Principles of Semiotics by Roland Barthes
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of Semiotics by Roland Barthes-Roland Barthes, as one of the figures in the
connotation branch of semiotics, is known as a structuralist and expert in
semiology who was born in France. He is considered one of the semiologists who
extensively utilized Saussure's structural linguistics in the 1960s, alongside
Levi Strauss, Michel Foucault, and Jacques Lacan.
During his
lifetime, Barthes was recognized as a successor to Ferdinand de Saussure's
linguistic and semiotic thoughts. Through his works, it can be seen that
Barthes not only continued Saussure's ideas about the relationship between
language and meaning but went beyond Saussure, especially when Barthes
described the ideological meaning of language, which he referred to as myths.
Thus, Roland
Barthes' semiotic thinking was greatly influenced by Ferdinand de Saussure's
structural linguistics. In fact, most of the concepts and terms used in
Barthes' semiotic studies are derived from and summarized from Saussure's
linguistics, as stated in the introduction of his book, "Elements of
Semiology." The elements presented in this book have a single purpose: to
summarize the analytical concepts of linguistics, concepts that are sufficient
a priori to initiate semiological research.
In addition,
Barthes also considered that although Saussure's ideas had developed rapidly,
semiotics, in this case, was not yet a solid science. This is because Saussure
considered linguistics to be only a small part of the extensive field of
semiotics. However, in contemporary human life, there is no sign system as
extensive as human language.
Therefore,
Barthes expressed a change in Saussure's opinion, stating that linguistics is
not a part of semiotics, but rather, semiotics is a part of linguistics.
Specifically, semiotics is a part of linguistics that considers large units of
signification within a discourse.
In this
regard, Barthes established a classification principle for the semiotic
elements borrowed from structural linguistics. Among these elements, they are
grouped into four main dichotomous concepts: langue and parole, signified and
signifier, syntagm and system, denotation and connotation. It is from these
four concepts that the essence of semiotics is built.
a. Langue
and Parole
Langue
(language) and parole (speech) are terminologies introduced by Saussure and are
a dichotomous concept central to Saussure's thinking in the significant
transformation of previous linguistics.
Langue refers
to the collective intellectual creation of humans, which contains a set of
conventions and rules created socially and accepted by individuals that
determine their language behavior. Parole, on the other hand, refers to
individual speech acts that are heterogeneous and take various forms.
b. Signified
and Signifier
The next
concept from Saussure borrowed by Barthes is signified and signifier. The
signified is the mental aspect of a sign. It is not the object itself but the
psychic representation of the object. Saussure referred to it as the concept. For
example, the signified of the word "cow" is not the actual animal but
rather the mental image or concept of it.
The signifier,
on the other hand, mediates the signified. Saussure referred to the signifier
as the sound-image. A signified cannot express its idea without using some
material representation, which requires a signifier. As a material entity, the
signifier can be perceived through the senses. This material can take the form
of sound, writing, images, and other mediums. The relationship between the
signifier and signified cannot be separated from the conventions that apply
within a specific social context. The relationship between the signifier and
signified is arbitrary, depending on the conventions established in a
particular community.
c. Syntagm
and System
According to
Saussure, the relationship between linguistic units can be established in two
dimensions, each dimension having its own specific values. The first dimension
is related to syntagmatic relationships, and the second dimension is related to
paradigmatic relationships.
Syntagmatic relationships refer to the
relationships between signs that appear sequentially in a linear linguistic
action. Syntagmatic relationships have unconscious rules and laws that are
consistently followed by language users.
When
discussing the concept of relationships between components in a linguistic
structure, there are vertical and horizontal relationships. The syntagmatic
relationship is the relationship between a sign and other signs within a
sentence.
This
relationship is complementary, where the presence of a word in a sentence
greatly influences the overall meaning of the sentence. The position of a
component in a sequence cannot be replaced by another component. With this kind
of relationship, individuals are guided to construct a narrative from the
arrangement of words in the sentence.
The concept of
paradigmatic relationships relates to the relationship between one word and
other alternative words in different sentences. To explain this concept,
Barthes refers to the concepts of metaphor and metonymy proposed by Roman
Jakobson.
Metaphor is
the result of combining meanings on the paradigmatic level, while metonymy is
the result of syntagmatic relationships. However, Barthes adds that a
linguistic structure will always consist of these two elements and cannot stand
alone. It is possible for one of them to dominate the other within a linguistic
structure.
d.
Denotation and Connotation
Barthes
developed Saussure's semiotics into two levels of signification (staggered
systems), which allow for the production of layered meanings: denotation and
connotation. Denotation represents the first-level signification in Roland
Barthes' semiotics. In this level, the signifier relates to the signified in
such a way as to form a sign. In this first-level semiological system,
explicit, direct, and definite meanings are produced.
The sign
generated by this first-level semiological system then becomes the signifier in
the second-level semiological system. The second-level semiological system that
includes this denotative system has its own distinct characteristics that
differ from the first-level semiological system. While the first-level system
produces denotative meanings, the second-level semiological system produces
connotative meanings.
The meanings
produced in this level are implicit, indirect, and uncertain (open to various
related meanings). Thus, with the communication between linguistically
processed signs and the world that surrounds them, the resulting
interpretations are no longer literal but have undergone further stages that
allow signs to convey specific messages.