Just like how we discover meaning behind every language by understanding the written and spoken material we can also find meaning within cultural practices (if we perceive culture the same way be do language).
In order to make sense of cultural artefacts we need to learn and understand their codes. That codes rely on shared knowledge.
Signs are made up of two parts, the signifier and signified. Signifier is a sound, word or image that suggests the sign and the signified is the mental concept of that sign.
For example: Sound of a dog (signifier) + Mental concept of a dog (signified) = Dog (sign)
There is no logic behind the relationship between the signifier and the signified in language.
Denotation - basic understanding behind the meaning of a word through the feelings or ideas that word suggests. For example: Dog = animal etc.
Connotation - ideas or feelings the word associates with in addition to its' actual meaning.
For example: Dog = loyal pet etc.
The meaning of a sign isn't determined by the object but by the people who identify them.
Therefore the meaning of a sign can change.
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| Dog = animal, canine, furry, four legged, noisy, pet, playful, loyal, loving, etc. |
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