I am reading a book about PR, and it says that "semiotics" is a word used in PR. It's new to me. The AHD says that it's the study of signs and symbols, especially as elements of language or the study of semantics.

When might it be used? Any examples?

Semiotics for Beginners (and for Kalleh))

Same name. different link: Semiotics for Beginners

Wikipedia article

quote:

Originally posted by Kalleh:
I am reading a book about PR, and it says that "semiotics" is a word used in PR.
When might it be used? Any examples?

In Puerto Rico, of course!

Thanks for those links. I can't believe that they actually have a whole forum about "semiotics." Amazing what you can find on the Net.

it's actually a really interesting subject- I did a course in Culture & Communication in my first year at uni which involved some stuff on semiotics.
At its basic level, a 'signifier' is an object (eg a cat) a 'sign' is something that refers to it- eg a picture of a cat.

Actually, it's a little more complicated than that. In Saussure's semiotics, linguistic signs are double sided: made up of a concept and a sound-image. He says: "The linguistic sign unites,not a thing and a a name, but a concept and a sound-image." ... "I propose to retain the word sign to designate the whole and to replace concept and sound-image respectively by signified and signifier; the last two terms have the advantage of indicating the opposition that separates them from each other and from the whole of which they are parts." He then talks about two important principles of the sign: (1) the arbitrary nature of the sign; (2) the linear nature of the signifier. [F. de Saussure, 1915, Course in General Linguistics.]

yes, we did about Saussure, I was just trying to break it down into simple language from memory of 8 years ago.

I do understand some pretty in-depth linguitsiuc theories but 7 years with an illness that affects brain function means I can't always regurgitate it intellectually...but sometimes a simple-ish expalanation helps a subject seem more interesting I think- then you can delve into its complexities later...

I just finished reading a couple of books about Saussure in the past 6 months, so it's still fresh in my mind. Welcome aboard, hepburn26.

[Fixed some typos.]

This message has been edited. Last edited by: zmježd,

Interestingly, I am at a conference where a physician presented the word "semiotics" to the audience, telling them to look it up in "Google". I knew we had discussed it before, and I mentioned it on the chat today. Zmj reminded me of our discussion of Saussure's concept of "semiotics." This doctor defined it as "full communication," though I gather it is a bit more complicated than that.

Here is a link a Web site discussion of Saussure (click "Sa") that I liked.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Kalleh,

If you type "define: semiotics" in Google, you get about 10 definitions of semiotics from the web. Almost all of them begin with the "study, or science, of signs". One has the theory of the function of signs. I've just never heard semiotics defined as "full communication".

"Full communication" would be "completeotics?" Maybe "totalotics?"

quote:

Originally posted by Asa Lovejoy:
"Full communication" would be "completeotics?" Maybe "totalotics?"

Full communication would be full communication. What is this phrase-phobia?

I have nothing better to do than to play with the meanings of "semi." Sorry.

quote:

Originally posted by Asa Lovejoy:
I have nothing better to do than to play with the meanings of "semi." Sorry.

Oh, I'm sorry, Asa. I misunderestimated you. Latin semi- 'demi-, semi, half-' (as in semiretired) and Greek sēma 'sign' (as in semiotics) are not related, but Greek hēmi- (as in hemisphere) is.

Well, I won't say anything about the completeness of Demi Moore.

I probably need to read Saussure, though it does sound a bit dry. Still...I would love to prove this know-it-all wrong. He seems to be a linguist wannabe, continually portraying himself (we often attend the same conferences) as a "language expert" to the mostly physician audience...always with a bit condescension. For example, he assumed no one in the audience had heard of this word and said, "I suggest that you all put the word into Google so that you can understand it"...As if Google is the height of scholarliness.

Saussure's Course in General Linguistics is not really a book about semiotics, but as its title suggests an introduction to linguistics. He mentions semiotics briefly in passing. The book is also interesting from a writerly POV: Saussure never wrote it. It is based on notes that some of his students took during the teaching of several of his last courses at the University of Geneva. Though, Saussure's book is basically about linguistics, his methods and theories were applied to other areas of semiotics by his followers.

You could probably just get away with copying the article about semiotics from the Encyclopedia of Philosophy and Psychology and reading that. A book that I found useful early on and which you could probably find in your local library is Umberto Eco's A Theory of Semiotics (1976). This site has a bunch of reviews and bibliographies on all kinds of semiotics, perhaps it would be helpful.

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The book is also interesting from a writerly POV: Saussure never wrote it. It is based on notes that some of his students took during the teaching of several of his last courses at the University of Geneva.

Wow...that is impressive. He must have been an excellent teacher.

Thanks, Zmj. I will investigate those resources.