Signs Point Away

How do objects point beyond themselves? Objects point beyond themselves. As humans are beings that create meaning, they themselves can create the deeper meaning to which an object may point to. Humans desire to make meaning(Chandler). The Peirce model shows just how an object may point farther than it's own meaning in his model of semiosis.

Peirce's model, like Saussure's has three points: the representamen, an interpretant, and an object. Peirce suggests that a sign stands for its object. This stance is nothing more than a kind of idea. Chandler mentions that Peirce brings forth an example of a traffic light. The red light facing traffic stands as the representamen, the cars coming to a stop is the object, and the idea that the light tells the cars to stop is the interpretant (Chandler).

A thing can point beyond itself through interpretation. Everyone interprets things differently but some are universal, such as traffic signs. Red is not at all similar to the word stop but humans, being interpreters, interpret it that way.

What is a sign and how does a sign point? A sign is the product of the signifier and the sign. It is anything that points to something else. The sign points through the interpretation of the signifier relative to the signified. Chandler gives an example of the interpretation of a sign using the word "Open." Chandler explains that the word "open" is the signifier and to imagine this word is in the window of a store. The signified is that the store is open for business. He continues to explain that there are many signifiers that could stand for the concept "open." To elaborate further, Chandler brings forth another example: if the word "open" is printed on the top of a package the signified is, therefore, that the box needs to be opened at the top (Chandler). A sign points through the interpretation between the signifier and the signified.

What do we expect to find in semiotic analysis? By participating in semiotic analysis we may expect to find signs. Ideology is what we expect to learn about in this analytical practice. Semiotic analysis brings forth the possibility for the condition of meaning. The word "rose" will immediately point to the flower but can continue on to mean a feeling of passion. Links may always be present in the analysis of just one word. We will find that language does not stand for anything, it only points.

Semiotics

References:

Chandler, Daniel. "Signs." Semiotics for Beginners by Daniel Chandler. Daniel Chandler, 3 July 2014. Web. 06 Feb. 2016. <http://visual-memory.co.uk/daniel/Documents/S4B/>.

Links:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semiotics