The semiotic function is the ability to make representations. This ability is based on the handling of signs and symbols, which are characterized by having a different meaning and meaning. But how does this really work?
To understand what the semiotic function is, one of the best examples is a painting by a French painter named Magritte. The artist drew a tube, and under it he wrote: "Ceci n'est inte pipe", which in Portuguese means "This is not a tube".
With that, I wanted to make it clear that although the drawing evoked a pipe in our mind, it was not really a pipeline. In this case, it was only a symbolic representation of an object that exists in the real world. It sounds confusing, but have you thought about it? All representation is not, in fact, the real object.
In this example, Magritte makes use of the semiotic function to create art. All humans use representations continuously. In this article we will talk about the different types of representation that exist from the relationship between signifier and meaning.
Components of the representations.
Representations make up a large part of our lives. We are continuously using signs and symbols that help us plan, communicate and guide our actions. Its usefulness lies in allowing us to interact mentally with an element without actually experiencing the object in the real world.
Each representation has two elements: meaningful and meaningful. The first refers to the physical component of the representation. For example, the letters that form a word, or the traces of the drawing of a painting. The meaning, on the other hand, is the image that is created in our head when we see a certain symbol.
The use of representations opens several possibilities for the development of our psychology. This allows the subject to distance himself from the current situation and open up to distant places in time and space. Even this ability gives us the ability to create fictitious worlds that only exist in our imagination.
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Types of representations
Saussure, a philosopher, classified representations into three different types. They differ according to the degree of connection between meaning and signifier.
Indexes or signs In this case, the signifier and the meaning do not differ from each other. Both have a direct connection. An example would be to see food gnawed on the floor of our kitchen and infer that there are rats around. The remains of food are, in this case, acting as an index.
Symbols In this other case, the signifier is independent of meaning. There is, however, some kind of relationship between the two. The drawings, images and photographs would be symbols of what they represent. For example, a drawing of a kite is not the real object, but there is a strong relationship between them. This type of representation appears more indirectly in the symbolic game. For example, when a child uses a stick as if it were a sword.
Signals Representations are called signs when the signifier is completely arbitrary. The relationship between both elements is established through a long historical social process. Therefore, a person outside of this context could not interpret the sign. The clearest example is language. For example, the letters of the word "cat" have no relation to what they represent, but they still evoke an image in our mind.
Child exercising his creativity.
The appearance of the semiotic function.
The ability to create representation is a skill that develops and becomes increasingly present in the later stages of the motor-sensory development period, according to Piaget's developmental stages.
The appearance of the semiotic function, therefore, is not something abrupt. Little by little the child will use more and more representations and more semiotic behaviors.
From this step, we can find many examples of semiotic function in the behavior of children:
Delayed imitation. It consists in the imitation of something that is not present. It appears as a preamble to the capacity for representation, since it constitutes an imitation of material acts but not of thoughts. It is considered one of the first semiotic behaviors that appear in the life cycle of the child.
Symbolic game. It is a very typical activity of childhood. The participants in the symbolic game use elements as if they were other objects, such as using sticks as swords. They are thus making use of the semiotic function.
Drawing Another way in which the child begins to demonstrate his capacity for representation is through drawing. We must bear in mind that this activity is much more than a simple copy of reality. When we draw an image, we represent an inner image, so what the child is representing is usually what he already knows about the object or the scene he is drawing.
Language This is the semiotic behavior par excellence. When a child begins to use speech, we can observe how he uses arbitrary signs, completely separating the meaning from the signifier.
As a conclusion, it is not an exaggeration to say that the semiotic function is one of the most important abilities of the human being. Thanks to this, we were able to create a communication system that allowed us to develop a culture and a history that produced the advancement and survival of the human community.
Studying and investigating the development of semiotics, therefore, has greatly helped man to deeply understand the strong implications that this ability has on people's lives.