Signs, Signs, Everywhere Signs

The field of semiotics is one typically reserved for academics, though its applications are supremely important in every genre of writing. Briefly, semiotics is the study of the relationship between signs, signifiers, and signifieds. All of that is a fancy way of saying it’s the way that words convey meaning. For example, think of the word “tree.” You can see the word right there, you can read it, you know what it means. We all have experience with trees: tall, brown bark, branches, leaves. It’s a pretty standard thing.

The word tree, as you see it on paper or a computer screen, is a signifier. That signifier is represented in the physical sense by a generic image; in this case, the above description of a tree. However, things get a little more complicated when the concept of the signified is introduced. In this case, the signified is the picture in your brain that is the embodiment of tree. Maybe it’s a tree from your childhood home, or a majestic redwood from the Muir Woods of California, or Charlie Brown’s little tree. Or maybe it’s something else entirely. In my case, I always think of the Treaty Oak in Austin, Texas. What this all means is that when you see the word “tree,” you have a very specific association with that word, an association that is unique to you and your way of thinking. Whatever that tree is for you, your picture, is the signified.

Semiotics is a valuable tool in any writer’s arsenal, because virtually every word evokes particular images in a reader’s brain, and a good writer can use those images to elicit a particular reaction. But effectively employing semiotics in writing takes more than just a message. Getting that message across and evoking the right mental picture (and the corresponding reaction) requires a deep understanding of the subject itself, as well as strong writing skills. I’ve spent decades of my life in both professional and academic settings, deepening my understanding of the fundamentals of advanced semiotic theory and honing my writing skills, and I’m ready to help you get your message across so that it’s interpreted the way you intend it. So get in touch with me today and stop sending mixed signifiers.