Cultural Studies Terms/Sign

1. Chief Theorist

Ferdinand-Mongin de Saussure (1857-1913)

2. Definition

A sign, which is a part of language and can be in the form of a picture, sound or object, is something that represents something else. The two elements which are used to specify a sign are the signifier, the form of something such as its word or image; and the signified, the idea or concept in one's head. A sign is arbitrary and has no fixed meaning. It is also selective and abstract.

3. Related Terms

Signifier, Signified, Semiotics, Langue, Parole

4. Illustration

http://artsweb.uwaterloo.ca/~hrvagt/Saussure/nomenclature.htm

Please find the illustrated explanation by clicking the above mentioned link 

5. Links

http://artsweb.uwaterloo.ca/~hrvagt/Saussure/nomenclature.htm http://www.uvm.edu/%7Etstreete/semiotics_and_ads/index.html http://www.rdillman.com/HFCL/TUTOR/Semiotics/sem1.html http://web.mst.edu/~gdoty/classes/concepts-practices/def-signs.html http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Documents/S4B/sem02.html http://www.arthist.lu.se/kultsem/semiotics/semiolinks3.html#Cultural%20Heroes http://www.marxists.org/reference/subject/philosophy/works/fr/barthes.htm http://www.marxists.org/reference/subject/philosophy/works/ru/jakobson.htm

6. Sources

Secondary Sources:

Hall, Stuart (2003). Representation: Cultural representations and signifying practices. London, Thousand Oaks, New Deli: The Sage publications.

Merriam-Webster's collegiate dictionary (10th ed.). (1993). Springfield, MA: Merriam Webster.