Definitions

Barthes – A French leading theorist of semiotics.

C S Pierce – An American philosopher, scientist and mathematician sometimes known as the “father of pragmatism.”

Ferdinand De Saussure – A Swiss linguist and semiotician.

Semiotics – The study of signs and symbols and their use/interpretations.

Sign – An object, quality or event regarded as an indication of what is happening or what is going to happen.

Signified – The meaning/idea expressed by a sign.

Icon – A person/thing regarded as a representative symbol.

Index – A sign/measure of something.

Symbol – A mark/character used as a conventional representation of an object, function or process used o represent something such as an organisation.

Code – A system of words/letters/figures/ symbols used to represent others, especially for the purpose of secrecy. A phrase or concept used to represent others in an indirect way.

Dominant Signifier – main accepted meaning of a sign.

Anchorage – When a piece of media uses another piece of media to reduce the amount of connotations in the first piece.

Ideology – An ideology is a set of beliefs and values that a person or other entity has.

Paradigm – An example or pattern of something; a pattern or model.

Syntagm – When a sign appears in a sequence that creates a different meaning.

Signification – A representation or conveying of a message.

Denotation – The literal meaning of words in contrast to what the word suggests.

Connotation – an idea or feeling that is abstract to the meaning of intentions.

Myth – A false belief or idea.

 

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