Media, Information and Technoculture 2200F/G Lecture 1: Structuralism
13 Feb 2017
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Document Summary
One of the towering figures of 20th century thought. Called it the basic unit of language. Sign = signifier + signified: the union of the signifier and the signified. Signifier: a form that is linked to an idea. That form could take many forms; could be many things. For example, the form could be the word cat, image of a cat would signify a cat. Signified: the idea or concept that is linked to a signifier; sound pattern. The signified and the signifiers are like two sides of a paper; both are linked and cannot exist without each other. The meaning of the sign cat" doesn"t rise from any physical or material aspect of the signifier, nor from any necessary link between the signifier and the signified. The meaning of the signifier cat" derives from the fact that it is not bat" or hat" or any other sign in the system.
