Semiology is basically the study of signs. Signs are all
around us everywhere we look. As humans we are programmed somehow to learn and
often times automatically know what some signs mean. For example seeing a red
octagon sign we automatically know it means to stop. A stop sign is something so common and that
we see all the time. Like the stop sign, another sign is the red light on a
stop sign. We know that red means danger, and stop. It is just a type of sign
that we know. But how these words and what the signs mean is the confusing
part. Ferdinand de Saussure said, “Philosophers and linguists have always
agreed in recognizing that without the help of signs we would be unable to make
a clear-cut, consistent distinction between two ideas” (page 5). This idea I
think relates back to the stop sign, without having that sign there people
would have two options. One option would be to keep driving, and the other
option would be to stop. This goes for any sign however. By having signs around
us we are able to make a decision and know how to act upon it. Road signs are a
great example because we see them and know exactly what they mean and what to
do.
The idea of signs though doesn’t just have to do with road
signs though, but with anything around us. Everything is a sign.
Linguistics however is much different. There are many
obstacles when it comes to delivering a message clearly, and getting the
correct point across. There are many different languages, and words used to describe
similar things, which can make it confusing. De Saussure said, “ Everything has
been said up to this boils down to this: in language there are only differences”
(page 10). I agree with what he says because every single idea and word in language is different and a barrier sometimes.
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