Semiotics: WTF? Introduction to Saussure, the Signifier and Signified
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 15 พ.ย. 2017
- In this episode of What the Theory, an introduction to semiotics, in particular the approaches of linguists and semioticians Ferdinand de Saussure and Charles Sanders Peirce.
Signs, semiotics as well as the concepts of the signifier and signified can seem like somewhat complex terminology when first starting out as can Peirce's related yet distinct notion of the icon, index, symbol triad. In this video essay, I try to help all you out who would like semiotics explained in a clear and concise manner so that you can go away with a slightly clearer understanding of semiotics theory.
Further Reading
Semiotics: A Graphic Guide by Paul Cobley & Litza Jansz
US: amzn.to/2SCGokF
UK: amzn.to/2SB84GX
Semiotics: The Basics by Daniel Chandler
US: amzn.to/2EFeEbJ
UK: amzn.to/2VpgP8C
Mythologies by Roland Barthes
US: amzn.to/2Eq3rud
UK: amzn.to/2NBvXNu
[The above are affiliate links. I receive a small kickback from anything you buy which, in turn, helps to support the channel.]
If you've enjoyed this video then please do check out the rest of my channel where I put out a whole range of videos discussing theatre and playwriting from the perspective of an aspirant and (some might say) emerging playwright and theatre maker as well as reflecting on my experience as a PhD Student.
Twitter: @Tom_Nicholas
Website: www.tomnicholas.com
Thanks for watching!
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Hi all! Thanks for watching, I hope you found the video useful in some way! If you'd like me to make more videos like this, and to influence what topics I cover next, then I've just launched a Patreon. I'd really appreciate you checking it out and, if you're able, considering supporting my channel! Thanks! Check it out here: www.patreon.com/tomnicholas
Who is pierce? I thought you were going to talk about Peirce
InstaBlaster...
Wow, in less than 10 minutes you summed up all those hours of lectures I had to sit through in college and in a way everybody could understand it. Congratulations+
So , here I sit on my desk, smoking a joint, and listening to Ramsey Bolton talking about semiotics and Ferdinand de Saussure! Very nice video. It is relaxed and has clarity, both of which contribute to getting the messege across. You're certainly getting a PhD. You must. :)
i was thinking nevil
Same pinch buddy! Gotta spread the buds without sparing a single bud.
Can we smoke together? 😂
@@ScribblebytesWorldwide I suppose we're thousands of miles apart!
@@biswasronit that's what the Internet is for 😂
This has to be the best crash course video in semiotics that's available here on TH-cam! Thanks a lot for this! You helped me more than the books that I've been reading for days!
Same here. Im taking an online course with an absent instructor, just my book and computer. Im so glad I found this video, it made this all crystal clear. Your an excellent teacher!!
I've learned about general linguistics at college and I didn't quite grasp Saussure's theory at first, but your video helped me understand and clear up the mess in my head. Thank you, you earned a subscriber.
So glad you found it helpful! Sometimes it just takes something being explained in a slightly different way for it to be unlocked!
This is amazing; you're one of the few people who actually aim to deliver complex theory in a clear, simple way without bogging it down with overly complicated language. You also have a wonderfully clear method of speech. Thanks so much for this video, it's helped tremendously :)
This is so helpful! Especially the part where you explained why it mattered and why it's not just theorizing for theorizing's sake. Thanks so much!
If you want to check out more of my What the Theory? videos, then I have handily collected them in a playlist here: th-cam.com/play/PLIVcDWpMT7Kd3O0eq8b6fMOwvK26vpiWE.html
And, if you've any suggestions for what I should add to the series next then let me know!
Tom Nicholas YOUR AWESOME!!!!! THANKS FOR THIS!!
Thank you for saying so, glad you found it useful!
Took three weeks of my college course for them to explain this somewhat clearly and yet this video made me understand it perfectly. Thank you! You are so good at explaining and actually fun to watch
Glad to have helped out Angela!
Brilliant crash course! Simply explained yet with enough information to get into the deeper intricacies. Thanks a million!!
I'm so grateful for your explanations. When I need a refresher on something, I go to your videos rather than my messy notes.
Finally I've discovered someone who can explain it as easy as possible! Thank you so much. Really liked your humorous style of explaining:)
Awesome video! This is one of the best videos on semiotics I've seen on TH-cam. Thanks for making it!
Thanks for saying so Julia, much appreciated!
This video was so helpful. I’ve spent hours reading over and over this academic article for school with no sense made from it, but your explanation made it pretty much all click into place
In the olden days we us words like "connotation," "denotations" and "objective correlatives" but we were poets, young and didn't know any better.
this was so helpful wow, i’ve been struggling to understand my readings for my art history theories and methodologies course and i’m so thankful i came across your videos!! thank you!
Tom you explained this TOO GOOD. i wish teachers communicated like you!! have a great day
Thank god for this video! I was catching up on a lecture that I missed and had absolutely no idea what they were conveying. This made a lot more sense. Thank you! :)
I really appreciate your video! I was always confused with the term semiotics and finally you explained it so well with interesting examples! And knowing what is the importance of learning these "weird" academic concepts really helps to raise my interest in the topis! Thank you so much for making this video!
Thank you so much for making this video. I'm a theatre arts major, and we are talking about semiotics and phenomenology in the context of theatre and art. I really thought we were just overcomplicating things and trying to make something simple meta and then making that even more meta, but you simplified it down into something that was far more digestible and understandable.
I am literarily writing my open book literary theory final right now using this concept. This helped so much, thanks man!
Thank you so much for this! Have a lecture and seminar about it next week and was genuinely baffled by the whole concept. This made it much clearer, cheers!
Thank you for being so clear and succinct about this stuff. You use excellent examples and connect them throughout the whole lesson. I'm going to bring these ideas into my Intro to Communications HS class. Thank you!
Wow, this just saved my life, you've explained to me in 10 minutes what staring at my anthropology textbook hasn't been able to do in three hours :) Thanks!!
Thanks for this!! I needed a quick explanation of what exactly this was all about and you did it in less than 10mins. Thank You~
Very well explained. Clear and concise. Thank you
Your spontaneity is amazing !
This video is VERY well done, sir! Thank you for posting it.
Thank you - have started an MA after many, many years of absence from academia and have been reeling at the effort to get my brain round the concepts again. Your video has been VERY useful in giving me that basic understanding. Now I have to actually read Saussure...
This video helped me tremendously, with my project. Very clear explanations of the basics of semiotics, better than any of the over-complicated explanations I could find in scholarly articles!
No probs! However, I would suggest also using the "more complicated" explanations from the academic literature for any project as they will undoubtedly be far more in-depth than I'm able to be here.
You are a god send. I am doing a post-grad research report on semiotics and this has helped me interpret what I have been starring at for days on paper because I am too dumb to understand academic speak! I think I learn more watching youtube video explanations of my research than the actual journal articles/books themselves hehe! cheers :)
Glad to have been of service! This was one of my earlier videos and I haven't watched it back in a while but I'm glad it's maybe stood the test of time as a resource even if I tend to cringe watching it!
Hi John. I've a few questions for you about your research
@@aniebietudokang1691 Casually violating Grice's maxim of quantity. 🤣
I'm learning in this in my masters and this really help, thank you.
One of the most fascinating videos I have ever come across about the Subject 😍😍🌹 Thank you
Cheers! It really helped me understand what I’ve been reading for the past month. Keep it up!
Great, glad to be of service!
Very good, as always! A concrete illustration of the value of semiotics, demonstrating its relevance in cultural analysis, would really land this introduction nicely.
That was very helpful. Thank you. I'm studying this in an Art Criticism class. It's been stumping me, but this is a clear explanation.
This was amazing! Thank you so much!!! It was very helpful. Your explanations are so clear and simple!
So glad you found it handy!!
I'm so happy I found your channel.
I realize it's been a while since you've done What the Theory videos, but I'd love to see some more stuff on structuralism 🙏 Love your work, thanks for uploading!
This made so much more sense than the lecture. Thank you.
This is an extremely helpful video for my english studies! Thanks :)
About to do an oral presentation for my Semiotics class and this helped a lot, thank you so much! :)
Simple but excellent explanation of semiotics Thank you.
Thanks a lot for this, your explanation is so simple and clear!
Amazing video, my knowledge of semiotics has increased ten folds now!
Very clear explanation for a confusing subject. Thank you!
Thank you so much for this video! I had trouble really understanding this topic and now I get it.
Love your channel.
Awesome, so glad the video helped!
Semiotics is the cheat code for language. Actually underrated for how useful it is.
I can't thank you enough for this video! You did a great job of simplifying what I thought was a very complex subject. Greetings from Mexico!
This helps me remember all of the semiotics that has leaked out of my brain since graduating. I'd love to see more.
Glad it helped! I'm slowly adding to this series although they tend to take a little bit of time to put together. Feel free to let me know if there's anything in particular you'd like to see a video on and I'll do my best!
Really enjoyable. Did my philosophy degree back in the 90s and starting to get into it again.
super clear video with great explanations!! thank you :)
Thank you so much, I was a bit confused but you video has helped me to understand semiotics more.
Excellent presentation and delivery - gave me exactly what I needed without being too pedantic and boring. Bravo!
Thanks Nancy, that's certainly what I aim for so I'm glad I occasionally hit the mark!
Thank you for this video! I just came across Saussure in my master's degree and I was looking for a good crash course in his ideas - this is very clear and well-explained.
Excellent work, I appreciate you sharing!
Thank you for making things clear for us. Much appreciated
This is really good Tom. Took me right back.
Wow! You made each philosopher's model for interpreting signs much easier for me to understand. Thank you so much! :)
Cheers Josh, glad you found it useful!
Watching this before my semiotics exam. Thank you for the useful explanation!
No worries, hope the exam goes well!
This is sooo helpful, I appreciate it so muchh. Thank you for the clear explanation!
This was so increibly helpful, thank you
Great job, you explained this even better than my professor, I wish you were him. keep it up, you're doing such a great job. I believe you are going to be one of the greatest people soon.
Excellent presentation!
Hi, I wanted to say thank you for such an informative video, I am studying arts and culture and were covering semiotics right now, you summed up this topic perfectly and even made it entertaining! I hope by this time now you have successfully completed your PhD! Thank you again!
Thank you so much for the explanation! Since it's quarantine and online class, helped me a lot to understand semiotics more because our teacher just gave modules and did not explain what are these.
So happy to stumble across your video. I'm currently learning about semiotics as part of a design course. I was pretty sure I had it nailed but watching this has helped a lot. You basically said what I was thinking but more concise and that's helped it all fall into place. Cheers!
Ah, glad to be of service Craig. Sometimes it does just take someone confirming what you already thought was right to help you feel a little more confident! Best of luck with the course!
Thanks man, I've had a quick look over the rest of your videos and I think I'll be back on your channel quite often! Cheers.
Very helpful for condensing and making de Saussure's ideas much more digestible, great video! Keep up the ood work.
No problems Mr Tank, thanks for watching!
I just found out about your channel and I absolutely love these videos! You do such a good job explaining these concepts 👍🏻👏🏻
Thank you, really glad you liked it!
Tom! Thank you looots! I could only understand it when watched your video, all the material i've read before was too complicated. You explain super well, thanks thanks
Ahh, thank you Karlinha, I'm really glad you found it helpful!
Thank you! I am researching on semiotics for a paper I am writing. This helped me a lot. Great work :)
Wonderful video mate, very infromative.
had a really hard time understanding semiotics from the script. thanks to you i know understand it alot better 😊
Just started analysing media and culture module at uni and this really helped clarify things - thanks so much. Subscribed :)
explained better than my lecturers! thanks so much :)
extremely helpful content for my studies, he explains things much better than my teacher
Ey Tom! Nice to have found your videos! Very helpful!! I'm an English teacher trying to pass a difficult exam so your videos kind of saved my life hahaha having to study so much shit from my philology degree many years ago... Things I don't remember anymore... But thanks to you I can easily remember and understand again. Greetings from Mallorca!!
Bless this video. Totally helped me understand the concept that I couldnt while reading
So glad to have helped in some small way!
this is so helpful! thank you very much!!
Perhaps one of the most mind changing subjects you could undertake. Great video 🙂
Thanks!
This video is great. It helps me understanding things clearly. I am working on my paper whic is about semiotics. You know what it is quite confusing sometimes and I mess it up. Your earn the subscribe ;)
Thanks Supheerutai, really glad you found it useful!
How is your paper coming along?
Cheers dude! Gave me a better understanding!!!
Holy crap this was a really succinct and clear video explaining a relatively difficult concept to understand, cheers buddy!
Ah, thanks so much for saying so! Glad you found it useful!
Tom Nicholas It helped to simplify the essay “The object in study” which I’m looking at in Uni so yuuup, if I get a good grade it’s defo cause of the help of this ;)
Haha, not at all, while I’m glad to have helped, a decent grade will be all your own work!
I have an exam about semiotics very soon and I was confused. Your video helped me figure it out better! Thanks!
Glad to have helped you out Konstantina! Hope the exam goes well!
I am writing a deseration on this topic and this video just saved my life! so thank you
Nicely explained . Thank you.
This is really amazing man! I had some prejudices because you do look young, but you have proved your time's worth :D
Thanks Fatih. Haha, looking like a 12 year old is probably one of the greatest burdens in my life...
Haha, I've been reading up in post-structuralist theory for about year now here and there. And I had, until now, misunderstood the distinction between, sign - and signifier and signfied. I thought these concepts were seperate parts of the 'real' object that functioned on the same level, as opposed to the Signifier and signified being extrapolated from the sign. This meant everytime i read a PS text, I found the authors to be confusing these terms, which in turn totally melted my brain ---- (to get an idea of this I've spent countless nights swearing at my computer in total lonely confusion) However, I watched this and eureka ! it all makes sense...a slight pang of dented pride as this guy is at least 5 years younger than me. I'll take it though, hats off to Tom!!!
Sorry to Let you down that knowledge Is nothing to si with age but studies AND intellugence. He knowlwdge Is amazing AND impressive As well as the didactic way he explains ( making a great didactic transposition) such difficult ,complex theory. I teach social Communication, Believe me AND i am able to assure you he Is really good at teaching.
Prejudiced because he looks young??? Man I trust him just because he's white
Wisdom doesn't come with old age :P
Thank you for making this video, I've got exams coming up on this topic (among others) and you helped me heaps!
Ahh, I'm glad you found it useful. Best of luck with the exam!
Thanks so much! Helped me a bunch as I stumble through Saussure's "Course in General Linguistics"!!!
Great video! Short, clear and very informative :)
Thank you, glad you found it helpful!
Thanks so much Tom! This was so well articulated, much better than my tutor! hahaha and I'm glad I found it just in time for my media studies exam. I'll be recommending to them to show the class.
Or just get the A+ by yourself hahaha I kid
Thanks god finally :') Its very clear explanation and easy to understand.
Thank you so much! I finally get a good explanation on Semiotics.
Glad it helped!
I'm currently learning Film Theory and I got lost when Wollen talked about all these things... Thank you so much for your video! It's super helpful. :)
Ah, I hope it helped to fill some of the gaps in your knowledge. I often find that someone explaining something in a slightly different way can unlock it for me; it's all about finding the ways in which you learn best!
Thank you, this is really helpful for a BA drama student !!!
Eeeeey, I’m so glad. Best of luck with the course!
This video will save me from being behind to the subject I'm taking this semester: introduction to the art of theatre.
My god, this is amazing! Thank you for this video.
No worries, hope you found it helpful!
Nice to see all the people in the comment who were helped by this.
Tom you just upacked the topic clearly, i have n exam tomorrow and im con vinced that im ready for the paper
thankyou so much
Thank You SOOOO MUCH!! I have a quiz tomorrow on this and I didn't understand it until NOW!
Ahhh, I’m glad it was handy. Best of luck with the quiz!