CMNS 1115 Lecture Notes - Semiotics
Document Summary
Semiotics begin with the question of how language relates to concrete reality, experience, and knowledge. Words are labels attached to real things-- reality precedes language. Words contain meaning and reference things-- dictionary meanings. Language moves meaning-- different languages do this differently. This is true to an extent but Language reflects culture: words fit things into a meaningful cultural reality. Meaning is relational: derives from the systems in which we use words. Language re-presents reality: it provides culturally specific views of reality. Society consist not of structures but of processes-- interaction is the key process through which social categories/structures are lived. People know and act on the basis of subjective definitions of social situations we build up scripts for these( like anchors) through experience. Experience is understood on the basis of meanings found in symbols used by primary social groups. Individual experience is mediated by the symbolic life of social groups.
