Signs

This week in classes we have been going over signs and semiotics. I choose a stop sign for my picture because I feel that it represents many levels of semiotics; also I drive my car a lot, so I run into a lot of stop signs. First of all, it has a word written on it, words are signifiers. Signifiers work in tandem with the signified to create a sign. In the case of a stop sign, when we see the signifier “stop”, we are signified to cease are motion or actions. Also the color and the shape of a stop sign are symbols in themselves. This is why when in foreign country you can still tell when to stop at an intersection. This brings up the question however, why do we think stop when we see a red octagon. What does having eight sides, and having low energy light waves have anything to do with stopping? Why don’t we use a blue triangle or maybe a sign with a person with their hand sticking out? In this way a stop sign is a good example of the arbitrary nature of language. The only reason we think stop when we see a stop sign is because, that’s what society tells us to think. Also have you ever said a word over and over again, if not try it, after awhile the word starts to sound weird. I was with my friend at lunch, and for some reason I said the word “said” about 20 times in a row, and after that the word seemed really foreign, and meaningless. Anyway, the readings on semiotics made a lot more sense after reading the Barthes article. He showed semiotics in action by relating it to wrestling, something that I am familiar with. It was easier to understand the signified signifier relationship, and how symbols are everywhere, when it was presented in an example I am familiar with. On one final note, my homepage for the personal narrative is still a work in progress; my busy schedule has prevented me from getting much done. By the way does anyone know if the CIRCA labs are open on the weekends?

Michael