Semiotics

Semiotics

Semiotics is referred to as the study of signs. All kinds of signs, including the typical signs that a person sees in their everyday lives; billboards, road signs, logos, signs for the local Tesco etc. However, semiotics is more concerned with communication and why the meaning was put into signs rather than what the signs themselves mean. The discipline of Semiotics comes from the speculations on the significance of language by American philosopher C.S. Pierce and Swiss linguist Ferdinand De Sausurre.

The basic concepts of semiotics is that every sign has a signifier-that is the physical embodiment of the sign-and what is signified-the concept behind the signifier. As well, every sign has a denotation-the explicit meaning behind the sign-and a connotation-the implications and meaning behind the sign. However, a sign can be anything from a word or a gesture to a picture or a sound. Basically, a sign can be anything.

Alongside improving communication, semiotics helps audiences to interpret messages to a greater degree and to analyse media with critical awareness. But because anything can be a sign, everything can also be interpreted, too much information can overload audiences who have a limited capacity for attention, this can actually impede communication instead of improve, as semiotics is supposed to do.

Examples of semiotics can be found in the Hawkeye vol. 4 comic books, in particular issues 11 and 19. In issue 11-Pizza is My Business-the action is focused on Clint Barton’s dog Lucky, who solves a murder using all the signs and symbols around Clint’s apartment complex. Or rather, he solves it with his sense of smell while the reader sees his thoughts on the page as signs and symbols of who the dog Lucky comes across.

Issue 19-The Stuff What Don’t Get Spoke-on the other hand is written almost entirely in sign language and the focus of the book is entirely on signs, whether it is sign language, airport signs or other signs and how the characters within the book interpret those signs. 

In contrast to Issue 11, there are no captions to the illustrated sign language and no help to the reader to help interpret any signs. And as Clint has been deafened, even the sentences have words missing or confused with other like sounding words. It is entirely up to the reader to interpret everything in the book.

Currently though an example outside popular culture would be that of gender and sexuality. For example, a transgender person assigned male at birth (AMAB) identifies as female, some people are going to misinterpret the person as being male, because of certain signifiers-genitalia if they have not had gender reassignment surgery. 

References:

Chandler, D. (1994). Semiotics for Beginners. Available: http://visual-memory.co.uk/daniel/Documents/S4B/sem01.html. Last accessed Mar 3rd 2016.

DePaul University. (Year Unknown). Semiotics. Available: http://condor.depaul.edu/dsimpson/pers/semiotics.html. Last accessed Mar 5th 2015.

Fraction, M, Aja, D, Hollingsworth, M (2014). Hawkeye 19: The Stuff What Don't Get Spoke. New York: Marvel Comics. p8, p12, p20.

Fraction, M, Aja, D, Hollingsworth, M (2013). Hawkeye 11: Pizza is My Business. New York: Marvel Comics. p4.

SignSalad. (2013). Semiotics Explained. Available: http://www.signsalad.com/semiotics-explained/. Last accessed Mar 5th 2015.