Media, Information and Technoculture 3214F/G Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Semiotics, Real Tree, Pink Triangle

• School: Western University
• Department: Media, Information and Technoculture
• Course: Media, Information and Technoculture 3214F/G
• Professor: Tim Blackmore

Document Summary

This lecture has four parts: Why not ice cream cone: languages and words are made by agreement. Sign system has three parts - . Connotative signs: tends to be somewhat mathematical, this always means that no room for negotiation. Ex: traffic signs (language of the road) Red means no, yellow means maybe/watch out, green means yes: to drive a car you have to learn the language. Gay community had to change the signifier. Signifier body odour, deodorant, feminist: signified hairy armpits, signifier feminist. Signified now: beyonce, equality, human rights, strength then: nazi, man hater, lesbian, butch, bitch. Other sign languages you speak: Clothes acceptable fashion: shopping, girl attitudes, behaviours, appearances, boy attitudes, behaviours, appearances, skin colour, technology. Exists because we agree they exist: arbitrariness, colour is a signifying system. All language is made of signs. We use many kinds of signs (visual, verbal, non- verbal, scientific)