Use of Signs and Symbols as Important Forms of Communication
Signs. They're everywhere. Though this statement is in no way enlightening, it is none the less very true. Within our culture, we are so completely surrounded by signs of all types that they become nearly invisible unless they are looked for. Though this likely seems true to you upon some reflection, it is just as likely that you have only considered "signs" in the most basic literal sense, that is, signs such as those that offer directions to the nearest parking lot or those denoting street names. However, semiologists1 consider signs in a much more broad manner. To semiologists, signs include both verbal and non-verbal2 communications, as well as objects or phenomenon taken as signs by their viewer. In fact, road signs and their ilk make up only a very small part of what semiologists study. Other signs, non-verbal communications for instance, tend to make for more interesting subjects of study as they are much more dynamic in both their use and perception. However, not to ignore the road signs, I will take up the ever-present stop sign as an example throughout this piece, as both a sign that demands our immediate attention and yet goes by almost unnoticed.
An important first step in this discussion is to firmly establish that a stop sign is, in fact, a sign. This may seem obvious, as, after all, it does have the word "sign" in its name, this in an important technical consideration that must be made before we can proceed. According to Charles Pierce, one of the major pioneers of the field of semiotics, a sign has three fundamental parts. These are: the object, the representamen, and the interpretant. The representamen is what most people w...
... middle of paper ...
...pear in the main body, but for reference a symptom is a sign that is automatic or compulsive and serves to indicate a condition of its object to others. The medical analogy of red spots being a symptom of Chicken Pox, for example, is applicable. Incidentally the sixth type of sign, which also won't be mentioned, is a name. The definition isn't really hard to figure out, though the reader is invited to reference the works cited if curious about its role in semiotics.
7 Note that this occurs almost exclusively when a visual representation is used in place of an actual stop sign. Thus the sign that is used would be both symbolic and iconic.
8 For instance one may buy a print of a stop sign framed starting at only $107.45 at < http://www.artboundexpress.com/imagedetail.asp?intProdID=5471>
9 e.g. other road signs or informational signs posted in public areas.
Again, Arizona’s immigrations law can created a racial profiling issue, and the racism issue can lead to more social issue like create more negative social issues, impact human psychological stress, and impact human health. We should abolish Arizon’s immigration law because people come to the United State to achieve the America’s dream, which can provide for people an advance future. . We should give every people a chance to achieve their own goals, and an advance
We can therefore draw the conclusion that meanings and ideologies are, indeed, produced through signs. By following semiotic analysis of the one dollar note, I am able to link those concept together. In a linguistic analysis, the dollar note doesn’t have a specific meaning, however as soon as values and signs are attributed to it, a meaning and ideologies come trough. All the symbols are here to represent what the United States represent and convey a strong patriotism. Nevertheless, the dollar stays a currency, it therefore takes
According to Etherington-Wright and Doughty, “The signifier is the form that the sign takes. It can be a word. It can be a word. It can take the form of a specific sound or marks on a piece of paper (a combination of letters of letters or symbols). The signified is the conceptual stage of communication. This is when the sign stimulates a mental idea/image” (Doughty, p. 65). A signifier in Alice in Wonderland, is the world of Wonderland itself. The signified is her quest for knowledge. The signifier is her physical journey through wonderland, but signified is her search for understanding. Another example is the signifier of the white rabbit. The rabbit signifies a figment of her imagination. While the thing that is signified by the rabbit is her curious nature as whole. In the Wizard of Oz, a signifier is the ruby slippers. They symbolize magic, and what’s signified by them is Dorothy’s potential power. “She has it, she just doesn’t know how to use it yet, which is really why Glinda sends her off to see the Wizard. Only after all of her adventures, and the attendant self-reliance that comes with taking out two wicked witches single-handedly, can she tap into that power and use it to get what she want” (Shmoop). In the move Big Fish, the fish is another great example of signified and signifier. The signifier is the fish, representing Edward himself, while the signified is his life and
As suggested by Kaiser & Rasminsky (2003) “culture is like a second skin and it only becomes visible when we brush up against one that is different” (p.53).Culture is important part in our lives , it can include the food we eat , beliefs , values and the way we look at our world. As a teacher it is important to understand our own culture, before we try to understand children’s and families culture. The values, beliefs that teachers has developed from her/his past experiences has an influence on how and what they teach the children , so teachers should try not to let their personal views interfere with their teaching .Language is the way we communicate with one another around us, only through language we are able to convey verbal messages across. As teacher we need to have that openness, so that we can value the differences and make the families and children belonged at centres.
The authors use of symbols as a literary tool to give deeper meaning to the story using an object or event to represent something else entirely. In the short story “Sweat” the author uses several characters as symbols. Delia is the hard working woman in a loveless marriage, and a brutal husband. She finds sweat on her brow, most of the time while washing white folk’s clothes and picking up and delivering their laundry. Whether there is rain or stifling heat, Delia drives into town with her donkey and cart doing what she has done for the last fifteen years in order to make a living.
...t placing a marker at the South Pole is shown to be an important symbol in this article as well. This supports my search for symbols in my stories. It also supports how the child is a symbol in this article. This article shows how “Sur” can have many hidden symbols and meanings. In this article it also supports my idea of how leaving no sign at the pole was a symbol. This article shows support for this idea by relating it to feminism and the idea that no one should have to satisfy anyone but themselves when achieving their goals.
What do you think of when you see or smell your favorite food? On one hand the sight or smell of that food might trigger hunger, or even a memory of the last time you shared that meal with a loved one. The point is, the smell or sight of our favorite food would trigger a different thought or feeling in each of us. This is an example of Semiotics. Semiotics is defined as "anything that can stand for something else." Roland Barthes was one of Europe's most renowned theorists of semiology. Barthes believed that in order to generate a complete sign, there were two parts that have to work together. These two parts are known as the signifier and the signified. A good example of this is your favorite food you thought of earlier, it would act as a signifier, and the thought that came to your head when thinking of this food would act as the signified. Together they create a sign. This is just a simple example of a complete sign.
At V.V.C. the teachers and student teachers were culturally responsive. The teachers develop positive relationships with the children and their families. I observed that when the children come in the teacher greats and acknowledge the child and teacher. I hand the opportunity to complete my student teaching in this environment. I clearly remember that the teachers acknowledged parents’ concerns. They respectfully listened to parents views. The parents felt comfortable and validated. If problems arose the parents discussed them with the teachers. The teachers listened and respectfully worked out a solution. York (2003) stated, “Teachers can help children feel at home by demonstrating the ability to take another perspective” (p.73).
There are about 15 million to 20 million illegal immigrants in the U.S. The majority of them are Mexicans. They make up about 52 percent of population of illegal immigrants. This is a problem. The states with the highest number of illegal immigrants are California, Nevada, Texas and Arizona all states that share the border with Mexico. For all those states illegal immigrants make up for more than 7.4 percent of the workforce (McClellan, Nick. "The States With the Most Illegal Immigrants." Slate Magazine). All the states also have an unemployment rate of 4.6 and higher (Legislatures, National Conference of State. "State Unemployment Rates | December 2016."State Unemployment Rates).
A symbol is an object, action, or event that represents something or that creates a range of associations beyond itself. In literary works a symbol can express an idea, clarify meaning, or enlarge literal meaning. Select a novel or play and, focusing on one symbol, write an essay analyzing how that symbol functions in the work and what it reveals about the characters or themes of the work as a whole. Do not merely summarize the plot. (2009 Open-Ended Question for AP English Literature and Composition).
Beattie, G., & Shovelton, H. (2011). An exploration of the other side of semantic communication: How the spontaneous movements of the human hand add crucial meaning to narrative. Semiotica, 184(1-4), 33-51. doi:10.1515/semi.2011.021
Violence is one of the most primary and controversial issues in today’s society. And true that violence is on the rise. A major concern for many parents is the violence within television shows and movies, and the effect on children’s aggression. I particularly do not believe that violence in television affects children’s aggression, but who am I to say such a thing, for I am not a qualified psychologist. But I have many reasons for my accusation and references to back it up. Now television plays a major role in today’s society, and it occupies almost every home in the United States. Parents have such a big concern for the children watching television, but children throughout the U.S watch an average of twenty hours of television. So I posed the first question. Who allows these children to watch so much television? Obvious question answered with the complainers.
Visual communication can be seen from a semiotic approach. The semiotic approach to visual communication stresses the idea that images are a collection of signs that are linked together in some way by the viewer. The study of semiotics divides itself into three areas: pragmatics, semantics and syntactic. Pragmatics is the study of the origin, common uses and communicative effects of signs. Semantics is an area of semiotics in which the researchers attempt to determine the significance of signs within and throughout various cultures.
By the time a child reaches the age of one, they see about 200,000 acts of violence on television. (Nakaya, 3). The Media has been becoming more and more violent over the years. A poll in an issue of Times Magazine, from 2005, showed that 66 percent of Americans think that there is an abundant amount of graphic acts of violence on televisions (Nakaya, 18). People are exposed to thousands of acts of violence through video games, television, and movies. Many studies show that media violence increases violent behavior in in humans. Studies show, violent video games, and graphic television have physiological effects on children. The government has very few regulations on media violence. Some people believe the government shouldn’t limit content because others might be insulted by its material. Media violence is such a broad topic and has such a large presence in daily lives, so we cannot simple get rid of it. The Federal Communications Commission stipulates, “By the time most children begin the third grade, they will have spent the equivalent of three school years in front of a television set.” Even though the government shouldn’t censor the media, Media violence is becoming a serious issue because it is becoming more violent, it makes people behave violently, and it has little regulations.
Anderson, Oliver C: Illegal Immigration: Causes, Methods, and Effects. New York: Nova Science Publishers. 2010. EBook. , Database: eBook Collection (EBSCOhost).