Dr John CrossleyHSFC FOUNDATION SEMINAR

#6

Week 6 - Semiotics 3

SIGNS

Interpretation of 2D images

PHYSIOLOGY OF PERCEPTION

Icons always involve some sort of physical re-semplance. In some ways they can be undersood without learning a particular language - but there can also be a learnt way of seeing tied up with decoding them

TASKRead the clips, analysis should include reference to Sypbols, icons, Indexs - thinking about differ-ent levels of meaning and where the meaning might stop.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3t60oY0TbTU&feature=fvwrel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-HYj5cLfEI

Symbol/symbolic: a mode in which the signi-fier does not resemble the signified but which is fundamentally arbitrary or purely conventional - so that the relationship must be learnt: e.g. language in general (plus specific languages, alphabetical letters, punctuation marks, words, phrases and sentences), numbers, morse code, traffic lights, national flags;

Icon/iconic: a mode in which the signifier is per-ceived as resembling or imitating the signified (recognizably looking, sounding, feeling, tasting or smelling like it) - being similar in possessing some of its qualities: e.g. a portrait, a cartoon, a scale-model, onomatopoeia, metaphors, ‘realistic’ sounds in ‘programme music’, sound effects in radio drama, a dubbed film soundtrack, imitative

gestures;

Index/indexical: a mode in which the signifier is not arbitrary but is directly connected in some way (physically or causally) to the signified - this link can be observed or inferred: e.g. ‘natural signs’ (smoke, thunder, footprints, echoes, non-syn-thetic odours and flavours), medical symptoms (pain, a rash, pulse-rate), measuring instruments (weathercock, thermometer, clock, spirit-level), ‘signals’ (a knock on a door, a phone ringing), pointers (a pointing ‘index’ finger, a directional signpost), recordings (a photograph, a film, video or television shot, an audio-recorded voice), per-sonal ‘trademarks’ (handwriting, catchphrase) and indexical words (‘that’, ‘this’, ‘here’, ‘there’).