Semiotics

• Semiotics is the study of signs or a sign system. 
• Ferdinand de Sasussure is seen as the founder 
• Other early developers include Claude Levi-Strauss, Charles Saunders Pierce and Roland Bathes 
• The Language of media begins with Semiotics... The language of signs

Semiotics:

• Is the study of signs and symbs and their use of interpretation.
• A sign is the smallest unit of meaning 
• In media a sign can be anything that communicates meaning E.g)Body language,colour, Shot type,words,pictures 

The Signifier:

• Saussure offered a two step model of the sign. He defined a sign a sign being composed of: 
• Signifier-The form in which the sign takes 
• Signified- The Concept it represents. 
• EXAMPLE: The word Cat would be the signifier. This signifies a four legged, furry mammal, with a tail. Which purrs and makes miaow sounds 

Subject Position:

• On a larger scale, this means that we will all read media texts slightly differently because we will approach them from our own subject position.
• Our Subject position is everything that goes on to make up what we are and where we fit in the world

• All media is constructed through signs 
• To become a media producer, you need to understand how to use signs to communicate to your audience 
• Roland Barthes argued that verbal language is just one way in which we communicate 

Denotation And Connotation:

• The signified is the obvious meaning of the signifier or sign – the denotation.
• However, many signs have lots of alternative meanings as well as their obvious ones 
• These meanings will have been picked up from the culture they are used by 
• These extra meanings are called connotations 
• An important concept in semiology is that all signs hold different levels of meaning- the denotative and connotative level 
• DENOTATION- The literal meaning of a word/object/action 
• CONNOTATION-  The associations that are made when interpreting a sign.