represents the straightforward, objective meaning of a sign, often focusing on its
primary, surface-level interpretation.

Connotation:
 Connotation refers to the additional meanings, associations, or emotions that are
implied or suggested by a sign, beyond its literal definition. Connotations are
subjective and can vary depending on cultural, social, and personal contexts.
 Connotation involves the secondary or symbolic meanings that a sign evokes,
often based on cultural or individual interpretations.

5. SIGN (Charles Pierce- categorized signs)

ICON- The icon is the simplest since it is a pattern that physically resembles what it `stands
for'. They have obvious physical connections between the signifier and their meanings.

By contrast, symbols are defined by culture and do not need to resemble their mental
concepts. There is no reason why blue, for example, is used to signify masculinity.

Finally, indexes have some factual relationship between the signifier and signified, such
as a thermometer used indicate the temperature or the smells coming from a kitchen
will suggest what is being cooked. This type of sign will show some sort physical
relationship with what is represents and point towards its meaning, but they will not be
directly related to the signified.

6. RESEMBLANCE ICON- are icons that literally resemble a physical object. An

example of a resemblance icon would be a trashcan icon, often found on your
computer's desktop.

Exemplar Icon- are representations of a general class of objects or an object that

represents the concept, usually of high complexity. (cup and fork) is used as an
encompassing signifier of the idea — food safety.
Symbolic icon- represents concepts that are higher level abstractions of an idea than
what the image depicts., The cracked wine glass icon denotes that the contents of the
packaging are fragile and hence need to be handled with care

Arbitrary icons- have no physical or analogous correspondence with the image

depicted and must be learned to understand its meaning. The symbols used to represent
power button, wifi signal and ethernet cable do not bear any physical or conceptual
resemblance to their functionalities