Semiotics

Semiotics is the science of studying signs and their meanings. 

The signified (experience) and signifier (spoken or written language) are the codes that help us as individuals to understand signs. The relationship between them is arbitrary and the signs are organised into codes. 

According to Barthes (1957), signs signify on two different levels which are denotation (literal meaning) and connotation (cultural associations).

Saussure believes that a sign's meaning is determined primarily by its relationship to other signs. 

CODES
- codes are found in all forms of cultural practice
- in order to make sense of cultural artefacts we need to learn and understand their codes
- we need to acknowledge that codes rely on a shared knowledge

- they have a number of units to choose from )paradigmatic dimension) which are combined by rules or conventions (syntagmatic dimension).
- all codes convey meaning
- all codes depend upon agreement and a shared cultural background
- codes perform an identifiable social or communicative function


Saussure defined codes to be organised into:
PARADIGM - a set of signs from which one is to be chosen 
SYNTAGM - the message into which the chosen signs are to be combined
All messages involve selection (from a paradigm) and combination (into a syntagm).

PARADIGM
Every time we communicate we select from a paradigm. All the units in a paradigm must have something in common and each of the units in a paradigm must be clearly distinguished from the others. 
Where there is choice there is meaning, and the meaning of what was chosen is determined by the meaning of what was not. 

SYNTAGM
Once a unit has been chosen from a PARADIGM it is combined with other units. This combination is called a syntagm. 

- a sentence is a SYNTAGM of words
- our clothes are a SYNTAGM of paradigmatic choices of hats, gloves, ties ...
- interior décor is a SYNTAGM of choices from the PARADIGM of chairs, wallpaper, carpets etc. 
- an architect makes a SYNTAGM out of doors, windows etc. and their positions

The PARADIGM is the choice and the SYNTAGM is the relationship.