Semiotics

Week 1 

Semiotics is the study of signs and sign systems within society, that have been influenced by culture. Signs are anything that are capable of conveying meaning, whether that be words, image, clothes, gestures, symbols, etc. Semiotics are used to understand the world around us, and develop and underpin understandings for different ways of communicating. 

Signified + Signifier = Sign 
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Signified -  the mental concept - a response and understanding (cognitive reading)
Signifier - physical representation - stimulus (verbal / text)

Language is ideological (political and socially motivated) - made up of different signs, spoken or written. Words are symbolic, and work because of a difference between signs. For example, we know dog is different to dig because of both the signified, and the signifier. 

Semiotics in advertisement:
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Semiotics are used in all walks of life, however are heavily used in advertising. This way, advertisers can show images and words that will persuade the consumer to buy their products. 

In this advertisement, the signifier is the image and text. The signified is what is used to persuade the consumer to buy the product. For example, the use of the ketchup bottle being tomatoes, infers to the consumer that like the fruit, their ketchup is also healthy. This is also supported by the use of the word 'grow' to show how the product is natural and not 'factory made.'

Semiotics here are used to both directly and indirectly show what is being sold.

Saussure (1857 - 1913) - linguist academic, more interested in language existing as a state in a moment of time as opposed to in history. He believed the key to language was through the communication of minds. Language is full of signs, whether written or spoken, and it is the difference between signs that allows language to function. 

Roland Barthes -Mythologies (1957) - Myths refers to something present in mainstream culture. They reflect dominant ways of thinking about things, eg. place, product, thing etc and may be ideological (politically or socially motivated. Barthes was heavily influenced by Karl Marx.  

Semiotics in action:

How is the role/ character of each wrestler defined and communicated to the audience?
The characters are introduced to the audience straight away, describing everything from physique to reputation. This allows the audience to easily pick up on which character is the 'hero' and which is the 'villain.' This is done through the different expressions present on each characters face, and reflected in the audience as they boo for Giant Haystacks, and cheer for the hero Big Daddy. 

What is the role played by the commentator?
The commentator is there to describe what is happening in the ring, all while being enthusiastic about what is playing out in front of them, in hopes to make the audience at home just as excited and entertained. 

What about the role of the referee?
The referee is there to provide as much entertainment as the two wrestlers. His smaller physique allows the viewer to clearly see how much larger the two wrestlers are in comparison. Even in the background the referee is able to direct the viewers attention to which ever wrestler is of more importance at that time, essentially making him a tool for the story to unfold. 

Crowd response is the action in the ring clear to follow? If so how is this made possible?
The majority of the action is easy for the crowd to follow. Over exaggerated actions from the wrestlers help the action be seen more easily. For viewers at home, the commentator adds to the clarity, serving as a narrator for the action. 

Based on observation would you classify wrestling as a sport?
With the pre-determined result, wrestling is nothing more than a theatre production, with pre-planned stunts to help the story of hero vs villain unfold. Wrestling doesn't stand up to the spontaneity and competitiveness of other sports. Even if it has all the qualities of other sports, such as in the commentator, referee, etc. Wrestling simply creates the image of passion without the dangerous consequences. 

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