Semiotics and Decoding Meaning

Ferdinand de saussure:

He was a swiss linguist semiotician and a philosopher. He was interested in the language of signals that people use to communicate thoughts. Saussure asserts that signs consist of two different parts. Whether it be spoken or written language, he defined the signifier as the actual representation of the sign. These shapes and sounds were then given meaning to the audience in terms of specific mental concepts.

The Swiss linguist used the game of chess to demonstrate his theory of communication, demonstrating to his students that the game's meaning was derived from the rules or codes rather than the actual physical properties of the chess pieces.

For instance, the rules of the game allow a knight to move across the board in a "L" formation, either horizontally or vertically, regardless of whether it is made of glass or wood. The fact that it mostly resembles a horse's head has no effect on its ability to jump over other game pieces to get where it needs to go. All of the other pieces are subject to the game's laws and traditions.

The text analysis method developed by Saussure is still a useful tool for investigating any kind of product. By identifying the dominant signifiers and understanding how they interact to produce meaning, we may better understand the message that the producers are trying to convey.

 Semiotics:

Semiotics is the study of how symbols are employed in communication. It includes signs, logos, gestures, and other linguistic and nonlinguistic communication methods etc.

Decoding:

In the study of semiotics, decoding is the process of understanding a message that has been sent from a sender to a recipient. The equivalent process, known as encoding, is the process of creating a message for transmission to an addressee.