Semiotics

From Geography

Study of signs and sign-using behaviour, especially in language. In the late 19th and early 20th century the work of Ferdinand de Saussure and Charles Sanders Peirce led to the emergence of semiotics as a method for examining phenomena in different fields, including aesthetics, anthropology, communications, psychology, and semantics. Interest in the structure behind the use of particular signs links semiotics with the methods of structuralism. [1]

Semiotics is concerned not with the relations between signs and things but with the interrelationships between signs themselves, within their structured systems or codes of signification (see paradigm, syntagm). The semiotic approach to literary works stresses the production of literary meanings from shared conventions and codes; but the scope of semiotics goes beyond spoken or written language to other kinds of communicative systems such as cinema, advertising, clothing, gesture, and cuisine. [2]

These signs and symbols are social constructions formed by arbitration and conventions and is learned via social interaction (Helmhout, Jorna, Gazendam, 2009). An actor should be given a meaning to the signs and signals formed by social constructions to become a semiotic actor. Through social constructs a semiotic actor can infer the meaning of a conditions or actions (ibid.). These social constructs are formed and become normative if perceptions are shared between people. This can be within a community, but it also works out on a larger scale, because semiotic actors socially construct the world together (Helmhout, Jorna, Gazendam, 2009).

There are different kinds of semiotics. A difference can be made between social and structural semiotics in respect to signs and language. Structural semiotics is about the system and structure of signs and codes. Structural semioticans are more interested how semiotic rules and structures make people. They are inspired by writings of for example Saussure an Mauss (Vannini, 2007). Social semiotics is more focused on the origin of meaning and the motives and goals (Ibid.). Structural semiotics doesn’t concern so much for individuals and their attitude or behavior if they’re not symbolized in a system (Vannini, 2007). Social semoiticans find inspiration in for example Pierce, Volosinov and Foucault (Ibid.).

In respect of geography, semiotics can be applied on the landscape. Geographers can 'read' the landscape by researching the signs and a finding meanings in it.

References:

1. Unkown. Encyclopædia Britannica, Semiotics. Retrieved September 29, 2010 from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/534099/semiotics

2. Chandler, D. (2001, Februari 19). Semiotics for beginners. Encoding/decoding. Retrieved Septermber 29, 2010 from http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Documents/S4B/sem08c.html

- Hemhout, M., Jorna, R.J., Gazendam, H.W. (2009). The semiotic actor: From signs to scoially constructed meaning. Semiotica, 175, p335-377.

- Vannini, P. (2007) Social Semiotics and Fieldwork method and analytics. Qualitative inquiry. 13, p 113-140

edited by Mathijs Lammers