10 INTRODUCTION TO CULTURAL

SEMIOTIC THEORIES?

General Instructional Aim : Introduction to Saussure concept and Ronald Barthes’s

Semiotic Theory

Particular Instructional Aims : To know about the definition of Symbol

To help student in interpreting any Myth

INTRODUCTION

Literary work is a system of sign that have meaning using the medium of language.

Language as a medium of literary work is already a system of semiotics or signs which

have meaning. Medium of literary work is not something neutral such as sound of music or

the color of picture. The color of paint before being used in the painting is still neutral, it

does not have meaning. Whereas language before being used in the literary works already

is a symbol that has meaning which given by convention of society.

Symbol or language sign is a unit of sound which has meaning by convention of

society. Language is a system of sign based on convention (deal) of society. “System of

sign called semiotics”( Pradopo, 1993:121). The study of system of sign called semiology.

According to Paul Cobley and Litza Janz (2002:4) semiotics is derived from the word

Seme, the Greek Language, which means the interpreter of signs. The literature explained

that the semiotics derived from the word Semeion, which means sign (Ratna, 2011:97).

In the definition of sign there are two principles, signifier is the material of sign, and

signified is the meaning of sign. Saussure concepts of semiotics consist of the pair oppose;

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the sign has two sides, such as signifier and signified, sintagmatic and paradigmatic,

general language (langue) and greeting individual (parole) (Ratna, 2011:99).

The Peircean sign has been defined as something that relates to something else for

someone in some respect or capacity. Peirce’s sign sports three components. What usually

goes for a sign in everyday talk Piece called representamen. He did so in order to

distinguish the representamen from the order sign components, which, as we shall note,

can become signs in their own right. The representamen is something that enters into

relation with its object, and the third component of the sign is the interpretant (Paul,

2001:28).

According to Paul, “in somewhat mysterious way, each of the three sign components

can become any of the other two components, depending upon the circumstance”

(2001:29). From the quote we can make an example the representamen may be a cloud of

smoke that suddenly appears over a cluster of silver tipped spruce in the Rocky Mountain

National Park in Colorado. A Ranger spies the sign (a cloud of smoke appears over a

cluster of silver tipped spruce). Immediately a semiotic object, fire, comes to mind. Then

there is an interpretant that mediates and brings the representamen and semiotics object

together to create the concept of a dangerous situation that demands immediate action.

The most basic classes of signs in Peirce’s menagerie are icons, indices, and symbols.

Like Pradopo stated that based on the relation between signifier and signified, there are

three kinds of basic of signs (1993:121). An icon is a sign that interrelates with its semiotic

object based on some similarity, such as a map and the territory it maps. The index is a

sign that interrelates with its semiotic object through some actual or physical or imagined

causal connection, such as smoke was seeing the Ranger an index of fire. A symbol is

something complicated, such as “mother” means “someone or human who born us”

(Pradopo, 1993:121). It happen because convention of society. One of the best

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qualifications of Piece’s symbol is a linguistic sign whose interrelation with its semiotic

object is conventional (Paul, 2001:31).

Sign type Icon Index Symbol

Semiotic Similarity Causal or natural Convention
mode relation
Practical Photograph, Smoke for fire, Morse code,
example painting, Symptom for logical sign,
diagram disease, insignia
thermometer for
heat
How to Feeling sensation Perception, Learning by
make and inference, action- instruction and
take them reaction by doing
Table 1. Sign Types (Paul, 2001:37)

Regarding to the theory of Saussure, he is not only known as the father of linguistics,

but also widely referred to as a semiotic character. The specificity of the theory lies in the

fact that he considers "language as a system of signs". Semiotics by Ferdinand de Saussure

defined as the science that studies the role of signs as part of social life. More semiotics is

the study of the structure, type, typology, as well as the relations of the mark in the

consumer society. Therefore, semiotic study the relationships between these components

with the user community (Chandler, 2007: 2-3).

In a more general theory, for which he suggested the name of semiology, linguistics is

just part of the general science. According to the law discovered by semiology that

applicable to linguistics, and linguistics will be associated with a highly specialized field in

a set of human facts (Holdcroft, 1991: 71). Saussure found the way to make people

understand the nature of semiology and presenting it adequately, because the language

needs to be studied in depth. Meanwhile, until now people almost always study the

language for other purposes, and from another perspective (Holdcroft, 1991: 48).

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 According to Saussure, because the shallow conception in the wider society, such as

the people see the language as a nomenclature, i.e. a set of names, each of which is

conventionally attached to the body or mental equivalent that are all the same. It excludes

all the research on the nature of the actual language (Chandler, 2007: 5)

The basic concept of semiotic dichotomy marks present on the system, namely the

signifier and signified. It is as stated by Saussure that, the sign is a unity of signifier and

signified. Marker is a sound that has a meaning, while the marker is the material aspect of

the language. Marker would be meaningless without a marker, because it's not a sign. The

relationship between the marker or markers have mutual interdependence (Chandler, 2007:

14).

In addition, there are several points to note in the science of signs. Signifier and

signified can not be separated, they exist simultaneously, as shown in the diagram below:

Figure 2.1 Saussure’s model of the sign

(Source : Chandler, 2007: 14)

Saussure explain to understand of signifier and signified, he analogized the unity of

the three with a piece of paper. One side of the paper is a marker, the other side is

signified, and the paper itself is a sign. Further Saussure says that we can not separate the

signifier and signified of the sign itself (Chandler, 2007: 17). Here is a diagram of signifier

and signified of Ferdinand de Saussure:

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 Figure 2.2 the signified and the signifier from the Saussurean perspective

(Source: Bouzida, 2014)

Based on the explanation and figure above, the signifier and signified appear as two

separate things of the sign, because the mark can make a distinction between the two. But

in fact, the signifier and signified are two terms that are useful to emphasize that there are

two different things which is an absolute requirement to be a sign. Signifier and signified

is always there together, the relationship between the signifier and signified called the

desired meaning or significance, thus, it is clear that in the field of linguistics Saussure

wear dichotomy signifier and signified (Pradopo, 2012: 119).

2.3 Roland Barthes Semiotics

Roland Barthes is the successor of Saussure thought (Barthes, 1967: 9). Saussure

interested in how complex sentence formation and how the forms of words to determine

the meaning, but in fact, the same sentence may convey a different meaning to different

situation of people (Barthes, 1967: 13).

Roland Barthes emphasizes the interaction between text with personal and cultural

experience of users, the interaction between the conventions in the text of the convention

is experienced and expected by users. Barthes idea is known as the order of signification,

with covers denotation (the true meaning) and connotation (double meaning born of

cultural and personal experience). Semiotics in terms Barthes semiology, basically want to

learn how humanity to make sense of things (Bouzida, 2014).

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 Interpret means that the objects are not only carry information, in this case the objects

that is be communicated, but also constitute the structured system of signs. One important

area in the study of sign is the role of the reader (Bouzida, 2014). Connotation, even

though the original nature of the sign, however must requiring the liveliness of the reader

in order to function. Barthes in a straight forward review of what is often described as a

system of meaning to the level-two, which is built on top of other systems that have been

there before. These two systems were called the connotative and denotative or first level of

meaning systems by Roland Barthes or can be sorted as follows:

1. signifier

2. signified

3. denotative sign

4. connotative signifier

5. connotative signified

6. connotative sign

The description above shows that Barthes denotative sign consists of signifier and

signified (Barthes, 1967: 89). However, at the same time, the sign is also a marker of

connotative and denotative. Thus, the concept of Barthes, connotative sign not only have

extra meaning but also contains the second part denotative sign that underlie its existence.

Basically, there is a difference between denotation and connotation in the general

sense and denotation and connotation are understood by Barthes. In Barthes’s semiology,

denotation is the first level of significance system, while the connotation is the second

level. In this case the denotation was associated with the closure of meaning (Barthes,

1967: 91).

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 Within the framework of Barthes, connotation is identical to the operation ideology,

which he calls the 'myth' and serves to reveal and provide justification for the dominant

values prevailing in a given period. In the myth there is also a three-dimensional pattern of

marker, markers and signs. However, as a unique system, the myth built by a chain of

meaning that have been there before, or in other words, the myth is also a system of the

second level of meaning. Marker also can have multiple signs (Chandler, 2007: 143). Here

is a chart and examples of model analysis semiotics Roland Barthes:

Figure 2.3 Semiological of Roland Barthes

(Resource: Yan & Min, 2015)

In the first stage (Language) Barthes introduced the signifier (1) e.g. “Two roses on

one stalk” and the signified (2) e.g. “two roses blooming at the same time”, which is a

combination of both yield sign (3) e.g. “to roses on one stalk blooming at the same time”

on the first level. At the second level, sign (3) back into the signifier (I) and combined with

the signified (II) e.g. “Rose is symbol of love, so the desire of love growing” and became

SIGN (III) e.g. “desire of love grow like a rose that blooms”. Sign existing second level is

in the form MYTH (myth) e.g. “the power of love overcome everything” is called the

metalanguage. Here it can be said that the denotative meaning is the meaning that is used

to describe the definitional meaning, literal, obvious or common sense of a sign.

Connotative meanings refer to associations, social cultural and personal form of

ideological, emotional, and so forth.

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 One theory raised by Barthes is a myth. Myths of Barthes have a different meaning to

the concept of myth in a general sense. Instead of the concept of the traditional myth, the

myth of Barthes presented facts. Myth is a pure ideographic system. In the view of

Barthes, myth is language: le Mythe est une parole. The concept of parole extended by

Barthes can take the form of verbal (oral and written) or non-verbal: Parole is the

realization of the language. Therefore, the myth can be very varied and born within the

scope of the mass culture. Myth is the development of connotation. Connotation settled in

a community end up being a myth. The purport is formed by the power of the majority that

gave a certain connotation to something regularly that in over time become myths

(Barthes, 2006: 122-130).

Barthe’s myth in his view unlike the concept of myth in a general sense. Barthes

argued myth is language, the myth is a communication system and a myth is a message. In

his speech, he argued that a myth in this special sense is an outgrowth of the connotation.

Connotations have been formed long in the community that is a myth. Barthes also says

that the myth is a semiological system, i.e. systems that interpreted the signs of man. Myth

is not a frivolous conversation; the language that passed requires special conditions to be a

myth that will be accepted by the public. Myth is a communication system that has a

message in it (Barthes, 2006: 295).

B. A CASE STUDY

PLEASE take account of Gilbertr’s Eat, Pray, Love novel

Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love is a memoir about her emotional breakdown and

subsequent healing process (she does not, however, tells the real names of some of the

people involved). She is a successful writer who enjoys, along with her husband, a New

York lifestyle that many people dream of. But after many years of what her introduce

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consider a flourishing marriage, she finds herself wishing she were not married. She asks

for divorce, believing that her husband will agree to this and they will be a part as friends.

Surprisingly, this is not happened.

Her husband's fight against separation. Even as he acknowledges that divorce is

inevitable, he insisted to claim almost all shared their accumulated possessions and money,

that he consider as a potential in the future. The protracted divorce proceedings and that

sends Gilbert in the competition of the long depression, which made her ask herself. In the

midst of the depression, she met and fell in love with an actor named David. He appeared

in a stage adaptation of Gilbert's short story writing, and she felt they were made for each

other. She's never been so much in love. She soon divorced her husband, though, that the

affair was all wrong. She chose David because too many things that David gives to relieve

the depression caused by the divorce. David is like a drug, she said. He made her feel so

good, she's become addicted to him. The more David gave her hope, the more she wanted

and needed him (David). The need is so strong that caused her not to withdraw. since her

departure (desire divorced her husband) makes her close to David more intense. She wants

David to reduce depression, but before that she had to heal herself so that she could love

The relationship between Gilbert and David eventually collapse, which hurt her again

for a short time. Finally, she decided that she must do something for herself. She asked

herself what she wants to do. First, it sounds like a silly thing, she wants to learn Italian.

She has always loved language, so she signed up for the class. She also wanted to create a

spiritual space in her life, so she was looking for and finally find a teacher who will guide

her. Then she wanted to travel, but she doesn't have the money to cover the cost of it.

When she was offered a writing task in Bali, she jumped at the chance. In Bali, Gilbert met

an old man who is the spiritual adviser. He predicts that Gilbert will soon lose all of the

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money, but will quickly come back. The man also predicted that she would make the trip

and return to Bali to teach him English. She would also marry again.

Shortly after returning to New York, Gilbert decided to take a year off. She will

divide the year into three parts, each part lasts four months. She will spend the first four

months in Italy. The main goal for the year is to make pleasure for herself. Gilbert finally

define pleasure as eating and talking Italy. She stopped trying to select Italy, she thought

go to India or Indonesia and eventually she admitted that she wanted to travel to all of

them. Four months in each place. A year in total.

Her time spent in Italy turns into an emotional experience erratic. There are days

when she was so pleased fully immersed in the culture of Italy, taking classes in Italy,

reading the local newspaper, and talked with the children and old ladies. But the

depression that she try to eliminate still haunts her. She was given a prescription drug to

combat depression, but she doesn't like to drink them unless she was really hopeless. She

achieved a very low place and ended up heading to the drug. But eventually, when pills are

running out, she decided she had to learn to fight her emotions. She tried to keep her cool

down and finally she finds other things. She goes shopping for new clothes and makeup

and cut her hair with a new style.

Leaving Italy she moved to India. In India she found a spiritual teacher and she

explores the spiritual side. Gilbert spent hours sitting in meditation finally she got her

composure. For the third part of the story, the one that corresponds to the 'love' Gilbert trip

to Bali, Indonesia. There she met an Brazilian man named Felipe who eventually became

her husband. Soon, in his travels, she discovers the true pleasure of the food he ate in Italy,

the power of prayer in India, and, finally, and unexpectedly, the inner peace and balance of

true love in Indonesia. Eat, Pray, Love (2006) struck a nerve in the community of readers.

This memoir proved to be very popular, it remains at the top of the list of New York Times

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 best seller for more than a year. This memoir has also been produced as a film in 2010

(www.enotes.com).

C. AN EXAMPLE OF SYMBOL IN THE NOVEL EAT, PRAY, LOVE

The signs can be seen in this novel from something prominent and displayed naturally

to have a purpose. However, these signs are the result of representation requiring knowledge

of the events occurring in this novel. In this study, it refers to find the element of the sign by

using semiotic Roland Barthes.

Italy

For the first, the main character came to Italy. The main character has chosen

Italy to recover her suffering. The main character supposed speak Italy was an art of

pleasure and day of the day in Italy, The main character just did in speaking Italy. She

also tried getting alls such as; she would find tandem exchange, join Italian class in

Leonardo Da Vinci, and more practical through talk to talk with the societies.

Actually there is one aspect of the main character was in Italy based on the novel. It

was eating. Italy has many delicious food. All of day in Italy, the main character

hunted the Italian food till the main character just told about this pleasure of the novel.

It was supported on the paragraph bellow:

“I found that all I really wanted was to eat beautiful food and to speak as much

beautiful Italian as possible. That was it. So I declared a double major, really—

in speaking and in eating (with a concentration on gelato). (Chapter: 21, Page:

76)

“The amount of pleasure this eating and speaking brought to me was

inestimable, and yet so simple.” (Chapter: 21, Page: 76)

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 All of pleasure in Italy were speaking and eating. It gave the main character be

finding than before. The main character gained pleasure. At least, it means the main

character could make her recovery from her suffering. The messages of the events

were --do it the pleasure by yours--. Consequently, the main character felt be fine than

before. It was supported in paragraph bellow:

“I came to Italy pinched and thin, I did not know yet what I deserved. I still

maybe don’t fully know what I deserve. But I do know that I have collected

myself of late—through the enjoyment of harmless pleasures—into somebody

much more intact. The easiest, most fundamentally human way to say it is that

I have put on weight. I exist more now than I did four months ago. I will leave

Italy noticeably bigger than when I arrived here. And I will magnification of

one life—is indeed an act of worth in this world. Even if that life, just this one

time, happens to be nobody’s but my own. (Chapter: 36, Page:128)

Here is an analysis of the signs contained in the novel Eat, Pray, Love using

semiotic Roland Barthes as follows:

“… After the spaghetti, I tried the veal. Oh, and also I drank a bottle of house

red, just for me. And ate some warm bread, with olive oil and salt. Tiramisu for

dessert“ (Chapter: 11, Page: 47)

Signifier : Signified :
Text on the sentence “ Spaghetti” The concept of eating in social life
Sign / Denotative Sign :
The appetizing food is "spaghetti" is like noodle, it is long, thin, and
cylindrical and in the presentation usually put the marinade sauce on it
Connotative signifier : Connotative Signified :
Spaghetti, is one type of pasta that The concept of eating is the most
has been known by the Italian primal physical symbol, when one does
people since the time of human not eat it cannot concentrate in activity.
cultivation
Connotative Signs :

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 Eating is the main physical need, if one does not eat then cannot move. Food
Spaghetti is the fastest food to serve especially served during the move.
Sign / Myth :
Spaghetti is fast food
Table 2. Analysis of Semiotics 1

This sign indicates that Gilbert is honestly showing worldly happiness in Italy, so

the weight rises to twenty-three pounds. So the Denotative meaning from the word

“Spaghetti” is like noodle, it is long, thin, and cylindrical and in the presentation usually

put the marinade sauce on it. Connotative meaning Eating is the main physical need, if

one does not eat then cannot move. Spaghetti is the fastest food to serve especially

served during the move. The Myth is Spaghetti is one kind of fast food and it is from

Italy, now in Indonesia also there are many kind of Italian food.

D. PRACTICE

India

After the main character visited Italy during four months, the main character

continued her journey to India. There is no pleasure in there. But India has been

special country for spiritual devotion to find yourself, who ARE you? And what do

you want? The main character visited India for devotion. The main character also

wanted to find God. It meant that the main character wanted God healed herself from

her suffering.

All of this, the main character came to Ashram. Ashram was a tiny little

village in the middle of nowhere in India. The main character did all of devotion by

Yoga. Actually the main character has done it before in NewYork. The main character

also knew Yoga from David.

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 Yoga is done by meditation. According Karmur and friends (2006:72) Yoga is

the way be seekers. The searching has started and ended with love. The technique of

yoga passes mediation. The meditation is trying to think an object, silence at the

special point such as head, heart, and so on. It is highest condition for thinking.

Lately, Yoga has been believed by psychiatrist that it could treat someone who is

depressed and stress.

The main character wanted to threat herself until she toke a long journey and

visited in India. All of her journey in India has done by her to threat herself pass

spiritual devotion. The way of the spiritual devotion has done by yoga and it only did

in small village Ashram, India.

TRY ANALYZING THIS FOLLOWING SENTENCES

THROUGH ROLAND BARTHES

“… This was my moment to look for the kind of healing and peace that can only

come from solitude.” (Chapter: 1, Page: 17)

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