Semiotics Theory

Structuralism

First, a look at structuralist theory as it developed in anthropology suggests that a deep structure in a culture, much like a hidden language speaking to the culture, gives rise to the surface structure of other language forms. Anthropologists argue that unconscious structures of myth, rituals, or symbols are unconscious or deep structures that all cultures have. These operate much like an ideology—an unconscious worldview that we follow but do not know that we follow—to shape each culture's beliefs, symbols, rituals, and language that are used to communicate to others and to oneself and to give meanings to oneself and others.

For example, research of campaigns from a structuralist perspective reveals hidden ideologies, rituals, symbols, and imbedded meanings in the messages. The tobacco wars between the tobacco industry and the antismoking activists, the pro-life and pro-choice campaigns on abortion, or the campaigns sponsored by those against breast implants and those who feel implants are representative of women's rights to their own bodies reveal ideologies such as civil rights, the right of a mother to control her own body, the right of the unborn fetus, patriarchy, feminism, and the religious right. All the campaign messages generated on both sides of each issue also divulge rituals such as the pleasurable act of smoking and the disgusting ritual of smoking, and symbols such as the humanity of the unborn fetus and a bloody coat hanger. A structuralist approach also allows a study of the various meanings that the messages might contain, such as that human rights supersede personal rights, personal rights supersede medical risks, or a woman has the right to control her own body.

In these examples, the messages are mediated images that represent deep structures and the many ideologies of our capitalist, industrial, and personalrights culture. Structuralist studies of all kinds of texts are of interest to critical scholars because they provide another system of uncovering meaning and explaining how individuals use and get meanings from media and campaign texts.

Semiotics

Semiotics developed from linguistics but is very similar to the structuralist model of a deep, ideological, or unconscious structure that affects the conscious, surface level of communication and meaning. Linguistics names the underlying structure of language langue, that is, a set of rules the culture—unconsciously—follows to shape the everyday communication of the culture. The term parole is the name for this everyday communication, vocabulary, syntax, and grammar that a culture follows. In other words, each culture has its own unique langue and manifested parole that characterize that culture and that language. For example, a semiotic study of nightly news reports carried on network television can identify the words and visuals used to report on each story; these are the parole. Then the attempt to identify the underlying cultural ideologies and rules that govern and dictate the choice and the format of these messages represent the langue.

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