Visual Semiotics (Week 5)

What is theory?

From the greek word theoria, it is to reflect, observe, view; dictionary describes it as a system of things, explanation of abstract principles whether in science or art. It is taken from a general study of the science of signs.

The Founders of Semiotics

Ferdinand de Saussure who was a French linguist, lived from 1857 to 1913. Charles Sanders Peirce, whose life spans from 1839 to 1914, was known as an American philosopher. What both of them had in common was the fact that semiotics were central to their studies and they developed structural models of signs.

Cornerstone of Modern Semiotics

The study of linguistics is the historical usage of language.

Saussure particularly was involved with the closely related Indo-European languages, specifically Sanskrit. Saussure was looking at language that was completely different from the way it was intended to be looked at, and that sparked his journey to find visual semiotics.