Response reading: Daniel Chandler

Semiotics

 

The article, “Semiotics for Beginners,” Daniel Chandler discusses meaning of signs. Chandler states that “signs are considered as images, words, sounds, odours, flavours, acts, objects.” But the meaning of the sign is the result of the communication between the object or the subject and the interpretation of the form.

 

Chandler describes the sign by referring to Saussure’s model. The model shows the interpretation of a sign  by showing the association of the signifier and the signified of a sign. A sign is analyzed by these two terms where the signifier denotes the form and the signified denotes the concept. The important notion to keep in mind is that the concept refers to the process of thinking what the form may be representing.

 

While Saussure argues signifier as a form and signified as a concept, Langer and Louis Hjelmslev interpret those terms a little differently. Langer believes that linguistic signs show sound vs. thought (signifier and signified: relatively), and Hjelmslev believes that signs show expression vs. content (signifier and signified: relatively)

 

Throughout the article, Chandler also describes Saussure’s design being “structural and relational,” rather that referential. This means the idea of signifier and signified just shows the relationship of concept and the form rather than depicting what the subject/object is. Therefore, from a one “signifier,” there could be more than one interpretations of “signified.” While Saussure believes that his model is not referential, Pierce believes that symbol or a sign are “interpreted as referring to an object.”

Regardless of what the exact definition of a sign may be, this shows us that more than one visual interpretation of a sign (anything that has a meaning) may be possible because people have different perspectives.

 

 

Denotation and Connotation

 

I got even more confused distinguishing the difference between denotation and connotation after reading the article. Chandler additionally describes the idea of  semiotics by explaining the two types of signified: denotative and connotative. Signified are divided into two different parts because meanings may be perceived in various ways. Denotation is a literal meaning; it is a definition of a form. Connotation is more personal; it is an application of emotions, personal connection, and an involvement of a form.

Connotations and denotations may be dependent because connotation is additional information that is added to denotation. Chandler describes that it’s an “illusion” of denotation.