Semiotics culture covers a wide range of definitions. It is assumed that the concept implies a number of studies in cultural studies that cognize culture from the point of view of semiotics, the science of signs. Semiotics and culture are two multi-level systems that regulate and support human relations. Culture seeks to obtain new signs and texts, store them and transmit them through generations. To better understand the history of semiotics of culture, it is necessary to know the meaning of these concepts, as well as what they include.
Semiotics
Semiotics is a term that is widely used in the work of many language scholars. The concept means the science of signs and sign systems. Therefore, speaking of culture as a sign system, it is necessary to talk about the text as the first source of signs. The semiotics of culture and the concept of text are firmly connected. Without written monuments, the science of signs would not have appeared.
Semiotics was developed in ancient Greece. Many philosophical schools have tried to find a suitable definition to explain the relationship between different linguistic phenomena. Greek semiotics has become more closely related to medicine, and not to language.
The term itself was introduced only in the 17th century by Locke, who believes that the main goal of science is to thoroughly identify the nature of signs. This science subsequently becomes in his works a part of ethics, logic, and even physics. This means that semiotics is a logical science in which everything is clearly structured. That is why later science reflects two aspects - logical and linguistic, which by their nature are very similar, but cover different areas of human activity.
The logical direction of semiotics
The logical direction both in the semiotics of Russian culture and in foreign appears two centuries after Locke's theories. Charles Pierce revealed this concept most widely in his writings. He worked for a long time, analyzed the nature of the concept of "semiotics", so he was able to derive a position on signs called "semiosis", and also structured and proposed a classification of signs. In semiotics of culture iconic, index and symbolic signs appeared. Later, Charles Morris, on the basis of Pierce's conclusions, defined three stages, levels of dimension, which describe the nature of relations in a probable sign dimension - syntax, semantics, and pragmatics.
After a period, the scientist realizes that in unity with other sciences, semiotics would have shown itself much wider and brighter, which is why he seriously affirms its inseparability. Science and signs are interconnected, therefore they cannot be without each other.
Morris, despite the ardent desire to infuse semiotics into the circle of other sciences, nevertheless acknowledged that it could very well become meta-science later on, and she would not need the help of others.
Linguistic direction
The logical direction of the semiotics of culture is not a very broad concept, since the subject of research is a separate sign that is not related to others. The linguistic field specializes in the study of not only one sign, but the language in general, since it is he who is the way to transmit information through sign systems.
This direction has become known to the world thanks to the work of Ferdinand de Saussure. In his book The Course of General Linguistics, he specified a number of attitudes that are significant for all the humanities, and not just for semiotics of culture. Language and culture also play an important role in linguistics.
Sign and symbol
Semiotics as a science has two basic concepts - it is a sign and a symbol. They are central and paramount.
The concept of a sign is equated to some material object. In certain situations, an object is assigned a value that can be of any nature. It can be a real or non-existent thing, some phenomenon, action, object or even something abstract.
A sign is able to adapt and mean one, two or many concepts, and it can easily replace an object or phenomenon. It is for this reason that the concept of sign volume appears. Depending on how many objects the sign indicates, it can increase in volume or, conversely, decrease.
Studying the semiotics of culture briefly, one may encounter the concept of the “concept of a sign,” which denotes a set of specific knowledge about the object of signification and its connection with other similar objects.
Natural signs
The natural signs in semiotics of culture are objects and phenomena. An item that carries a certain amount of information may become a sign. Natural signs are otherwise called signs-signs, because, as a rule, they indicate some kind of object. In order to most clearly understand the sign, you must be able to see the information in it, to understand that this is a sign of some object.
Natural signs are almost impossible to systematize and group, so they do not have a clear classification. To create it requires a long thought process, strength, as well as practice.
Functional Signs
Functional signs are signs that are constantly used by a person, that is, they are always active. For an object to become such a sign, it must have a connection with it, and also be constantly part of human activity.
Functional symbols may also be feature signs. The only difference between them and the natural ones is that the latter denote some objective aspects of the object, while the former denote the functions that they constantly perform in human life. Such signs are necessary in order to simplify life, because they perform both functional and symbolic work.
Iconic
Iconic signs are very different from others that exist in the semiotics of culture. They are images that have real resemblance to the subject of the image. They are fundamentally created identical to the designated things, their appearance is very similar to real objects.
Symbols express culture, as they denote not only the subject, but also the ideas and principles laid down in it initially.
The symbol is specific: it has two levels, where the first (external) is the appearance, image of the object, and the second (internal) carries a symbolic meaning, since it means the content of the object.
Conventional Marks
They denote objects that people agreed to call this sign, and appeared only with the goal of carrying a sign function. Other functions are not inherent in them.
Conventional signs express themselves through signals and indices. Signals warn or alert a person, and indices symbolically indicate some objects or processes. The processes or situations depicted by the index must be compact so that they can be easily imagined.
In the semiotics of culture, there are both separate conventional signs and their systems, which in their nature can be different.
Verbal Sign Systems
Verbal sign systems are commonly called the natural languages of mankind. This is a very important part, which plays a paramount role in life. Artificial languages also exist, but they are not directly related to verbal sign systems.
Natural language is a historically established system, which is a necessary basis for the development of all spheres, especially culture. The system is also in constant development, which indicates its openness to external interventions. Culture directly develops along with the natural language, so problems with the dynamics of the natural language will immediately affect the cultural development of society.
Text and semiotics
Writing is the basis for semiotics. Initially, she expressed herself only with the help of pictography. Later, an ideography appears, which implies that a certain meaning is embedded in the images. Also, the letter becomes more sketchy, hieroglyphs appear.
The last stage of the development of writing implies the emergence of a letter as such, that is, an alphabet with a specific set of necessary signs, which already indicate not phrases or words, but sounds.
When writing develops, certain rules appear for structuring signs in spoken and written language. That is why there is a literary language where all the norms are taken into account.
Ferdinand de Saussure also strives for every possible improvement in writing, therefore he provides the public with the provision that the basis of any language is a word that is considered an arbitrarily chosen sign. He also introduced the concepts of “signified” and “signifier”. The first is the content of the word, what is displayed in it, and the second is considered a form, that is, its sound and spelling. Another important point was the conclusion that the signs in the language form a semiotic system.
The semiotics of culture and the concept of Lotman's text is an original program in semiotics, which has received widespread and widespread recognition. This was a special theoretical basis, which was aimed at a thorough study of the aspects of culture and semiotics in unity. It appeared in the XX century, namely in the 60-80s.
Lotman deduced the concept of the text, considering it completely neutral with respect to literature. This helped to process segments of the culture, to analyze it itself. The early analysis process was long and debilitating and involved a semiotic analysis of the literature.
The semiotics of culture and the semiotics of text are inextricable, identical processes.
The main part of the analysis structure is the word, natural language and culture, which create conditions for a person, not biological, but social. Culture is a certain sphere, a large text that can and should be understood with the help of semiotics.
Articles on the semiotics of culture
Fashion System is a book authored by Roland Bart. In his creation, he reveals an idea that he had previously raised in a previous collection of articles (published in 1957). Fashion, in Bart's understanding, is a certain sign system that is able to regulate many other systems in the semiotics of culture. The structure of this work, unlike its predecessor, is built in a research format and has a more formal, clear organization of the text.
Roland Bart wanted to convey the idea that fashion is able to act on a person as a conditional sign, as well as a code that is an indispensable part of the system. Fashion is a structure of signs that are able to reunite to the signifier and the signified, and this system carries not only a set of signs, but also value orientations. Clothing is part of the fashion system and has connotational significance. This system easily penetrates the world of mass media and introduces its value attitude.