SEMIOTIC

TRIANGLE
Ogden and Richards
 Who are Ogden and Richards?

Charles Kay Ogden (1889–1957) and Ivor Armstrong Richards (1893 – 1979) were
English linguistics and English literary critics.

Both of them were recognized by their book called “The Meaning of Meaning: A
Study of the Influence of Language upon Thought and of the Science of Symbolism”.

Ogden worked as philosopher, writer and linguist. He was a founder and editor of
weekly “Cambridge Magazine” in 1912 and later it ceased in 1922.

Richards was working as a Professor in Magdalene College at Cambridge.

The Meaning of Meaning Model (communicationtheory.org)

 Their theory emphasizes that meanings are not residing with words they reside
with the people.

Read the following accounts:

A. What a »lady’s man« and a »language’s man« say about love:

Casanova and Carnap in the final round of a quiz show.

The question: What’s love?

Casanova croons »When you see her smile, but not the gap between her teeth«.

It’s a tie for the first place.

Final question: What’s the beginning of love?

Casanova exclaims »It’s a spark in her eyes«,

but Carnap dryly says »It’s the 12th letter of the English alphabet«.

Now, who wins?

The Meaning of Meaning Model (communicationtheory.org)

B. Consider the word cold.

Since there are variations in word meaning among people, if one were to ask someone
what the word cold means, he or she would likely get a response pertaining to a condition
in temperature.

However, consider the advent of slang and, again, ask someone what the word cold
means and one could receive a response pertaining to types of attitudes expressed toward
other people or objects.

Now, consider the previous example spread throughout the languages of the world and
one could perceive the problem of meaning and how there can be no single “correct”
meaning for any word.

What Do You Mean (csufresno.edu)

C. The referent is the thing, such as my cat Baxter.

The thought I have of Baxter is, a 12 year old grey tabby who loves to lounge on
my computer keyboard.

The symbol is the word "Baxter."

Notice that if I am talking about Baxter I have selected the referent and have
control over the thought and symbol.

However, if I talk to you about Baxter lounging on my keyboard you will not
understand my meaning until you understand the thing (the referent) I am speaking of
and the thoughts I have of that thing.

cmm (oregonstate.edu)
D. •In America, socialism and communism are considered negative words.
People even use the word communist to degrade other people. whereas in
china the word communism is much of a great word and idea.

•The word love makes a different sense to different people. The way in which
they understand this word must be in reference with their experiences and
ideas relating to this word.

The Meaning of Meaning Model (communicationtheory.org)

What is Language?

Language is a system of symbols, words, and/or gestures used to communicate meaning.

People are raised in different cultures, with different values, beliefs, customs, and different
languages to express those cultural attributes. Even people who speak the same language, like
speakers of English in London, New Delhi, or Calgary, speak and interact using their own words
that are community-defined, self-defined, and have room for interpretation. This variation in our
use of language is a creative way to form relationships and communities, but can also lead to
miscommunication.

Words themselves, then, actually hold no meaning. It takes at least two people to use them, to
give them life and purpose. Words change meaning over time. The dictionary entry for the
meaning of a word changes because we change, and multiple meanings can lead to
miscommunication.

Languages are living exchange systems of meaning and are bound by context. If you are
assigned to a team that coordinates with suppliers from Shanghai, China and a sales staff in
London, Ontario you may encounter terms from both groups that influence your team.

What is Language? – Communication for Business Professionals (pressbooks.pub)

Triangle of Meaning

The triangle of meaning is a model of communication that indicates the

relationship among a symbol, thought and referent and highlights the indirect
relationship between the symbol and referent (Ogden & Richards, 1932).

As represented in the Figure in the next slide, the thought is the concept or idea a
person references. The symbol is the word that represents the thought, and
the referent is the object or idea to which the symbol refers.

This model is useful for you as a communicator because when you are aware of
the indirect relationship between symbols and referents, you are aware of how
common misunderstandings occur, as the following example illustrates:

What is Language? – Communication for Business Professionals (pressbooks.pub)

Example

Jasper and Abby have been thinking about getting a new dog. So each of them is
having a similar thought. They are each using the same symbol, the word dog, to
communicate about their thought.

Their referents, however, are different. Jasper is thinking about a small dog like
a dachshund, and Abby is thinking about an Australian shepherd. Since the word dog
doesn’t refer to one specific object in our reality, it is possible for them to have the
same thought, and use the same symbol, but end up in an awkward moment when
they get to the shelter and fall in love with their respective referents only to find out
the other person didn’t have the same thing in mind.

Abby could ask questions for clarification, like “Sounds like you’re saying that
a smaller dog might be better. Is that right?”

Getting to a place of shared understanding can be difficult, even when we define

our symbols and describe our referents.

What is Language? – Communication for Business Professionals (pressbooks.pub)

Figure 2.1. The triangle of meaning. This figure illustrates a
symbol and referent in relation to a thought (Adapted from
Ogden & Richards, 1932).
What is Language? – Communication for Business Professionals (pressbooks.pub)
Theory

Charles Kay Ogden and Ivor Armstrong Richards identified that understanding comes
from within the people rather than from the words they just interpret.

They set a model called “The Triangle of Meaning” for better understanding of how
language works.

The Meaning of Meaning Model (communicationtheory.org)

MySmarTerms 5: The Semantic Triangle: Words don’t mean; people mean - In My Own Terms
 At the heart of the theory of meaning is a device called the "semantic triangle." Each
corner of the triangle corresponds to a component that is integrally involved in the process of
meaning.

CONCEPT/THOUGHT-- indicates the realm of memory where recollections of past

experiences and contexts occur.

REFERENT-- are the objects that are perceived and that create the impression stored in the
thought area.

REPRESENTATION/SYMBOL-- is the word that calls up the referent through the mental
processes of the reference.
(Ogden & Richards, pp. 9-12)

C. K. Ogden and I. A. Richards' theory of meaning (limsi.fr)

The Semantic Triangle: Words don’t mean; people mean

“Foolish Questions”
(William Cole)

Where can a man buy a cap for his knee?

Or a key for a lock of his hair?
Can your eyes be called an academy
Because there are pupils there?
In the crown of your head, what jewels are found?
Who travels the bridge of your nose?
Could you use in shingling the roof of your mouth
The nails on the end of your toes?
Could the crook in your elbow be sent to jail?
If so, what did he do?
How can you sharpen your shoulder blades?
I’ll be darned if I know, do you?
Can you sit in the shade of the palm of your hand
And play on the drum of your ear?
Do the calves of our legs eat the corn on our toes?
Then why does it grow on the ear?
Can the calf of his leg eat the corn on his toe?—
There’s somethin’ pretty strange around here.
MySmarTerms 5: The Semantic Triangle: Words don’t mean; people mean - In My Own Terms
 According to the Oxford Dictionary, the 500 most used words in the English language
have at least 14,070 different definitions. This is an average of 28 meanings per word.

So, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that our communication attempts sometimes fail
because of misconceptions and ambiguity. We need to have clear and precise concepts
connected to our terms in order to design reliable term bases and glossaries.

Given that one of the goals of terminology management is to facilitate communication

and avoid misunderstandings and confusion, it would be helpful to understand the basics of
the semiotic triangle, not only because it introduces and explains some of the basic elements
upon which terminology is grounded, but also as a foundation for further reading and
research.
 Englishmen Charles Kay Ogden and Ivor Armstrong Richards wrote the book “The Meaning
of Meaning: A Study of the Influence of Language upon Thought and of the Science of
Symbolism” (1923), and the semantic triangle was the means they used to explain that
understanding comes from within the people rather than from the words they just interpret or, as
the saying goes, words don’t mean; people mean.

In their book they presented three theories:

The Meaning Theory (There is not a single “correct” meaning associated with each and every
word because each word means something different to each person.);

the Definition Theory (In order to avoid this ambiguity we need to define terms or concepts.)

and the Symbol Theory (words evoke images and personal meaning is based on experience).
Communication breaks when people attempt to communicate through the use of arbitrary words.
Words have no exact or clear meaning, and meaning depends on context.

MySmarTerms 5: The Semantic Triangle: Words don’t mean; people mean - In My Own Terms
 In order to correct the problems associated with “Meaning Theory,” Ogden and Richards developed “Definition
Theory.”

It is important for one to understand that when a person speaks, the words he or she chooses mean different things to
different people. One may agree that a term best suited to describe this condition is ambiguity. According to Ogden and
Richards, the best way to solve the ambiguity problem is to provide a definition of various terms or concepts (Erickstad,
1998).

This can be accomplished in many ways. One might choose to offer an explicit definition of the term or concept being
used, or he or she could opt to use the term in such a way as to project the definition through the combination of other words
that share the same universal meaning.

For instance, if a speaker stated that another person was cold, based on the example dealing with meaning, two inferences
could be drawn. First, one could assume that the person being discussed is physically, or temperately, cold. Similarly, one
could infer that the person has projected an attitude that is undesirable toward another person or object.

Another option, expressed by Ogden and Richards is the use of metaphor. Metaphors aid in the creation of definitions by
forming a link between the word or idea and an experience he or she and the audience may share. If the speaker were to either
define the term or use other words to “prop” up the definition with the use of metaphor, the meaning becomes clear. For
instance, if the speaker stated that he or she has spoken to another person who always emits a negative demeanor in
conversation and that his or her attitude appears cold the meaning is evident.

What Do You Mean (csufresno.edu)

 Finally, Ogden and Richards developed the “Symbol Theory” in order to explain how words expressed
in communication evoke images, thus providing a personal meaning based on experience.

Symbols are inherently arbitrary by themselves (the absence of any natural or necessary connection
between a word's meaning and its sound or form), however, when used in conjunction with one another,
meaning is created for the ideas being expressed. Problems in communication arise when people attempt to
communicate through the use of arbitrary words because they have no exact or clear meaning.

Words are variables that can assume different meanings depending on the context in which they are used
(Erickstad, 1998).

A good example of a symbol is text. Text, by itself, is meaningless, as it draws no relation to anything
outside itself. However, when we combine text with a word and even a picture, we create a workable
definition from which to operate. This is the fundamental principle behind Ogden and Richards’ theory.
 All meaning is elicited through symbols, or is arrived at through personal
interpretation. The meaning does not go with the word, it emerges by the person
hearing it, thinking about it and ultimately arriving at meaning.

The Semantic triangle is also known as Triangle of Semantics, Triangle of

reference, the Semiotic Triangle, the Referent Triangle, Triangle of Meaning, the
Ogden-Richards Triangle, and the Meaning of Meaning Model.

MySmarTerms 5: The Semantic Triangle: Words don’t mean; people mean - In My Own Terms