Chandler's "Semiotics: The Basics"

Key terms

Sign

Any element that stands for or represents something else. Signs can be words, images, sounds, or other forms of communication.

Signifier

The physical or sensory form of a sign, such as a word, image, or sound.

Signified

The concept or meaning represented by a sign.

Semiotics

The study of signs and their meanings in language, culture, and society.

Code

A set of rules or conventions for interpreting and using signs in a particular language or culture.

Denotation

The literal or primary meaning of a sign, as opposed to its connotations or associations.

Connotation

The secondary or implied meanings of a sign, based on cultural or personal associations and contexts.

Intertextuality

The relationship between texts, and the ways in which meaning is constructed through references to other texts.

Myth

A type of story or narrative that helps to explain or justify social and cultural beliefs and practices.

Discourse

The ways in which language and other signs are used in a particular social or cultural context to create meaning and power relationships.

Ideology

A system of beliefs, values, and assumptions that shapes the way people see the world and their place in it.

Metaphor

A figure of speech in which one thing is described in terms of another, often for the purpose of creating new meaning.

Metonymy

A figure of speech in which one thing is used to represent another that is closely associated with it, often for the purpose of creating emphasis or simplifying complex ideas.

Semiotic analysis

The process of analyzing and interpreting the meaning of signs in a particular context or culture.

Syntagmatic relations

The ways in which signs are combined in a particular sequence or order to create meaning.

Paradigmatic relations

The ways in which signs are related to other signs that could potentially be used in their place.

Semiosis

The process by which signs create meaning through their relationship with other signs and their context.

Icon

A type of sign that represents its object or referent through resemblance or similarity, such as a photograph or a painting.

Index

A type of sign that has a direct, causal relationship with its object or referent, such as smoke as an index of fire.

Symbol

A type of sign that has an arbitrary or conventional relationship with its object or referent, such as words or traffic signs.

Intentionality

The relationship between the sign user and the meaning they intend to convey through a sign.

Interpellation

The process by which individuals are called or addressed by social and cultural discourses, and come to identify with particular subject positions.

Power relations

The ways in which language and other signs are used to establish and reinforce social and political hierarchies and relationships of domination.

Resistance

The ways in which individuals and groups challenge dominant meanings and power relations through the use of language and other signs.

Encoding

The process by which a sender creates a message or text using signs and codes, with the intention of conveying a particular meaning.

Decoding

The process by which a receiver interprets a message or text using their own knowledge, context, and cultural background.

Semiotic systems

The complex sets of signs, codes, and conventions used in particular cultures or contexts to create meaning and communication.

Semiotic mediation

The role of signs and semiotic systems in mediating social and cultural interactions, meanings, and power relationships.

Text

Any cultural artifact or communication that can be analyzed and interpreted using semiotic methods, including language, images, music, and other forms of expression.

Semiotic modes

The different ways in which meaning is created and conveyed through semiotic systems, such as visual, verbal, musical, or gestural modes.

Intertextual reference

The use of references to other texts or cultural artifacts within a particular text or discourse.

Polysemy

The phenomenon in which a single sign can have multiple meanings or interpretations, depending on context and interpretation.

Semiotic field

The broader cultural and historical contexts in which particular semiotic systems and meanings are constructed and understood.

Semiotic analysis method

The range of methods and techniques used to analyze and interpret signs and meanings in different contexts, including structural analysis, discourse analysis, and semiotic ethnography.

Semiotic competence

The ability to use and interpret signs and semiotic systems effectively in particular cultural or communicative contexts.

Signification

The process by which signs create meaning and communicate information within and across cultural and social contexts.

Semiotic norms

The shared expectations and conventions for using and interpreting signs and symbols within a particular culture or community.

Semiotic objects

The objects or referents that are represented or evoked through signs and symbols within particular semiotic systems.

Semiotic ideologies

The systems of beliefs and values that shape the production and interpretation of signs and symbols within particular cultures and communities.