In
its most basic sense, semiotics is the study of signs. But to most people a
sign is a specific thing such as a road sign, which is correct, but it isn’t limited
to just things like that, in fact, even tastes and smells can be signs. It is
essentially anything which we tag meaning to.
A
sign is composed of two things; the signifier and the signified.
The
signifier is the form which the sign takes (e.g. a large X)
And the signified is the concept it represents (e.g. incorrect)
And the signified is the concept it represents (e.g. incorrect)
Because
signs are only signs if we tag a meaning to them, and different people interpret
things differently, signs are not universal. They vary depending on social, historical
and demographical context. For example, the word “car” is a sign, and as
English speaking people we know what that is a sign for. But if we were to show
the same word to someone who knows nothing about English, they would not be
able to tell what it is a sign for. They might have their own sign for it.
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