Semiotics

1) What did Ferdinand de Saussure suggest are the two parts that make up a sign?

The signifier and signified

2) What does ‘polysemy’ mean?

The same signifier can have different meanings

3) What does Barthes mean when he suggests signs can become ‘naturalised’?

Certain meanings are created and brought about in society and, over time, once enough people know about these newly constructed meanings, they become naturalised

4) What are Barthes’ 5 narrative codes?

Hermeneutic code or enigma code

Proairetic code or ‘action code’

Semantic code

Symbolic code

Cultural code

5) How does the writer suggest Russian Doll (Netflix) uses narrative codes?

The title acts as a symbolic code. The symbol of the Russian doll helps people make sense of the narrative.

Icons, indexes and symbols

1) Find two examples for each: icon, index and symbol. Provide images or links.

Icon:

Symbol:

Index

2) Why are icons and indexes so important in media texts?

Icons are important as they provide the consumers with a greater understanding as to what the text is trying to convey. Indexes are significant too because they allow the audience to make links with other things because indexes give an implied sign allowing the audience to infer their own meaning

3) Why might global brands try and avoid symbols in their advertising and marketing?

To avoid offending people

4) Find an example of a media text (e.g. advert) where the producer has accidentally communicated the wrong meaning using icons, indexes or symbols. Why did the media product fail? (This web feature on bad ads and marketing fails provides some compelling examples

).

It failed because it used grammar incorrectly

5) Find an example of a media text (e.g. advert) that successfully uses icons or indexes to create a message that can be easily understood across the world.