Chapter 2 - PowerPoint Presentation

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Chapter 2

Meaning as SignSlide2

Semiology

= the study of signs & symbols

(also known as: the study of meaning)

Language can have meaning in two ways:

1-what it says – encoded sign – (Semantics)

2- what it does in context – action – (Pragmatics)Slide3

The linguistic sign

Human’s unique capacity to create ‘signs’ to communicate.

Sign = signifier + signified

1- Signifier: sound or word (e.g. rose)

2- Signified: concept or object or idea

Sign ‘refers to the relationship between the two’

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The linguistic sign is ‘arbitrary’

Arbitrary: subject to individual will, preference, or judgment - not to laws

i.e. there is no direct relation bet the signifier and signified.

e

.g. ‘table’ for both English and German speakersSlide5

The meaning of signs

1-

Denotative

: the meaning that

refers

to a definable reality and can be looked up in a dictionary.

- e.g. ‘rose’ in poem refers to

real

object found in gardens.2- Connotative: associations -of the word –that are evoked in the mind of the reader- usually ‘abstract’ concepts - e.g. (‘rose’ connotes beauty- innocence- love..) 3- Iconic: the image created by the sign - e.g. ‘onomatopoeia’ (whack - smack) - the recurrent ‘s’ sound in poem ‘crushing image’ Thus type of meaning depends on the contextSlide6

Cultural Encodings

Code

: Language (either written, spoken, sign language...)- ( can also refer to part of language ‘word’)

Code

cannot be separated from its

meaning

.

How does a ‘code’ get a ‘meaning’?

Every culture associates specific ‘meanings’ to their code- e.g. differences in the sign ‘table’ in English and PolishCultural encodings can also change over time in the same language. - e.g. German sign for ‘happiness’ - ‘soul’ ‘mind’ in RussianSlide7

Speech community

Discourse community

Cultural literacy: the body of

knowledge

that is shared by all members of a given culture. / subject to change over time ‘poem’

Example of culturally informed

icons

:

Onomatopoeia : words that link objects to sounds / i.e. words that imitate sound/ e.g. ‘bash-mash-smash-crash’Slide8

Semantic Cohesion

In any language,

Semantic cohesion

is established by:

1-

cohesive devices

(co-text)

2-

prior text (community’s memory/ connections)3- metaphors (e.g. shooting down someone’s argument)Slide9

The non-arbitrary nature of signs

Signs have no natural connection with the outside world arbitrary

Native speakers do not feel that words are arbitrary signs natural (

feel

its non-arbitrary)

Why?

Reason of the Naturalization

of culturally created signs their motivated nature.Motivated by the desire of language users to communicate and influence others.The linguistic sign is therefore a ‘motivated’ sign. Slide10

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Overtime, ‘signs’ become:

1- naturalized

2- conventionalized (following an accepted standard/ general agreement)

Symbols

: Signs are Taken out of their original context (lose their denotative and/or connotative meaning) and used as a symbolic

shorthand/ example of conventionalized signs.

The recurrence of ;symbols’ shapes the memory of their users.Slide16

Symbol: a thing that represents something else, usually

sth

physical that represents

sth

more abstract.

They help us communicate thoughts & feelings

Types: visual (heart) / written (an image,

setting..in

book)What it represents depends on context surrounding it.Clip (symbols & symbolism)/ symbolsSlide17

Stereotypes

Is a belief that all members of a specific group share similar traits and tend to behave in a same way.

A type of ‘symbolic language’

Frozen signs in a culture

Usually promotes negative

themes in a culture

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