Ferdinand de Saussure is one of the founding fathers of Semiotics, which he called semiology. His concept of the sign/signifier/signified/referent forms the core of the field. Equally crucial, although often overlooked or misapplied, is the dimension of the syntagmatic and paradigmatic axes of linguistic description.
Instead of focusing his theory on the origins of language and its historical aspects, Saussure concentrated on the patterns and functions of language instead. Although the name has been changed to semiotics, Saussure's theory is still commonly used in today's society. He also believed that the relationship that exists between the signifier and the signified is purely arbitrary and analytical.
Semiotics is the theory of how signs are interpretated and understood. examples of this include logos or pictures.
There are two types of signs as follows:
- Iconic signs - A direct image of the thing it represents (often simplified) such as the male/female toilet sign.
- Symbolic signs - Draw on association and are often defined by social convention. An example would be the school logo
Ferdinand de Saussure
Born - November 26, 1857
Geneva, Switzerland
Died - February 22, 1913
Vufflens-le-Chateau, Switzerland
Main interest - Linguistics
Notable ideas - The development of Semiotics
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