ANT208H5 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Semiotics, A.C.A.B., Ms-13
Document Summary
Semiotics: the science of signs: ferdinand saussure (1857-1913) He was a linguist, interested in how words sound/ relate to each other. Ex) cat= set of physical defining characteristics / your mental idea of what a cat is. Generalized idea: charles sanders pierce (1839-1913_ Found the term semiotics; developed the signs of semiotic. Was interested in the signs of world & the objective world. He argued that the 3 types of signs overlapped each other. Icon: iconic signs have a physical resemblance to what they refer to, ex) photographs, paintings, sculptures, gestures (showing big and small with hands, learned naturally in very early childhood. Index: indices are also learned naturally in early childhood, indices have a causal/ existential resemblance to what they refer to, ex) the sign of smoke would be an index of fire. Mummies from egypt: some of the oldest mummies had tattoos. Were made from ashes of fire: ainu people.
