Semiotics - Approach from a Linguistics Perspective - Literature review Example

Task Name Date Introduction Semiology, also referred to as ‘Semiotics’ refers to a study of the meaning-making, logical theory of signs and symbols applied in day to day life. It particularly entails an examination of the sign and sign processes, designations, indications, analogies, likeness, metaphors, symbolism, significations and communication involved (Deely, 2005). The image under study has a lot of semiotics, and therefore effectively expresses the meaning of terror to its viewers. This essay presents a semiological discussion of the denotations, connotations and exhibition of meaning in an image. It discusses the linguistic and anthropological links of such a semiotic analysis, and through assessing its connotative and denotative features, outlines the ideological implications, especially the conventions, cultural and technical codes that have been used in constructing its meaning. Semiotics can be approached from a linguistics perspective. According to Deely (2005), it has a close correlation with linguistics, which is the study of meanings and structures of language. In addition, it engages a lot in the study of non-linguistic sign systems, and this is achieved through its three branches namely; semantics, syntactics and pragmatics. Semantics deals with the existing relationship between a given sign and a specific object to which it refers; its denotata, or meaning (Zlatev, 2009) Syntactic on its part addresses the relationships amongst signs found within the confines of a formal structure, while Pragmatics dwells on relationships between particular signs and sign-using agents. Meaning can therefore be derived from a linguistical analysis of symbols or images. There is a clear anthropological dimension to the application of semiotics. The dimension often gives it the strong anthropological dimension. For instance, Chandler (2007) explains that cultural phenomena might be learned as communication. Many semioticians concentrate on the logical scopes of this science. They examine the ranges that form part of life sciences, including for instance how an organism makes forecasts about and adapts to its semiological niche on earth. Generally, semiological concepts consider any sign or sign system as their piece to be used in learning.  The image under study is of a young, strong and Caucasian male. Only his upper body to the waist is visible. From his body language, he appears considerably happy, and is probably producing a roaring sound as he jubilates in a way that is commonly seen in sportsmen who have scored or won in a game (Zlatev, 2009), The camera fully captures his front, thereby giving a clear picture of what he looks like. It is well-lit with no background, thereby ensuring that focus is on only one character. His arms are spread out and his fists are clenched across the entire picture frame. His face, neck and arms are entirely smeared with a crimson substance that can easily be interpreted as blood. The blood goes down to his chest, and the point where the line across his arms and that from the forehead to his stomach creates a scary impression of a cross or crucifix, hence it could have been deliberately smeared. Upon viewing the picture, one easily associates the character with racial supremacy, cultism or just evil. For such people, murder is something not unusual, hence the likely conclusion that the blood on his body could be human. His overall outlook is rather bizarre, and this perception is worsened by the fact that he is not wearing a shirt. Worse still, the shadow created by the blood covering his eyes generates an eerie image. In the same manner, his open mouth acquires a scary, almost animal-like characteristic, which one associates with for instance a bloodthirsty vampire that has just finished or is about to attack a victim (Zlatev, 2009). Both connotative and denotative aspects can be identified from the picture. According to Zlatev (2009), denotative aspects of an image refer to the straightforward understanding of the signs that are presented. Once an individual looks at the image, for instance, he or she will note that the picture is an image of a strong man who has some blood all over his body. He is emotional about something, judging from his shouting and stature. He also seems to be celebrating something as he continues sweating, and he is not wearing a shirt. Chandler (2007) explains that the connotative aspect of an image refers to the interpretation that is derived from it. The picture shows a man who is celebrating after committing some murder. Although in this state however, he appears to be strong and capable of committing more murder if he wanted to. The blood that appears on his chest and hands may be interpreted to imply that he committed a murder, and in a murderous ecstasy, smeared the blood of his victim on his upper body.  Power is one of the characteristically semiotic occurrences in society that can be investigated through the conception of a cultural semiotic. According to Chandler (2007), it comprises of the aggregate of opportunities of individuals to impose their resolve on one or more individuals as a result of a structural asymmetry within a particular situation. In the picture, the character has some idea of power over the viewers. The viewers have an option of either looking at the picture or not. Once one looks, there tends to be some flow of thought that arises due to the view. For instance, a viewer might initially feel a bit scared of what he or she sees in the picture, but with time become curious to know why the character has blood all over his body (Deely, 2005).This will be followed by the interest in knowing what the character is evidently celebrating in the picture. Eventually, there is the likelihood of arriving at the conclusion that the character could have been killing people, and after having accomplished what he had set out to do, he is in a celebratory mood (Danesi, 2007) There is therefore the element of power in terms of both captivating the audience and the impression of domination that is associated with killing others and this is what the character seems to be enjoying. The picture presents blood as the main iconic sign. According to Deely (2005), an iconic sign always bears some resemblance to whatever it refers to. In the image for instance, the blood that is spread all over the man is a perfect example because whenever an individual sees blood smeared on an individual, it is in most instances interpreted to imply some death having occurred. The viewer is next left with the challenge of trying to figure out who is dead and who is the cause of the death since blood is associated with life. In the picture therefore, blood as an iconic sign leads to the branding of the character as a murderer, even before seeing the victim Zlatev, J. (2009). The fact that the character is very stout, a feature that is enhanced by his not wearing a shirt, and his posture which may be viewed as an index of his masculinity and therefore ferociousness reinforce the impression. The iconic sign and his posture therefore generate the understanding that he has managed to commit murder and still remains strong.  Sweating is a clear indexical sign in the picture. Typically, the presence of sweat connotes some strenuous activity. The character therefore appears to have done some difficult task, a feature which is further reinforced by another index, namely his not wearing a shirt. From this, it may for example be concluded that the character was involved in an activity during which it felt too hot that he had to get rid of the shirt, or the shirt simply got torn to pieces. According to Deely (2005), a majority of serial killers are males and not females. This statement holds water in the sense that this character, who is a male, could be a murderer and therefore is symbolic. Basing on this, one can therefore conclude that the picture of the character symbolizes a murderer who is ready and strong enough to continue committing murder.  Three major signs are denoted in the image, namely, murder, accomplishment of a task and celebration that follows it. From the picture, the character appears quite strong and emotional. He seems to be celebrating something, and wants to draw everyone’s attention to his achievements. The scary element of the picture mainly comes from the blood which is smeared all over his body. For a viewer who is not used to such a fierce portrayal of masculinity, even just the fact that he is not wearing a shirt defines his scary nature. The character in the picture has sweat all over his body running down his masculine body. The signifiers that come out of the analysis are blood, sweat and the openness of the character’s mouth which suggest the murder, hard task and celebration respectively. In terms of world-views, the image is likely to elicit mixed reactions from different categories of people. For instance, there are some people who might be so much used to watching horror movies. For this category, it will be expected that the image will not trigger much resentment or terror in their minds as they are used to being exposed to such if not greater scales of violence. However, a large number of people are likely to be scared once they see it mainly due to the red colored fluid that is smeared all over the man’s body. According to Danesi (2007), red color is universally associated with fear, danger and death. For this reason, most people are unlikely to view the picture for long as they would already have some element of fear within them (Chandler, 2007).Although there is a group of people that will not be scared by the image therefore, a majority of the viewers are not likely to be impressed by it and will rather be frightened by it.  Murder is universally considered to be the worst crime that a person can ever commit. Because of this, a majority of people are likely to be repulsed by the fact that the character in the image is a murderer, and that he is delighted by his achievement without any feelings of guilt that are supposed to be evident. A majority of religions and communities are against the portrayal of such violence due to the specific association with murder. There are even some people who can experience nightmares simply due to exposure to such an image. In conclusion, the picture presents both connotative and denotative meanings to the viewers. It comprises of the image of a well-built man, who is not wearing any shirt and is shouting emotionally. All over his body, he has blood and sweat down his masculine body. The connotation of the image is that this is a very robust male murderer who derives joy or happiness from committing murder. The sweat that is flowing down his biceps denotes his determination to commit murder amid the challenges he faces. Some people might not be scared by the image. However, from the discussion, a majority would be frightened by it. The reason for this is that the blood which is all over the man’s body symbolizes murder, and this is a universally accepted interpretation. Murder is unacceptable globally and because the person in the image appears to be a murderer, it is likely that most people will be scared by his image. There is therefore sufficient semiotics in the image, and a meaning of terror is effectively relayed to viewers. Reference List Chandler, D. (2007). Semiotics: The Basics. London: Routledge Danesi, M. (2007). The Quest for Meaning: A Guide to Semiotic Theory and Practice. Toronto: University of Toronto Press Deely, J. (2005). Basics of Semiotics, 4th ed. Tartu: Tartu University Press Zlatev, J. (2009). The Semiotic Hierarchy: Life, Consciousness, Signs and Language, Cognitive Semiotics. Sweden: Scania Read More