»Arbitrariness of signs: Eagles and Guns«
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 guys im taking this course called Anthropology of Tourism, which is basically about how the tourist experience is constructed and how tourists are in search for the "authentic" (which does not exist, however we are made to beleive it does) through experiencing the "back regions" of others, which is where true-ness and reality is, in contrast to the "front region" which is a performance stage (the inauthentic). we try to get past the front region into the back region to experience the authentic. (for example at mcdonalds, the front region is the front counter which is a performance stage, we see the tills, the cashiers etc. but the back region would be whatever goes on behind the scenes, which is the authentic b/c its not staged (get it?) this is what we are in search for... then this week we talked about signs and how they convey meaning, but this meaning is constructed by our own cultural maps, therefore will differ obviously from other cultures, places, people, times etc. the example she gives is one of stop lights. we know that red means stop, green means go and yellow is a caution. but neither of these colours ACTUALLY MEAN ANYTHING, its just the meaning we assign to them as a culture that is meaningful. the signifier is the colour and the signified is the meaning we get out of it. its a really interesting course but i have to contribute to my online discussion group and im having a hard time answering it, thinking of an example...so what better place to come to ask for help than here! i immediately decided to post because im sure you guys have some examples you can think of to help me out. let me know if you don't get the question...(she used the example of the american flag because she said it works better...that and shes from Louisiana...she said the flag means one thing to an american and another thing to another person not from america. another sign could be a travel brochure which tells us which sites to visit and why, or a sign designating a national landmark which then influences us to take it in as an authentic experience etc, theres a lot more to the course but obviously i cant tell you everything...) THANKS GUYS... In lecture we considered the ‘arbitrariness of the sign’ and used the American flag as an example of how the meaning of a sign (what a sign represents or symbolizes) can differ, as the ideas, concepts, values that are attached to that sign (via our conceptual maps) differ. Can you think of a ‘sign’ – object, form, event, person – that has varying meanings (i.e. that demonstrates the arbitrariness of the sign)? If so, tell us what the sign is and discuss the varied meanings that can be attached to it. While offering their own suggestions for such signs, students can also comment on the examples of others, providing other interpretations of the meaning of the sign. posted by gkiss |
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| in-my-opinion.orgTechnology, Computers, Science, InternetLanguage, Math and NamesArbitrariness of signs: Eagles and Guns |
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 Hmm... would the bald eagle qualify? To a patriotic American, it symbolizes freedom and democracy. To a less patriotic American, it symbolizes the white man forcibly taking land from the Native Americans. To an environmentalist, it's an endangered species. To an ornithologist, it's a scavenger. [CLICK HERE TO VIEW THIS PICTURE] posted by Tiefling |
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yeah that is a really good example...see how depending on the person the meaning changes? i think she wants us to look more broadly at cultural signs as well..like the bald eagle, one person assigns a symbolic meaning to it that signifies independence...how would someone else see it who doesnt live in the states? it might be hard because arent bald eagles indigenous to particular US states? so, but yeah i get what youre saying...i just mean cross culturally...like waving your hand to say hello here vs waving your hand to someone from east (or west, cant remember) africa signifies an insult etc...things like that... but thanks Tief! posted by gkiss |
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Or what about the dollar sign? Greed, wealth, resources, success, safety, or simply cost. [CLICK HERE TO VIEW THIS PICTURE] posted by Tiefling |
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yup exactly, that means those things to us as westerners since we use that sign, but the thing is how do other people see it? maybe the east sees it as a symbol that represents an ideal economy they wish to attain...or a competition, or something that devastated their economy and standard of living...things like that...good stuff posted by gkiss |
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another example she gave was clothing, a black tie signifies something elegant, and romantic, formal. whereas blue jeans signifies something casual...and this is understood in our society -- no don't wear jeans, its a formal event. but other people may see a black tie differently... posted by gkiss |
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That kind of "arbitrariness" of perception and communication is the basis of the science of semiotics ♣. I've read a little but Wikipedia gives a good summary. Semiotics - also known as semiology - is the study of signs, both individually and grouped in sign systems, and includes the study of how meaning is transmitted and understood. Semioticians also sometimes examine how organisms, no matter how big or small, make predictions about and adapt to their semiotic niche in the world (see Semiosis). Semiotics theorises at a general level about signs, while the study of the communication of information in living organisms is covered in biosemiotics.
[...] Semioticians classify signs and sign systems in relation to the way they are transmitted (see modality). This process of carrying meaning depends on the use of codes that may be the individual noises or letters that humans use to form words, the body movements they make to show attitude or emotion, or even something as general as the clothes they wear. To coin a word to refer to a thing (see lexical words), the community must agree on a simple meaning (a denotative meaning) within their language. But that word can transmit that meaning only within the language's grammatical structures and codes (see syntax and semantics). Codes also represent the values of the culture, and are able to add new shades of connotation to every aspect of life. If you search around, I'm sure you can find some good examples to suit you. 
posted by holy_of_holies |
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exactly holy, i was going to post up something about semiotics because that's exactly what were looking at right now, the construction of meaning through language (signs)... we always think alike eh holy? its weird...so yeah you hit the nail on the head with that. im going to think of some and then post them and i guess you guys can give me your opinion on whether or not they're good or not...but any other examples are welcome!
posted by gkiss |
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how did the title change? i didn't change it...weird... posted by gkiss |
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gkiss: how did the title change? i didn't change it...weird... knn does that sometimes. posted by holy_of_holies |
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i guess the title was too vague... posted by gkiss |
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 gkiss: i guess the title was too vague... Yup, and it magically increased your offtopic count. posted by knn |
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sorry... posted by gkiss |
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this is one of the responses one of my classmates made (its online)...i semi agree but not really...let me know what you think... A 'sign' that I beleive to be arbitrary is a Gun. This is becuase according to one's conceptual map a Gun could mean Death, Violence, Protection, or even Freedom A Gun holds so many meanings because our conceptual maps link it too things we see on television, in movies or even hear about on the radio. The idea or representation of a Gun is culturally determined. For example in our society we like to associate Guns with the representation of Cops and the meaning of protection. In third world countries however, they represent guns with terrorists and the meaning of Freedom, Violence and death. So in my opinion Guns as a 'sign' do not represent an essential or fixed menaing Another example...this one is better: As a graphic design major this topic has come up in many of my classes. When designing for different cultures one has to be aware of the meanings and associations made by the images and symbols placed in our work. As our world moves more towards a ‘global culture’ it is easy to forget that different societies still view like objects in very different ways. One example of this, although not a ‘thing’, is the use of photography where the subject appears to make eye contact with the viewer. For North American audiences it is generally accepted that this style projects ideas of honesty and trustworthiness. Among other cultures, however, such for Japanese and Latin audiences, this same image may signify disrespect, defiance or desire. A similar graphic problem emerges with the use of colours. White, for example, is a colour of mourning in China, however Western society views it as a clean, celebratory tone. posted by gkiss |
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so i have to be thinking along these lines...any more examples are welcome...thanks 
posted by gkiss |
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The time now is 12 February 2012, 07:59 php B.B. |