Semiotics: WTF? Introduction to Saussure, the Signifier and Signified

In this episode of What the Theory, an introduction to semiotics, in particular the approaches of linguists and semioticians Ferdinand de Saussure and Charles Sanders Peirce.
Signs, semiotics as well as the concepts of the signifier and signified can seem like somewhat complex terminology when first starting out as can Peirce's related yet distinct notion of the icon, index, symbol triad. In this video essay, I try to help all you out who would like semiotics explained in a clear and concise manner so that you can go away with a slightly clearer understanding of semiotics theory.
Further Reading
Semiotics: A Graphic Guide by Paul Cobley & Litza Jansz
US: amzn.to/2SCGokF
UK: amzn.to/2SB84GX
Semiotics: The Basics by Daniel Chandler
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UK: amzn.to/2VpgP8C
Mythologies by Roland Barthes
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UK: amzn.to/2NBvXNu
[The above are affiliate links. I receive a small kickback from anything you buy which, in turn, helps to support the channel.]
If you've enjoyed this video then please do check out the rest of my channel where I put out a whole range of videos discussing theatre and playwriting from the perspective of an aspirant and (some might say) emerging playwright and theatre maker as well as reflecting on my experience as a PhD Student.
Twitter: @Tom_Nicholas
Website: www.tomnicholas.com
Thanks for watching!

[@Tom_Nicholas]

Hi all! Thanks for watching, I hope you found the video useful in some way! If you'd like me to make more videos like this, and to influence what topics I cover next, then I've just launched a Patreon. I'd really appreciate you checking it out and, if you're able, considering supporting my channel! Thanks! Check it out here: www.patreon.com/tomnicholas

[@whowereweagain]

Who is pierce? I thought you were going to talk about Peirce

[@ernestangel2809]

InstaBlaster...

[@aallerton]

Wow, in less than 10 minutes you summed up all those hours of lectures I had to sit through in college and in a way everybody could understand it. Congratulations+

[@Quantumtalesxx]

So , here I sit on my desk, smoking a joint, and listening to Ramsey Bolton talking about semiotics and Ferdinand de Saussure! Very nice video. It is relaxed and has clarity, both of which contribute to getting the messege across. You're certainly getting a PhD. You must. :)

[@aileyhay3788]

i was thinking nevil

[@biswasronit]

Same pinch buddy! Gotta spread the buds without sparing a single bud.

[@ScribblebytesWorldwide]

Can we smoke together? 😂

[@biswasronit]

@@ScribblebytesWorldwide I suppose we're thousands of miles apart!

[@ScribblebytesWorldwide]

@@biswasronit that's what the Internet is for 😂

[@__isagani4208]

This has to be the best crash course video in semiotics that's available here on KZbin! Thanks a lot for this! You helped me more than the books that I've been reading for days!

[@triciacherise8084]

Same here. Im taking an online course with an absent instructor, just my book and computer. Im so glad I found this video, it made this all crystal clear. Your an excellent teacher!!

[@gugugagagugu07]

I've learned about general linguistics at college and I didn't quite grasp Saussure's theory at first, but your video helped me understand and clear up the mess in my head. Thank you, you earned a subscriber.

[@Tom_Nicholas]

So glad you found it helpful! Sometimes it just takes something being explained in a slightly different way for it to be unlocked!

[@angelacanedit]

Took three weeks of my college course for them to explain this somewhat clearly and yet this video made me understand it perfectly. Thank you! You are so good at explaining and actually fun to watch

[@Tom_Nicholas]

Glad to have helped out Angela!

[@sharlenefaye3525]

This is so helpful! Especially the part where you explained why it mattered and why it's not just theorizing for theorizing's sake. Thanks so much!

[@Haemopixels]

This is amazing; you're one of the few people who actually aim to deliver complex theory in a clear, simple way without bogging it down with overly complicated language. You also have a wonderfully clear method of speech. Thanks so much for this video, it's helped tremendously :)

[@Tom_Nicholas]

If you want to check out more of my What the Theory? videos, then I have handily collected them in a playlist here: kzbin.info/aero/PLIVcDWpMT7Kd3O0eq8b6fMOwvK26vpiWE And, if you've any suggestions for what I should add to the series next then let me know!

[@creman12]

Tom Nicholas YOUR AWESOME!!!!! THANKS FOR THIS!!

[@Tom_Nicholas]

Thank you for saying so, glad you found it useful!

[@johncousins2229]

You are a god send. I am doing a post-grad research report on semiotics and this has helped me interpret what I have been starring at for days on paper because I am too dumb to understand academic speak! I think I learn more watching youtube video explanations of my research than the actual journal articles/books themselves hehe! cheers :)

[@Tom_Nicholas]

Glad to have been of service! This was one of my earlier videos and I haven't watched it back in a while but I'm glad it's maybe stood the test of time as a resource even if I tend to cringe watching it!

[@aniebietudokang1691]

Hi John. I've a few questions for you about your research

[@CharlesGrantHarper]

@@aniebietudokang1691 Casually violating Grice's maxim of quantity. 🤣

[@jodiatkinson8349]

I'm so grateful for your explanations. When I need a refresher on something, I go to your videos rather than my messy notes.

[@tdiemond2806]

I am literarily writing my open book literary theory final right now using this concept. This helped so much, thanks man!

[@Fatihkilic075]

This is really amazing man! I had some prejudices because you do look young, but you have proved your time's worth :D

[@Tom_Nicholas]

Thanks Fatih. Haha, looking like a 12 year old is probably one of the greatest burdens in my life...

[@gustavolastra101]

Sorry to Let you down that knowledge Is nothing to si with age but studies AND intellugence. He knowlwdge Is amazing AND impressive As well as the didactic way he explains ( making a great didactic transposition) such difficult ,complex theory. I teach social Communication, Believe me AND i am able to assure you he Is really good at teaching.

[@quantumpanic]

Prejudiced because he looks young??? Man I trust him just because he's white

[@hugobarrett63]

Wisdom doesn't come with old age :P

[@julim9503]

didn't expect to find myself laughing when watching a linguistical therory viedo but 2:22 that example was crazy. Thanks:))

[@burnsy6470]

Thank you so much for making this video. I'm a theatre arts major, and we are talking about semiotics and phenomenology in the context of theatre and art. I really thought we were just overcomplicating things and trying to make something simple meta and then making that even more meta, but you simplified it down into something that was far more digestible and understandable.

[@eottoe2001]

In the olden days we us words like "connotation," "denotations" and "objective correlatives" but we were poets, young and didn't know any better.

[@keyron4]

Tom you explained this TOO GOOD. i wish teachers communicated like you!! have a great day

[@juliat.9719]

Awesome video! This is one of the best videos on semiotics I've seen on KZbin. Thanks for making it!

[@Tom_Nicholas]

Thanks for saying so Julia, much appreciated!

[@mwmw54]

This helps me remember all of the semiotics that has leaked out of my brain since graduating. I'd love to see more.

[@Tom_Nicholas]

Glad it helped! I'm slowly adding to this series although they tend to take a little bit of time to put together. Feel free to let me know if there's anything in particular you'd like to see a video on and I'll do my best!

[@cagla172]

Finally I've discovered someone who can explain it as easy as possible! Thank you so much. Really liked your humorous style of explaining:)

[@kaitlinritchie7701]

Thank god for this video! I was catching up on a lecture that I missed and had absolutely no idea what they were conveying. This made a lot more sense. Thank you! :)

[@supheerutaibuakaew4934]

This video is great. It helps me understanding things clearly. I am working on my paper whic is about semiotics. You know what it is quite confusing sometimes and I mess it up. Your earn the subscribe ;)

[@Tom_Nicholas]

Thanks Supheerutai, really glad you found it useful!

[@ScribblebytesWorldwide]

How is your paper coming along?

[@nancybradshaw2034]

Excellent presentation and delivery - gave me exactly what I needed without being too pedantic and boring. Bravo!

[@Tom_Nicholas]

Thanks Nancy, that's certainly what I aim for so I'm glad I occasionally hit the mark!

[@philoreflex6718]

Amazing video, my knowledge of semiotics has increased ten folds now!

[@charlotteillustration5778]

Thank you - have started an MA after many, many years of absence from academia and have been reeling at the effort to get my brain round the concepts again. Your video has been VERY useful in giving me that basic understanding. Now I have to actually read Saussure...

[@Demosophist]

To provide a bit more context, Deely holds that there is a contextual shift between Saussure and Peirce, and that the context of the former is modern idealism whereas the context of Peirce is genuine post-modernism (i.e. post modern-idealism, i.e. no longer based on the idea but on the sign and its supra-subjective origin in reality). The latter is a function of the triadic sign (fundament/significate, vehicle/representamen, terminus/interpretant). The former is a function of the dyadic idea, so isn't really a departure from Descartes.

[@RiseAgainst90]

This video helped me tremendously, with my project. Very clear explanations of the basics of semiotics, better than any of the over-complicated explanations I could find in scholarly articles!

[@Tom_Nicholas]

No probs! However, I would suggest also using the "more complicated" explanations from the academic literature for any project as they will undoubtedly be far more in-depth than I'm able to be here.

[@bellasutter7709]

Wow, this just saved my life, you've explained to me in 10 minutes what staring at my anthropology textbook hasn't been able to do in three hours :) Thanks!!

[@青杏A]

Watching this before my semiotics exam. Thank you for the useful explanation!

[@Tom_Nicholas]

No worries, hope the exam goes well!

[@brucebradburyIII]

This video was so helpful. I’ve spent hours reading over and over this academic article for school with no sense made from it, but your explanation made it pretty much all click into place

[@kevinstoneham1245]

Really enjoyable. Did my philosophy degree back in the 90s and starting to get into it again.

[@elinaluise]

Brilliant crash course! Simply explained yet with enough information to get into the deeper intricacies. Thanks a million!!

[@creg2324]

So happy to stumble across your video. I'm currently learning about semiotics as part of a design course. I was pretty sure I had it nailed but watching this has helped a lot. You basically said what I was thinking but more concise and that's helped it all fall into place. Cheers!

[@Tom_Nicholas]

Ah, glad to be of service Craig. Sometimes it does just take someone confirming what you already thought was right to help you feel a little more confident! Best of luck with the course!

[@creg2324]

Thanks man, I've had a quick look over the rest of your videos and I think I'll be back on your channel quite often! Cheers.

[@Konystar17]

I have an exam about semiotics very soon and I was confused. Your video helped me figure it out better! Thanks!

[@Tom_Nicholas]

Glad to have helped you out Konstantina! Hope the exam goes well!

[@porubido]

Holy crap this was a really succinct and clear video explaining a relatively difficult concept to understand, cheers buddy!

[@Tom_Nicholas]

Ah, thanks so much for saying so! Glad you found it useful!

[@porubido]

Tom Nicholas It helped to simplify the essay “The object in study” which I’m looking at in Uni so yuuup, if I get a good grade it’s defo cause of the help of this ;)

[@Tom_Nicholas]

Haha, not at all, while I’m glad to have helped, a decent grade will be all your own work!

[@justmekndl4865]

Semiotics is the cheat code for language. Actually underrated for how useful it is.

[@theresemariesantos936]

I'm currently learning Film Theory and I got lost when Wollen talked about all these things... Thank you so much for your video! It's super helpful. :)

[@Tom_Nicholas]

Ah, I hope it helped to fill some of the gaps in your knowledge. I often find that someone explaining something in a slightly different way can unlock it for me; it's all about finding the ways in which you learn best!

[@trineestelle653]

Hi, I wanted to say thank you for such an informative video, I am studying arts and culture and were covering semiotics right now, you summed up this topic perfectly and even made it entertaining! I hope by this time now you have successfully completed your PhD! Thank you again!

[@alicewhittaker1841]

Thank you for this video! I just came across Saussure in my master's degree and I was looking for a good crash course in his ideas - this is very clear and well-explained.

[@slaymyeayxlxn]

this was so helpful wow, i’ve been struggling to understand my readings for my art history theories and methodologies course and i’m so thankful i came across your videos!! thank you!

[@naqi_zariz]

Yours was by far the easiest explanation to understand this theory imo

[@mattchamberlain4933]

I'm learning in this in my masters and this really help, thank you.

[@Benjadaka]

This video is VERY well done, sir! Thank you for posting it.

[@jingzhiwang121]

I really appreciate your video! I was always confused with the term semiotics and finally you explained it so well with interesting examples! And knowing what is the importance of learning these "weird" academic concepts really helps to raise my interest in the topis! Thank you so much for making this video!

[@noeliabarbero7526]

Cheers! It really helped me understand what I’ve been reading for the past month. Keep it up!

[@Tom_Nicholas]

Great, glad to be of service!

[@twiglet2214]

My wife is a Sociologist and Saussure came up in conversation and the best thing i could contribute was if there was a paper written with a colleague named Thomas Cup then one could ask " Have you come across Cup and Sassure yet ? " but the sign for that question would be a tumbleweed ? I've just started reading a book from 1975 by Thomas Culler on Saussure - Course in General Liguistics and thanks to Google and your kind self ( what is the ' self ' ? ) i'm beginning to understand what it all is pointing to and yes sometimes academia can appear to be pointing out the blaringly obvious but we take so much for granted it's nice to explore beyond the boundaries.Well said and hope you got you're PhD, Doctor......Nicholas ? Probably recommend you for a chair !

[@homogenic]

About to do an oral presentation for my Semiotics class and this helped a lot, thank you so much! :)

[@ntprofman]

Very good, as always! A concrete illustration of the value of semiotics, demonstrating its relevance in cultural analysis, would really land this introduction nicely.

[@BrianMarcWhittaker]

That was very helpful. Thank you. I'm studying this in an Art Criticism class. It's been stumping me, but this is a clear explanation.

[@asamanyasarkar3186]

Your spontaneity is amazing !

[@atherveryworst]

Thank you so much for this! Have a lecture and seminar about it next week and was genuinely baffled by the whole concept. This made it much clearer, cheers!

[@paulanavarroflores830]

This made so much more sense than the lecture. Thank you.

[@trixylizard6970]

I'm so happy I found your channel.

[@LogicGated]

Nice to see all the people in the comment who were helped by this.

[@erwinwickhorst5956]

Simple but excellent explanation of semiotics Thank you.

[@joshuawilliams7249]

Wow! You made each philosopher's model for interpreting signs much easier for me to understand. Thank you so much! :)

[@Tom_Nicholas]

Cheers Josh, glad you found it useful!

[@OwenVachell]

Very well explained. Clear and concise. Thank you

[@victorialeao324]

I am writing a deseration on this topic and this video just saved my life! so thank you

[@charlieemarleyy]

Thank you, this is really helpful for a BA drama student !!!

[@Tom_Nicholas]

Eeeeey, I’m so glad. Best of luck with the course!

[@kuroneko2788]

Thanks for this!! I needed a quick explanation of what exactly this was all about and you did it in less than 10mins. Thank You~

[@aurumthebrave3427]

Perhaps one of the most mind changing subjects you could undertake. Great video 🙂

[@Tom_Nicholas]

Thanks!

[@shakespearaamina9117]

One of the most fascinating videos I have ever come across about the Subject 😍😍🌹 Thank you

[@strawberrhea]

This is an extremely helpful video for my english studies! Thanks :)

[@jwh0122]

5:36 icon, index, symbol

[@theWardennn]

I wish my PhD lecturer was this clear and brief when introducing us to the topic.

[@Tom_Nicholas]

Sometimes it takes a different approach for different people. I'd also say that this 10 minute video probably isn't a substitute for an hour-long lecture!! There's an awful lot I don't cover here that is very much worth knowing!

[@Shadowsilverlane]

Thank you for being so clear and succinct about this stuff. You use excellent examples and connect them throughout the whole lesson. I'm going to bring these ideas into my Intro to Communications HS class. Thank you!

[@456chani]

Very clear explanation for a confusing subject. Thank you!

[@riosstudygram2776]

Ey Tom! Nice to have found your videos! Very helpful!! I'm an English teacher trying to pass a difficult exam so your videos kind of saved my life hahaha having to study so much shit from my philology degree many years ago... Things I don't remember anymore... But thanks to you I can easily remember and understand again. Greetings from Mallorca!!

[@jaydd1357]

Very helpful for condensing and making de Saussure's ideas much more digestible, great video! Keep up the ood work.

[@Tom_Nicholas]

No problems Mr Tank, thanks for watching!

[@julialissak1326]

extremely helpful content for my studies, he explains things much better than my teacher

[@TheKnightWriterUnturned]

Just started reading a book on Semiotics and got lost but this helped me understand it. Good video bro!

[@adamwu1083]

Oh. Dear. God. YOU ARE EXTRAORDINARY, I am so glad I foud you! Your content is really encouraging, you talk with such catching passion. Tanks a lot, it's very motivating!

[@Tom_Nicholas]

Thank you Adam, really glad you've found some of my videos helpful!

[@samstevens6544]

This is really good Tom. Took me right back.

[@hellsangelsaeb]

Thank you so much for this video! I had trouble really understanding this topic and now I get it. Love your channel.

[@Tom_Nicholas]

Awesome, so glad the video helped!

[@The22Walli]

I will quickly say that in the case of Peirce it's not only what's been decided as a society or culture, he was trying literally to solve the cognitive process, that's also an evolutionary thing, not only what's learned through life

[@kristinap5343]

This was amazing! Thank you so much!!! It was very helpful. Your explanations are so clear and simple!

[@Tom_Nicholas]

So glad you found it handy!!

[@lolaftzgrld]

explained better than my lecturers! thanks so much :)

[@andyvillarrealr]

I can't thank you enough for this video! You did a great job of simplifying what I thought was a very complex subject. Greetings from Mexico!

[@viniciusrebellolima5952]

My god, this is amazing! Thank you for this video.

[@Tom_Nicholas]

No worries, hope you found it helpful!

[@cinderellaenglishliteratur5631]

Great job, you explained this even better than my professor, I wish you were him. keep it up, you're doing such a great job. I believe you are going to be one of the greatest people soon.

[@christianbalagoza1770]

This video will save me from being behind to the subject I'm taking this semester: introduction to the art of theatre.

[@karlaliivm]

Tom! Thank you looots! I could only understand it when watched your video, all the material i've read before was too complicated. You explain super well, thanks thanks

[@Tom_Nicholas]

Ahh, thank you Karlinha, I'm really glad you found it helpful!

[@annaleahmarinelli9853]

This is so great! I am going to show this video to my Critical Thinking class. I believe it will help prime my students for understanding their readings! THANK YOU!

[@Tom_Nicholas]

Super, always great to hear about my videos being used as resources in classrooms/seminar rooms. I hope you and your students find it useful!

[@melisadetter1071]

Thank you so much, I was a bit confused but you video has helped me to understand semiotics more.

[@LanaDelLyricz]

Just started analysing media and culture module at uni and this really helped clarify things - thanks so much. Subscribed :)

[@DevnyEats]

Thank you for making things clear for us. Much appreciated

[@johannadarlenerosa]

Thank you for making this video, I've got exams coming up on this topic (among others) and you helped me heaps!

[@Tom_Nicholas]

Ahh, I'm glad you found it useful. Best of luck with the exam!

[@Bipple.25]

Bless this video. Totally helped me understand the concept that I couldnt while reading

[@Tom_Nicholas]

So glad to have helped in some small way!

[@junosibeijn5325]

Thank you so much! I finally get a good explanation on Semiotics.

[@Tom_Nicholas]

Glad it helped!

[@evangelosgeorgiou1662]

You are awesome, this explanation was really helpful. Your examples and expressiveness made my day and i understood everything :)

[@Tom_Nicholas]

Thanks, really glad you found it helpful!

[@mar___gouille3517]

Okey I’m a student in semiotics in France at the same university of Jacques Fontanille and ur video is so great. Thx u so much ☺️

[@cosminnedelcu5878]

I feel kinda bad right now because it's been months since I had my semiotics exam and I discovered this video by mistake like 5 minutes ago. Wish I knew about this video then. Amazing work Tom!

[@Tom_Nicholas]

Dammit, sorry you didn't find it sooner! Hope the exam went well though!

[@cosminnedelcu5878]

@@Tom_Nicholas haha! Yes, the exam went well! :D

[@뉴뉴킴]

I love your explanation...it is even easy for South Korean like me

[@josieb1367]

Thanks so much Tom! This was so well articulated, much better than my tutor! hahaha and I'm glad I found it just in time for my media studies exam. I'll be recommending to them to show the class.

[@ScribblebytesWorldwide]

Or just get the A+ by yourself hahaha I kid

[@crescentmoon632]

Thanks a lot for this, your explanation is so simple and clear!

[@WinningSidekick]

I realize it's been a while since you've done What the Theory videos, but I'd love to see some more stuff on structuralism 🙏 Love your work, thanks for uploading!

[@mokasasu4ever]

had a really hard time understanding semiotics from the script. thanks to you i know understand it alot better 😊

[@idalouiseklau]

Thank you! I am researching on semiotics for a paper I am writing. This helped me a lot. Great work :)

[@jazz749]

It clarified a lot of thing for me. Thank you so much!

[@laverneaudreyarendain6808]

Thank you so much for the explanation! Since it's quarantine and online class, helped me a lot to understand semiotics more because our teacher just gave modules and did not explain what are these.