semiotic notes intro

These notes are highly selective in their presentation of the key ideas that you need to familiarise yourself with. These are denotation, connotation, symbol (or sign - see below), signifier and signified, paradigm and syntagm, code and myth. There are many websites that cover aspects of semiotics (or semiology), but the explanations provided in these notes are largely framed by Saussure's account - there is little attempt to reflect the contribution of C. S. Peirce, or more recent writers such as Seboek, Ecco, etc. If there is one writer, however, which you should interpose between Saussure and yourself, it should be Roland Barthes - most of the extensions and variations included in these notes derive from his take on Saussure's work..

Please note that in my presentations I have favoured using word symbol, rather than sign - the term Barthes favoured. If you use the OED you will find that there is much overlap in the definition of the two words, but the distinction being used here - derived from theory - is that while 'sign' is more directly associated with the act of signing, i.e., it is a verb form which has been turned into a noun, 'symbol' has from the outset been understood to be something which represents some other thing. If Barthes is directly quoted, you will find him using the word sign where I would probably use the word symbol. You will also find that when he uses the word symbol himself it is usually intended to convey the idea that it is an arbitrary sign - I use the phrase arbitrary symbol, meaning a representation that could in principle have taken any form within reason - as opposed to indexical symbols, such as smoke indicating the existence of fire. If you prefer to stick with Barthes and use the term sign, rather than symbol, please make sure that you are consistent in its use!

Language	Saussure's distinction between langue and parole, and between synchronic and diachronic dimensions of analysis.
Symbols	The symbol consists of signifier and signified.
Meanings	The connotation and denotation of symbols.
Codes	Codes are essential to the transmission and reception of meaning.
Paradigmatic and Syntagmatic	In studying the selection and combination of symbols which go to make a message, there are two dimensions of analysis.
Problems	This page sets out the principal restrictions to the 'truth' of semiotics.

Alvarado, M. et al. eds., (2001) Representation and Photography. Basingstoke: Palgrave.

Barthes, R. (1998) S/Z London: Blackwell Publishers Ltd; this classic semiotic text contains a celebrated analysis of a short story by Balzac - Sarrasine - in which meaning is presented as both layered and indeterminate.

Barthes, R. (1994) The Semiotic Challenge Berkeley: University of California Press; this collection of essays offers a useful guide to the shifts in Barthes thinking - particularly the move away from the mechanical application of semiotics to specific texts and towards more nuanced and ambivalent interpretations. There are three groups of essays presented: elements of semiotics - including a treatment of the structural analysis of texts; areas of study - including advertising, cooking, urbanism, and medicine; and finally three detailed samples of textual analysis.

Barthes, R. (1993) Camera Lucida: reflections on photography London: Vintage; contains an extended meditation on photography and introduces a split between personal and public meaning.

Barthes, R. (1990) A Lover's Discourse: fragments London: Penguin; in which Barthes attempts an analysis of the textual/discourse correlates of desire, e.g., jealousy, letter-writing, being in love itself, the meaning of "I love you", quarrels, etc.

Barthes, R. (1990) Image Music Text London Penguin; another classic in which there is a famous analysis of a sequence of film stills.

Bignell, J. (2002) Media Semiotics: An Introduction. Manchester: Manchester University Press.

Cobley, P. & Jantz, L. (1997) Introducing Semiotics for Beginners. Cambridge: Icon; comes highly recommended.

Nichols, B. (1981) Ideology and the Image: Social Representation in the Cinema and Other Media. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.

Ruby, J. (1995) Secure the Shadow. Cam. Mass.: MIT Press; pp. 49 - 111, offers a fascinating historical extension of what we understand by domestic photography.

Silverman, K. (1983) The Subject of Semiotics. New York: Oxford University Press.

Smith, L. (1998) The Politics of Focus. Manchester: Manchester University Press.

Spence, J. & Holland, P. (1991) Family Snaps: the Meanings of Domestic Photography. London: Virago; read Pat Holland's 'Introduction', and then the four readings in 'Part One: the Child I Never Was'.

Tagg, J. (1988) The Burden of Representation: Essays on Photographies and Histories. Basingstoke: Macmillan; see chapter 2 (it's very short) 'Evidence, Truth and Order: Photographic Records and the Growth of the State', and then chapter 3, 'A Means of Surveillance: the Photograph as Evidence in Law'.

Thwaites, T. (2002) Introducing Cultural and Media Studies: A Semiotic Approach. Basingstoke: Palgrave.

Tiffany, D. (2000) Toy Medium, Science, Materialism, and Modern Lyric. Berkeley: University of California Press.

Wells, L. Ed., (2000) Photography: a Critical Introduction, 2nd. editn. London: Routledge, Chapters, 3, 4, 5.