Semiotics Flashcards
What is semiotics
Semiology is a way to help you analyse the media language of media texts and an approach that can be used to understand how media texts make meaning for their audiences
What are signs
All media texts are constructed using a variety of signs.
Everything that can be seen or heard is a sign
Signs can be anything from words, images, gestures and ounces - anyway information can be communicated within a media text
Elements are combined together so when we look at somethings we know the meaning and what we are meant to interpret from it
Like when a product wants to be known a vegetarian it will have a vegetarian sign on it
Why do we need to know about denotations and connotations in semitotics
All signs hold different levels of meaning - the denotive level and the connotative level
What is the denotational level
Denotations - the literal meaning of a text/object
What is the connotation level
Connotations - nthe associations that are made when interpretation a sign
How does the words on a page help with semiotics
It is important to understand how the words used in media texts construct meaning
Summary of semiotics
- semiological analysis provides a range of ways of thinking about media language which can help identify more than just the surface meaning of the words and images of a media text. This cam provides an understanding of the way the media language contracts meaning for the audience
- these techniques can help a textual analysis deal with a wider media issues such as genre, narrative, representation and ideaology
- this approaches recognises the active nature of the audience in using their cultural knowledge and understanding to constructs meaning
What is context?
correct way to interpret the colour red is often based on the context it is shown in. Red’s connotation of danger is used in many warning signs and so the circle with a diagonal bar is the context of our interpretation. Anchorage is a term used to describe how the combination of elements in a sign work together to fix meaning and interpretation. (Of course, the circle with a diagonal bar on its own does not mean danger - it was an arbitrary choice that has been adopted by our language culture to mean a specific thing). Where red is used in heart shapes at the start of a romance film (the context), the audience would not interpret this as a warning, more an indication of the romantic content of the film to come.
What is anchorage
Anchorage is the way that different media language elements combine to help fix meaning. Print based media texts will use anchorage to help readers interpret the photographs they use to illustrate their stories and articles. You may have noticed that photographs often have captions or appear close to headings and headlines. This is used to attempt to ensure that the audience interpret the picture as the newspaper or magazine intended.
