Icons,Symbols and Index

Icons

The icon is the simplest since it is a pattern that physically resembles what it `stands for' and are directly related to what they display.

Example of icons:

1. Statue of Liberty

The Statue of Liberty is a direct visual reference to the state of New York.

Also, many people associate it with the United States and freedom. It has many different meanings and is truly an icon.

source:http://www.visitingdc.com/new-york/statue-of-liberty-address.asp

2.The picture of a smoking cigarette with a diagonal bar

across the picture is an icon that directly represents

`Smoking? Don't do it'.

source:http://www.businesscar.co.uk/Pictures/Title/v/i/y/No_smoking_sign.jpg

Symbols

Are often abstract and have to be learned by the viewer seeing what the symbol represents a few times.

The symbol consists in a natural or conventional or logical rule, norm, or habit, a habit that lacks (or has shed) dependence on the symbolic sign's having a resemblance or real connection to the denoted object. Thus, a symbol denotes by virtue of its interpretant. Its sign-action (semeiosis) is ruled by a habit, a more or less systematic set of associations that ensures its interpretation. For Peirce, every symbol is a general, and that which we call an actual individual symbol (e.g., on the page) is called by Peirce a replica or instance of the symbol. Symbols, like all other legisigns (also called "types"), need actual, individual replicas for expression. Theproposition is an example of a symbol which is irrespective of language and of any form of expression and does not prescribe qualities of its replicas.

source:wikipedia

eg:

A word that is symbolic (rather than indexical like "this" or iconic like "whoosh!") is an example of a symbol that prescribes qualities (especially looks or sound) of its replicas.

IMPORTANT CLAIM:

No living nonhuman animals are able to use word-like symbols.

[There are some assertions that a few individual animals use a small (< 50 item) inventory of symbol-like units using hand signs or small physical tokens.]

If this claim is true, it implies

a huge divide between humans and nonhuman animals.

It means no animal communication systems can be understood as just `simple versions of human languages'.

Nonword Symbols.

The most common use of the term symbol is for signs that are not words:

bald eagle for USA,

bear for Russia, etc,

cross for Christianity,

star of David for Judaism,

swastika for Nazism,

font for a specific product (eg, Coca-Cola, Indiana University, etc).

So, nonword symbols are much like words but often lack a phonetic form.

source:http://www.cs.indiana.edu/~port/teach/103/sign.symbol.short.html

Index

Most road signs are index because they directly illustrate what you should or should not do/watch out for.

e.g

1.wet floor sign

The wet floor sign points directly at the meaning through the image of a person slipping.

source:http://hygo.co.uk/store/images/wet-floor-sign-floor.jpg

2.Big house

The big house shows the meaning of the wealth..

source:gubuk-reok.blogspot.com

Introduction of Semiotic

Semiotic which also been known as semiotic studies is the study of a sign and the sign processes,indication,analogy,metaphor or symbolism.Moreover it is a study in a field of a linguistics which meaning learning the structure and the language more specifically.

Sign: the smallest unit of meaning. Anything that can be used to communicate (or to tell a lie).

a 'signifier' (signifiant) - the form which the sign takes; and

the 'signified' (signifié) - the concept it represents.

Semiotic as a State of Mind..

It is also been describe as basic semiotical concepts which are indefinable the same as basic of mathematics such as number, point or a set. However, every semiotic studies begin with an explanation of a sign as a primary object of the science.

In our life, we usually use sign in order to communicate with each other like having a conversation or giving an information, as an example we use t

ext,sound,images,pose or sometimes a gesture to do so.

Images in semiotic:

There is a huge amount of material related to semiotics in a web. However, very little of studies of semiotics been focused in visual images.This general introduction by Daniel Chandler at the University of Wales covers most of the basic concepts or history of semiotic study.Roland Barthes Mythologies (1957). Developed by Tony McNeill at The University of Sunderland, a comprehensive site on an essential text on the semiotic analysis of popular-cultural "texts". Menu and reading list.This links to Sandra Moriarty's Visual Semiotics and the Production of Meaning in Advertising (1995) which confronts the nature of meanin

g and images. On her homepage is a list of online articles.The easiest introduction to the semiotic analysis of images is still Judith Williamson's Decoding Advertisements (1978) even if the examples used are embarrassingly out of date.

sources from http://w3.gril.univ-tlse2.fr/Proimago/LogiCoursimage/semiotic.htm

Signs of Under 18

We often see this sign when we go to a cinema to watch a movie or watch a movie in our home.this sign automatically tell us that the movie we are about to see is a movie for an adult which is above the 18 years old.This film is for aged 18 years and above only.No people under this age will be admitted.Film may contain adult themes, explicit scenes, mature content, nudity, strong language, and/or sex, etc.

Any 18+ movies shown in cinemas after April 14, 2010, will be classified as 18. The rating still uses the circle sign that the previous ratings 18SG, 18SX, 18PA and 18PL used. Any movies previously classified using the old 18+ ratings will now be re-classified as 18. However, video classification that still rated as the previous 18+ ratings is still valid.

This sign is also been applied to the smoking issues.All people under 18 are strictly not allowed to buy a cigarettes in a shop that means the shopkeeper have to take the responsibility to not sell the cigarettes to the likes of a student or everybody which is under 18 years of age.

Nevertheless this sign is always been ignored by people which did not care about their lifestyles and their own health because they will always want to break the law by saying that their old enough to see a movie with adult themes scenes that can destroy their morale values and culture, and with smoking there will more people will have a health problem such as lung cancer, heart attack and many more.