F. De Saussure C.S. Peirce 1857-1913 1931-1958
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Transcript F. De Saussure C.S. Peirce 1857-1913 1931-1958
Text and Sign, Part II
Bent Preisler, Professor of English Language and
Sociolinguistics, Department og Culture and Identity
”My” part of the course description:
Communication Theory – Applied Linguistics
Outline of Part II:
1.
Models of Communication
Saussure, Peirce, Barthes
2.
Speech Acts and Language Functions
Searle, Grice
3.
Code Variation and Meaning – users and uses of
language
Arbitrary relationship between code variation
(quantitative) and social meaning – Trudgill
Social meaning reflected in/created by code variation
(qualitative) – Maltz/Borker vs. Eckert
4.
Language and Power
Social hierarchies in language
5.
Analyzing Discourse as social action
– as reflecting and constructing social roles, attitudes,
events
F. de Saussure
1857-1913
C.S. Peirce
1931-1958
Sign
Sign
Signifier
Signified
”Something which stands for something else”
(signifier)
(signified)
Diadic system
Interpretant
Object
”Something which stands to
somebody for something else”
Triadic system
Peirce: types of sign
Icon: looks like
reality
Index: points
to reality
e.g. smoke fire
dialects regions
e.g. map, photo,
onomatopoeia
Symbol:
conventionally
related to reality
e.g. most words,
numerals (though
Roman numerals are
iconic, cp. II >< III !)
”Motivated” vs. conventional signs
Convention
Arbitrary reference
Iconic reference
Motivation
Paradigms and syntagms
e.g.
Syntagm
Paradigm
Subject
The little girl
A big dog
Bill
(etc.)
+
Verbal
saw
ate
tasted
(etc.)
+
Object
an apple
the steak
the orange
(etc.)
*The brick
*wrote
*an idea
”*” = does not work!
Linguistic signs
A spoken language sign is composed of one or more phonemes
e.g. /kæt/ (phonological transcription)
Can be represented in writing by graphemes, e.g. cat
Phonemes/graphemes are combined to produce morphemes, i.e.
the smallest linguistic signs (syllables or words)
e.g. /k/ + /æ/ + /t/ = /kæt/
c + a + t = cat
which in turn can be combined to form larger units of meaning
(process called semiosis)
Signs are distinguished from each other by their contrast:
e.g. dog is differentiated from hog, dig and log by a single
letter:
cp. dog/hog, dog/dig, dog/log
Thus knowledge of any term is dependent on knowledge of the
system!
Roland Barthes: the meaning of
signs is interactive/negotiated!
Two orders of signification:
DENOTATION
vs.
CONNOTATION
and myth
e.g. ”freedom fighter” / ”13” / ”politician” / ”liberal”
Metaphor
The salesman tried to land a contract with the client
The police finally netted a bank robber after an intense
search
The con artist managed to reel in another victim
He was trying to bait her into debate
Based on paradigmatic selection
- imaginative.
Metonymy
The Kremlin would like to be seen as the peacemaker
Kremlin Russia
Denmark won!
Denmark the Danish team
Syntagmatic selection (parts in relation to the whole)
- realistic
Contrast: Norms and deviation
Prototype Theory
Eleanor Rosch (1970s): Human cognition is the
primary element for any categorization
Object assigned to category through comparison with
its prototype object (mental entity in the human
mind)
e.g. OSTRICH, PENGUIN less ”BIRD” than SPARROW
Kate’s Boobs
Icons:
Indexes:
Symbols:
Pictures (likeness)
Photos and names (reference to actual
people/events) – the text as such (tabloid)
Words other than names (though names
can be symbols! – e.g. Einstein, Hitler
Numbers: ”50” – sexual impropriety!
Variation in type-face (connotes drama,
sensation)
Puns, ”mixing up” spellings/meanings,
generate new connotations: tension
between ”serious” and ”saucy”
e.g. shakes-peer : Denot. wobbles + stare
Connotations ”sexual excitement”
(Kate’s Boobs, cont.)
Interchangeable paradigm members:
Denotations and connotations
boob (slang) – cp. breast
saucy – cp. risqué
carry-on – cp. fuss
peel off – cp. strip
INFORMAL - FORMAL
bard – cp. poet
”a no-holds-Bard Shakespeare play” –
pun: ”no holds barred,” ”anything goes” (from wrestling)
Same sound – different meaning (pun): access to different
connotations/myths
”Bares her Boobs for the Bard”: alliteration – each (phonological)
syntagm begins with the same paradigm member
(Kate’s Boobs, cont.)
Syntagmatic combinations connoting
informality, non-serious ”news” (gossip!):
1st col.
”Sexy TV actress K.O.
”The 50-year-old ex-Howard’s Way star”
”Twice married Kate”
2nd col.
”a right Cleo carry on” (British-English colloquial style)
”sultry Kate”
(Kate’s Boobs cont.)
Metaphor and Metonymy
Metophor:
”a no-holds-Bard (i.e. barred) Shakespeare play” –
Vehicle: ”no holds barred” (from wrestling)
Tenor: ”no tricks barred
… strategies …
… effects …
Metonomy: Kate’s ”boob” gets to stand for the whole play!