“The Nature of Language as a Relational System of Signs.”

The given title is a description of semiotics by Ferdinand de Saussure, a Swiss linguist.

The origin of Semiotics date far back to the drawing of man and cave paintings. Some of the early cave paintings show images of animals and tools which can immediately be identified, while others show abstracted elements, for example, human body or an animal, drawn in a different way, which is replacing it with a geometric sign, which represents the original image itself.

Magura Cave, Bulgaria. Photo by flickr.com

The oldest traces of inhabitants in the Magura Cave date back to 8000 years B.C.

Semiology is the study of signs, symbolism, signification, communication. It is the process of making sense and meaning of language.
Semiology is the mood between the observed and the abstracted.

The different signs and functions of Semiosis:

• SYMBOL – Image that has lost dependance on resemblance. It can often be culturally contextualized, as well as it can be natural, abstract or logical;
• INDEX – Image is directly connected to the signified, linked to a fact. (The signifier is not arbitrary like the symbol);
• ICON – Image that represents by resemblance.

Picasso – “The Bull”

In this image – “The Bull”, Picasso shows 11 illustrative stages of a bull, the 12th image being his signature. He has drawn a bull in different ways, the last three being more abstract – these are called icons.

Photo by news.nationalgeographic.com

Photograph from Cueva de las Manos in Argentina. Handprints that are (obviously) linked to people. This is an index.

Image from wikipedia.com

Smoke – directly linked to fire -Index.

Sounds can also be a kind of semiotics. Because bird sounds are connected with birds, they can also be marked as an index.

Adinkra Symbols. Image from loc.gov

The language of Adinkra Symbols – abstracted (one needs to be in the culture to understand it, that is why these are called symbols.)

The simplification of images since their creation by man in the caves and its development through time, actually became very useful for people to avoid dangers or make use of them for communication, for example for people in a foreign country, etc.

Text message icon

The envelope – directly linked to messages, text messages, mail, e-mail. – Icon

Hospital sign

This one is both a symbol and an icon. It is symbol for hospital itself, but an icon for the word hospital.

Symbol for disabled

Though this is a universal sign for the disabled, people don’t necessarily need to be on wheelchairs to be disabled, so this is more of a symbol than it is an icon.

Speech bubble

Symbol for speech for comics, pictures, drawings, etc.