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Definitions – Key Terms

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  1. Roland Barthes – Leading theorist in the study of semiotics
  2. C.S. Pierce – The father of the iconic, indexical and symbolic signs theory and was an American philosopher
  3. Ferdinand de Saussure – Swiss linguist and semiotician. His ideas laid a foundation for many significant developments in both linguistics and semiology
  4. Semiotics – Study of signs
  5. Sign – An action used to represent information, meaning and/or instructions, or the smallest unit of meaning, anything that can be used to communicate
  6. Signifier – A sign’s physical form (such as a sound, printed word, or image) as distinct from its meaning (Saussure)
  7. Signified – The meaning or idea expressed by a sign, as distinct from the physical form in which it is expressed (Saussure)
  8. Iconic sign – A sign that looks like its object
  9. Indexical sign – A sign that has a link to its object
  10. Symbolic sign – A sign that has an arbitrary or random link to its object
  11. Code – A system of words, letters, figures, or symbols that are used to represent others
  12. Dominant Signifier – Most important sign
  13. Anchorage – When a piece of media uses another piece of media to reduce the amount of connotations in the first, e.g. pictures are accompanied by a caption in newspapers. Some signs are like anchors and provide anchorage
  14. Dominant Ideology – A system of ideas and ideals, especially one that forms the basis of economic or political theory and policy. Set of ideas, beliefs and values
  15. Paradigm – A distinct set of concepts or thought patterns, including theories, research methods, and standards for what constitutes legitimate contribution fields. A collection of signs
  16. Syntagm – A linguistic unit consisting of a set of linguistic forms (phonemes, words, or phrases) that are in a sequential relationship to one another. Where a number of signs need each other
  17. Signifcation – The representation or conveying of meaning
  18. Denotation – The most basic or literal meaning of a sign, e.g., the word “rose” signifies a particular kind of flower
  19. Connotation – An idea or feeling which a word invokes for a person in addition to its literal or primary meaning
  20. Myth – A widely held or false belief or idea accepted by society
  21. Radical text – Challenges the dominant ideology
  22. Reactionary text – Supports the dominant ideology

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