Technical communicators should be aware of a field of study known as semiotics. Semiotician Daniel Chandler’s Semiotics: The Basics provides a comprehensible introduction to the world of semiotics. In this book, Chandler attempts to explain the fundamentals of semiotics to a novice audience.
According to Chandler (2007), “Semiotics could be anywhere. The shortest definition is that it is the study of signs … Semiotics is concerned with meaning-making and representation in many forms, perhaps most obviously n the forms of texts and media” (p. 1-2).
Chandler includes real world examples and studies to define key terms such as contrasting Apple and IBM logos to describe paradigmatic analysis.
Chandler admits his rudimentary approach to semiotics is somewhat misleading; however, the author is forthcoming about his methods as he admits there is little agreement among modern theorists regarding the subject.
Rather than a book that requires readers to refer to a dictionary every other line, this text is crucial to contemporary communication theory as it offers a user-friendly guide – complete with a glossary of key terms – to important themes including sign systems and structuralism.
Chandler, D. (2007). Semiotics: The basics (2nd ed.). London, England: Routledge.
No comments:
Post a Comment