semiotics
Ferdinand de Saussure was a Swiss linguist whose ideas laid the foundation for many developments in structuralism and semiotics. One of his key contributions is his theory of signs, which explains how meaning is created through the relationship between two key components: the signifier and the signified. This concept forms the basis of semiotics, the study of signs and symbols and how they communicate meaning.
Saussure's Semiotic Theory: The Sign
The Signifier and The Signified
- Signifier: This is the "sound image" or the physical form of the sign (e.g., a word, a gesture, an image).
- Signified: This is the "concept" or the mental image that the signifier refers to (e.g., the idea or meaning that the word represents).
Together, these form the sign. The relationship between the signifier and the signified is arbitrary, meaning there is no inherent reason why a particular signifier (e.g., the word "tree") should correspond to the concept of a "tree." The connection is culturally learned and based on convention.
