Semiotics

· Semiotics – the study of signs
· Metalanguage – a language about a language
· Sign – anything that conveys an image

- a sign can be split into two parts – the signifier and the signified
- the signifier is the physical form of the sign
- the signified is the meaning that is taken from the physical form
- the signified can also be split into two parts – the connotation and denotation
- the denotation is the first order of meaning (the obvious)
- the connotation is the deeper meaning of the sign. This is not ‘’fixed’’.

· the target audience must understand what the text/production is about, through what the signs convey

There are 3 types of signs:

· Icon – the direct, ‘’what it is’’
· Index – the relationship between the sign and the meaning
· Symbol – what it represents, often culturally specific