Semiotics Flashcards
Who’s theory is this?
Saussure
What is it?
Is the study of the way meaning is created within a particular culture or society by is various sign system
We are suggesting that anything and everything in the media text can act as a sign which signifies a particular meaning
The producer of the media text needs to know that the audience will understand the signs in their text and what they signify
Think of McDonalds logo
there is two types of meaning
Denotation- the literal surface level meaning that a sign can signify e.g. this is a yellow ‘M’
Connotation- the deeper levels of meaning, often influenced by the audiences own cultural context e.g. Mr Sealy things ‘Yum! I love food!’ but a Tibetan monk may not even recognise the logo
How is cultural context important?
If the audience do not share that culture then they may not understand the sign and what it signifies—
many signs are significant to a certain culture and not to others