Field Tools

Semiotics is the study of signs. Look around you; meanings embedded in signs are all around. This tool will help you identify various signs, their parts, and the meanings people may make of them in the field.

Learn more about Semiotics.

Below are five signifiers you should seek out: word, image, sound, object, and gesture.

Word

Written or spoken word(s).

Signifier

What is the word(s)?

Signified

You: What concept(s) does the word(s) evoke in you?

Other: What concept(s) could the word(s) evoke for someone very different from you?

Sign Type

What type of sign is this?

  • Icon: The word(s) resemble the concept being signified
  • Index: When we see the word, it suggests something else is going on
  • Symbolic: The shapes of the letters or words are arbitrary, but we know the meaning because we learned it somewhere

Note: almost all language is symbolic!

Payoff

Is this word(s) problematic, considering its meaning could be interpreted differently across cultures? Why?

Image

Images such as photographs, visual illustrations, or in-person phenomena.

Signifier

What is the image?

Signified

You: What concept(s) does the image evoke in you?

Other: What concept(s) could the image evoke for someone very different from you?

Sign Type

What type of sign is this?

  • Icon: The image resembles the concept being signified
  • Index: When we see the image, it suggests something else is going on
  • Symbolic: The image is arbitrary, but we know the meaning because we learned it somewhere

Payoff

Is this image problematic, considering its meaning could be interpreted differently across cultures? Why?

Sound

Audible natural or human-made sounds.

Signifier

What is the sound?

Signified

You: What concept(s) does the sound evoke in you?

Other: What concept(s) could the sound evoke for someone very different from you?

Sign Type

What type of sign is this?

  • Icon: The sound resembles the concept being signified
  • Index: When we hear the sound, it suggests something else is going on
  • Symbolic: The sound’s makeup is arbitrary, but we know the meaning because we learned it somewhere

Payoff

Is this sound problematic, considering its meaning could be interpreted differently across cultures? Why?

Object

A physical object of any kind.

Signifier

What is the object?

Signified

You: What concept(s) does the object evoke in you?

Other: What concept(s) could the object evoke for someone very different from you?

Sign Type

What type of sign is this?

  • Icon: The object resembles the concept being signified
  • Index: When we touch and engage with the object, it suggests something else is going on
  • Symbolic: The object’s makeup is arbitrary, but we know the meaning because we learned it somewhere

Payoff

Is this object problematic, considering its meaning could be interpreted differently across cultures? Why?

Gesture

A bodily movement made by a person.

Signifier

What is the physical motion that equates to a gesture?

Signified

You: What concept(s) does the gesture evoke in you?

Other: What concept(s) could the gesture evoke for someone very different from you?

Sign Type

What type of sign is this?

  • Icon: The gesture resembles the concept being signified
  • Index: When we experience the gesture, it suggests something else is going on
  • Symbolic: The gesture’s makeup is arbitrary, but we know the meaning because we learned it somewhere

Payoff

Is this gesture problematic, considering its meaning could be interpreted differently across cultures? Why?

Dennis Cheatham

Associate Professor, Communication Design

Miami University

Show URL on hover link