The term semiotic is the study of signs in part of everyday life. Semiotics tells based on how things are known in language which taken for granted by society. The study of signs will assists us to analyse how visual images are culturally constructed. The basic forms to analyse a text is from the sign itself where a sign is a combination of signifier and signified which was introduced by a Swiss linguist Ferdinand De Saussure.
Sign can be
divided into three different sign in terms of symbolic, indexical and iconic.
In semiotic sense, sign take the form of words, images, sounds, gesture and
objects. Signifier, on the other hand, takes the form of five senses sight,
smell, touch, taste and sound. Signified is the mental concept generated from
the signifier.
Other basic elements
of textual analysis of semiotics are denotation and connotations. The term
denotation is the literal description and meaning of a signifier or sign. Both
denotation and connotation are used to observe the relationship between
systems. Denotation and connotation are not separated from a sign they are the
elements of sign.
The
image above will demonstrate how semiotics is analysed through a DVD cover. A
sign can be seen through the rock sign from the man and the tongues come out
from Gene Simmons family including his dog are also representing a sign. The
signifiers are a man and his family also the words gene Simmons family jewels
in the DVD cover signifier they are rich family this is because the colour of
their clothes is a black dress which signifiers as powerful. A denotation can
be examine in more detail about the image above for example, Gene Simmons, a
millionaire is seated cross legged on a gold chair while his right hand showing
a hand rock sign and wearing black glasses. His wife and a dog are standing on
the right side also his daughter and his son is standing on the left side. The
tongues of Gene Simmons family suggest the meaning of a connotation where the
tongue decodes Gene Simmons identity.
The image below shows the tongue of Gene Simmons is a connotation of an
iconic signs of the image above. The connotative meaning of Gene Simmons tongue
is his identity as a lead singer from a band known as Kisss. Kiss your
expectation goodbye in the DVD cover also represent the connotation. Moreover,
the word kiss is an anchorage which is widely known by society around the
global. Also the word DVD is also an anchorage which is has been perceived.
Eco.Umberto.A Theory of Semiotics.Bloomington:Indiana University Press,Midland Book Edition.1979
Chandler, D. (2005). Introduction. Semiotics for beginners. Retrieved June 19, 2010
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