Semiotics

1
Semiotics

• By Andrew Barrett

2
Defining Semiotics

• Dictionary definition
• The theory and study of signs and symbols,
  especially as elements of language or other
  systems of communication.
• Unsatisfactory definition
• What is a sign?
• What constitutes communication?

3
First some history

• People have been pondering signs for thousands of
  years, Aristotle, Hippocrates, St Augustine
• Modern semiotics is a blend of Charles Peirces
  Semeiotic and Ferdinand de Saussures Semiology.

4
Founding Fathers

• Charles Peirce

• Ferdinand de Saussure

5
Semeiotic

• Founded by Charles Peirce (1837-1914)
• A formal doctrine of signs.
• Aimed to single out necessary features of signs
  interpreted by creatures that could think.
• Sign is something that stands to somebody for
  something.

6
Semiology

• Founded by Ferdinand de Saussure (1857-1913)
• The study of devices used in society for the
  purpose of communication.
• These devices are Saussures signs.

7
Modern Semiotics

• Draws from both semeiotic and semiology.
• Different semioticians take different amounts
  from either.
• Gorny describes semiotics as, That which is
  called semiotics by semioticians.

8
Defining a sign

• Peirce had a triadic approach.

• Saussure took a two pronged approach.

9
Sign Types

• Sign, Icon, Index
• Digital vs. Analog
• Tokens and Types

10
Interpretation Context is key

• Different signs mean different things to
  different people.
• Context is all important.
• Take the statement, Dogs must be carried at all
  times.

11
Important Terms

• A text is a collection of signs.
• Each code represents a collection of related
  signs.
• Written language, spoken language, gestures etc

12
Questions raised

• Are their any common attributes across different
  sign systems.
• i.e. a global language
• How can we get our meaning across through our
  text?

13
Communicating with signs

• Not just human to human communication.
• From a thinking being to the real world.
• From a thinking being to themselves.

14
Communication with the Real World

• We can never know the real world, only the umwelt
  or perceived reality.

15
Communication with Ourselves

• We cannot think without signs.
• Thought can be termed of as communicating with
  ourselves.
• We cannot think of concepts we have no signs for?
• Peirce thought so.

16
Do we have the ability for intuition?

• Peirce says no, but then what about the
  development of
• Mathematics, music, quantum physics, etc
• Its possible that these fields were deduced from
  previous knowledge.
• Best left to the philosophers perhaps.

17
Semiotics and Computing

• Has been applied in -
• The development of expert systems.
• The field of GUI design.
• Software can be considered a semiotic text, so we
  can apply the principles of semiotics directly.

18
Is Semiotics Useful in Computing?

• Provides a useful tool with which to look at the
  world.
• Software is developed for an international
  audience, so we should consider the context of
  the users.
• Looks at how meaning is taken from signs, so has
  relevance in expert systems.