Semiotics vs Semiology, Langue vs Parole, Icon vs Symbol vs Index

This explains the differences between semiotics and semiology. It also differentiates parole from langue. It further underscores the differences among icon, index, and symbol.

2. Semiotics (from the
Greek ‘semeion’) is
the study of signs
and texts, which is to
say that it is the
study of meanings,
communication,
interpretation, and
significance.
Semioticsisless
interestedinwhat
somethingmeans
thaninhowitmeans
anythingatallto
anybody.
What is semiotics?

3. What is a
sign?
The basic unit of
semiotics is the
sign. A sign is a
unit of meaning.
‘Aliquidpro aliquo’
(Latin): a sign is
‘something that
stands for
something else.’
A sign is
something that
‘tells’.
Itisforthis
reasonthat
UmbertoEco,
novelistand
knownforhis
‘TheNameofthe
Rose’),defines
semioticsasthe
disciplinethat
studieslying.
Signsarealways
pretendingthey
aresomething
else.

4. Semiosis
Semiosis’ means ‘sign-
activity’. It is what
signs do.
Semiosis is not always
communication.

5. Sign and
Text
Signs combine to form
Texts. A text can be
thought of as a
message recorded in
some medium so that it
is independent of a
sender or a receiver.

6. Sign and
Text
Semioticians analyze
texts to reveal their
hidden meanings -
what’s really going on.

7. Codes
Signs and Texts are
governed by codes.
Codes are the rules and
conventions for making
a text in a given genre
or medium. They are
also the environment /
context in which signs
exist.

8. Codes
Codes are what help us
understand and
interpret signs. They are
the rules of the game.
These rules change over
time.

9. Semiology -Saussure
Semiology-a‘sciencewhichstudiestheroleofsignsaspart
ofsociallife.’
FerdinanddeSaussurebelievedthathislinguistictheories
couldbeappliedtoallcommunicationevents.Semiology
assumesthatallcultureonsomelevelis‘likealanguage’.

10. FerdinanddeSaussureintroducedtheconceptsof"langue"
and"parole"todistinguishbetweentwoaspectsoflanguage:
Languerefers to the underlying system of a language,
including its rules, structures, and conventions that make
communication possible. Langue is the collective, social
aspect of language; it's what a community of speakers knows
and shares. It's the abstract, systematic essence of language
that allows individuals to understand each other.
Example: Consider the English language. Its "langue" includes the grammar rules that
dictate how sentences are formed, the vocabulary that comprises the language, and the
pronunciation norms. For instance, the concept that a simple sentence should follow
the Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) order is part of the langue of English.

11. FerdinanddeSaussureintroducedtheconceptsof"langue"
and"parole"todistinguishbetweentwoaspectsoflanguage:
Parolerefers to the actual, individual use of language in
specific situations. It's the realization or manifestation of
"langue" through speech, writing, and other forms of
communication. Parole is highly variable and individual,
depending on factors like context, speaker intention, and
personal style.
Example: A person saying, "I'm going to the store," in a conversation is an instance of
parole. This specific sentence is an individual choice, shaped by the context (perhaps
they're explaining their plans to someone), their intention (to inform), and their
personal way of speaking. Another example could be writing a letter to a friend; the
choice of words, sentence structure, and style reflects parole.

12. Languewouldencompassthestandardizedgrammar,
vocabulary,andpronunciationrulestaughtinschoolsand
usedinformalsettings,suchasnewsbroadcastsorofficial
documents.Forinstance,theFilipinolanguagehasasetof
grammaticalrulesforverbconjugations,nounaffixes,and
sentencestructuresthatspeakersareexpectedtoknowand
understandaspartofthelanguagesystem.Thisalsoincludes
theofficialvocabularythatincorporateswordsfrom
indigenouslanguages,Spanish,andEnglish,reflectingthe
country'sdiverselinguisticheritage.
Example: The standardized sentence structure for asking a question might be "Saanka
pupunta?" (Where are you going?). The structure here involves the question word "Saan"
(Where), followed by the subject "ka" (you), and the verb "pupunta" (going), reflecting the
underlying system or "langue" of Filipino.

13. Parolereflectstheactualuseoflanguageinvarious
contexts,whichcanshowagreatdealofvariationdepending
onthespeaker'sregion,socialgroup,orpersonalpreference.
FilipinospeakersoftenmixFilipinowithEnglishineveryday
conversation,apracticeknownas"Taglish."Additionally,
thereareregionallanguagesanddialectsinthePhilippines,
andspeakersmightincorporateelementsoftheseintotheir
Filipinospeech,affectingpronunciation,vocabulary,andeven
syntax.
Example: In casual conversation, a Filipino speaker might say, "Saanka na? Ditoname sa
mall, e." This sentence mixes Filipino and English ("Ditoname" for "I'm already here" and "mall"
remains in English), reflecting individual choice and context-specific usage, characteristic of
"parole." Another example could be incorporating local dialect words or expressions, which adds
a personal or regional touch to the language used.

14. Saussure-Sign
Saussure’ssignhas2parts;asound-image(signifier/Sr)and
aconcept(signified/Sd).Theformalassociationofthesetwo
partsmakesasign.(e.g.,/tree/-‘conceptofatree’)
Therelationshipbetweenthetwoisformalandpsychological.
Significationissomethingthatgoesoninourheads.

16. The Arbitrary Sign
The relation between signifier and signified is arbitrary.
Lots of languages have different signifiers for the same
concepts. As long as everyone agrees what the signifier is
then we can understand each other.

17. Casa(Romance languages:
Spanish, Italian, and
Portuguese)
House(English)
Maison(French)
das haus(German)

18. A System of Differences
Asasignismadeupofthisarbitraryrelationship,itcanonly
haveameaningtotheextentthatitisdifferentfromother
signs.Languageisasystemofdifferences.
Whatsomethingmeansisdependentonhowmuchitdiffers
fromothersignifiersandsignifieds.Languageisasystemof
formalrelationships.

20. A System of Differences
“Concepts are purely differential and defined not by their
positive content but negatively by their relations with other
terms in the system.” [Ferdinand de Saussure]

21. Language and Expressions
Oneconsequenceofthisforsemiologyisthatlanguageisnot
justavehicleformeaningandthought,butismeaningand
thought.Differentlanguages…differentthoughts.
E.M.Forster:“HowcanItellwhatIthinkuntilIseewhatI
say?’

22. Peircean Semiotics
•CharlesSandersPeirce,anAmericanphilosopher,
developedatheoryofsemiotics,thestudyofsigns,that
differsfromthetheoryproposedbyFerdinandde
Saussure,aSwisslinguist.
•UnlikeSaussure,Peircedidn’tfocusonlanguage.Hewas
interestedinallkindsofsigns,andhissystemapplies
equallytobacteriaastohumans.
•Peircebelievedthatallthinkingandinterpretationwasthe
workofsigns.(e.g.,‘I’isthesignthroughwhichpeople
representthemselvestotheworld.)

23. Peircean Semiotics
•Asalogicianhewantedtofindoutnotonlyhowsigns
happentobehave,buttherulestogovernhowtheymust
behave.
•ForPeircelogicandsemioticsareexactlythesamething.
•LikeSaussure,Peircebelievedthatsignsallowcoded
accesstoanobject,butinPeirceansemioticssignscan
bematerialaswellasmental/psychological.

24. Peirce’sSign
Peircedefinedthesignas‘somethingwhichstandsto
somebodyforsomethinginsomerespectorcapacity.’
ThePeirceansignhas3parts:
1.Sign/Representamen(S/R)
2.Object(O)
3.Interpretant(I)

26. 1.Sign/Representamen
This is anything that conveys some sort of meaning or stands
for something else to someone in some capacity. In Peirce’s
view, a sign is something that represents an object and is
understood by someone. It's akin to Saussure's concept of
the signifier, which is the form that the sign takes; for
example, the word "tree" or an actual image of a tree.

27. 2. Interpretant
This is the understanding or meaning that the
Sign/Representamen generates in the mind of the observer.
It's not just a single meaning but can be a whole range of
meanings and interpretations that are derived from the sign.
This concept parallels Saussure's signified, which is the
concept or meaning that the signifier refers to. However,
Peirce's Interpretant is more dynamic and focuses on the
process of interpretation itself, rather than a fixed meaning.

28. 3. Object
In Peirce’s theory, this is what the Sign/Representamen
refers to; it's the thing or concept that the sign represents.
The Object can be something concrete (like an actual tree) or
abstract (like the idea of growth). This component is what
both the Sign/Representamen and the Interpretant together
aim to represent or convey.

29. Icon, Index and Symbol
ICON:‘relationofreason’
Aniconicsignresemblesitsobject(e.g.,aphotograph)
INDEX:‘relationoffact’
Anindexicalsignhassomenatural/causalconnection
withitsobject.(e.g.,smoke&fire)
SYMBOL:‘relationofcognition’
Asymbolicsignrelatestoitsobjectinaconventionaland
arbitrarymanneronly(e.g.,language)

30. ICON
An Iconis a sign that resembles or imitates its object in
some way. The resemblance can be in terms of appearance,
sound, or even feel.This resemblance makes the icon
directly understandable without needing additional
knowledge.
Example: A photograph of a dog is an icon because it visually
resembles the dog it represents. Similarly, a map is iconic
because it resembles the geography it depicts.

31. ICONS

32. INDEX
An Indexhas a direct, physical, or causal connection to
the object it represents. It points to the presence or existence
of the object, often indicating a correlation or association.
Example: Smoke is an index of fire. You see smoke and infer
there's fire producing it. Similarly, a thermometer is indexical
because the level of mercury indicates the temperature.

33. INDICES

34. SYMBOL
A Symbol has no inherent or natural resemblance to the
object it represents. Instead, its meaning is established
through social convention or agreement. Understanding a
symbol requires knowing the conventions or codes shared
within a culture or context.
Example: Words in any language are symbols. The word "dog" has no
inherent connection to the animal it represents; we understand it as such
because of agreed linguistic conventions. Traffic signs are another example: a
red hexagon means "stop," not because of any natural connection between
the shape/color and the action, but because of a societal agreement.

35. SYMBOLS

36. To illustrate these concepts together, consider the following
scenario:
üAn iconicrepresentation of a dog could be a drawing or a
photograph of a dog. The image resembles the animal.
üAn indexicalsign related to a dog might be a set of paw
prints in the mud. The paw prints themselves don't look
like the dog, but they indicate that a dog has passed by.
üA symbolicrepresentation would be the word "dog" itself.
The sequence of letters D-O-G does not resemble a dog in
any physical way but represents the animal in the English
language due to the arbitrary conventions of language.