Semantics, Semiotics, and Symbols: Semantics is the study of meaning. Instead, symbols are generally given their meaning by humans based on their usage, and then those meanings and their interpretations differ based on context and subtext (leading to a world of opportunities for complex communication… and miscommunication). Symbols don’t always have inherent meaning.Still, it isn’t “that simple”, as we often have to define symbols in conversation, using other symbols, each potentially adding complexity to our communication (given the fact that multiple meanings can be “anchored” to a single symbol). We don’t need to explain mass-energy equivalence each time we want to express the concept, we can just say “E = mc 2” and our science friend will know what we are talking about. Each symbol we use is like a shortcut.
Unfortunately, using a single term or even a mix of terms for a deep complex concept can lead to a world of communication problems. Luckily, we can use a mix of symbols to better illustrate complex ideas quickly. Most symbols mean many different things at once, and can mean different things to different people depending on a number of controllable and uncontrollable factors (like context, subtext, and the past experiences of those communicating). That said, most symbols, and our use of them in practice, is anything but simple. That simple symbol doesn’t have just one meaning, but it has a fairly common meaning, and general “communication value” (it works for conveying ideas between people).
If I want to communicate happiness, it can be as simple as offering symbolic emoji to a friend. Language is symbolic in more ways than can be summarized in a sentence or paragraph, but generally we are talking about how symbols can stand for something else, how they can be used to communicate, and how they can be imbued with meaning.įor a simple example of symbolic language: the word cat is symbolic of the idea of a cat, a dollar is a symbol of $1 of economic value, the word yes or a nod is a symbol of confirmation, a grimace is a symbol of disapproval, and a smiley face emoji is a symbol of happiness 🙂. An Introduction to the Idea of Language as Symbolism and Symbolic Language Symbols can be words, images, body language, sounds, etc. Language can be thought of as a system of communication that uses symbols to convey deep meaning. What is Language? – Language as Symbolism Overview
0 kommentar(er)
