Introducing Social Semiotics

by Theo van Leeuwen

Social Semiotics is a lively textbook, which introduces students to the ways in which different aspects of modern society combine to create meaning. These 'semiotic resources' surrounding us include obvious modes of communication such as language, gesture, images and music, but also less obvious ones such as food, dress and everyday objects, all of which carry cultural value and significance. The book is highly interactive, using a wide variety of texts including photographs, adverts, magazine pages and film stills, to explore how meaning is created through complex semiotic interactions. Practical exercises and examples as wide ranging as furniture arrangements in a public places, advertising jingles, photojournalism and the rhythm of a rapper's speech provide students with the knowledge and skills they need to be able to analyze and also produce successful multimodal texts and designs. Featuring a full glossary of terms, exercises, discussion points and suggestions for further reading, Social Semiotics makes concrete the complexities of meaning making and is essential reading for anyone interested in how communication works.

Genres: Semiotics, Nonfiction, Theory

Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Tara Brabazon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I adore Theo Van Leeuwen's work. Without his words, alongside Gunther Kress and Bob Hodge, it would have been much more difficult for me as an historian to learn and think about semiotics. This new book is well structured and clear in its arguments. I am particularly impressed by the attention to multimodality. A full section (Part III) investigates multimodality, with the seconds on rhythm and composition absolutely outstanding.

Most of the books on social semiotics are intricate and complex. They have to be. It is a tough field. But why Theo Van Leeuwen's book operates so well is through the innovations of structure. He has commenced with 'semiotic resources' - rather than texts. That shift has enabled a much more intricate field of interpretations, capacities and potentials.

This is a fine book. For students, it is probably pitched at the third or fourth year undergraduate. For academics it is useful because it offers new structures and modes for moving students from the most basic and reified 'textual analysis' through to social semiotic inquiry.

[Guilherme Smee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Um livro que desenvolve a análise semiótica - muito conhecida dos pesquisadores de comunicação - a um nível a mais. Esse nível é o nível social: de que forma a comunicação influencia socialmente através de representações, enquadramentos e que sistemas de poder ela alimenta e privilegia? São a perguntas como essa que uma análise através da semiótica social vai tentar responder. Embora a semiótica social possua muitas abordagens: argentina, dinamarquesa, aqui neste livro ela é apresentada através da vertente australiana. É um livro bastante introdutório, mas que apresenta conceitos-chave tanto da semiótica como da semiótica social. A semiótica social tem como sua principal característica a multimodalidade, que poderia ser um sinônimo de análise transdisciplinar. Através dela podem ser estudadas esculturas, músicas, filmes, coreografias, levando em conta regras, funções, princípios, dimensões e coesões. que podem ser estudadas em conjunto ou em separado. Como o autor do livro Theo Van Leeuwen fala, a semiótica social é uma forma de estudo em mudança e recente, se comparada com outras metodologias das ciências sociais, entretanto, ele afirma, é, com certeza a análise mais completa para os produtos da cultura humana.

[Rif · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hmm, kalau boleh jujur.. lebih mudah baca tulisan Kress tentang visual design. Tapi itu karena pembahasan Kress fokus dan aku cukup familiar dengan istilah-istilah seputar format desain beserta detail-detail deskripsinya. Waktu belajar AACR pun sudah pernah belajar tentang cara deskripsi visual image, jadi mudah untuk pahami visual design-nya Kress.

Nah, buku ini tulisan Leeuwen (yang membantu Kress di visual design). Isinya lebih kompleks, tapi justru benar-benar membuatku belajar hal baru. Yang paling jelas di sini adalah bahwa semiotik (sosial) bisa ada di manapun, nggak hanya di karya tulisan atau visual (gambar/film). Semiotik sosial juga ada di desain gedung, tata ruang interior, dll. Simpelnya, semua yang dibuat oleh manusia.. bisa dijadikan objek penelitian semiotik visual.

Jadi, usai baca buku ini.. cara kamu melihat dunia bisa berubah! XD~

Tapi serius, sekarang jadi mikir.. kenapa meja di ruang X tidak diberi jeda, atau selalu dibatasi kaca, atau diposisikan berjauhan? Alasan estetika hanyalah alasan di permukaan saja, pasti selalu ada alasan 'semiotis' di balik hal sekecil apapun yang dipilih, didesain, dan dibuat oleh manusia :)

P.S. penulis buku ini sering flashback untuk bahas sejarah suatu konsep sebelum mulai menjelaskan konsep itu. Sebenarnya itu nilai plus sih, tapi malah membingungkan kalau flashback-nya sampai beberapa paragraf.. ndak fokus ^^)"

[Dedrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this book, at first, to help learn more about symbols in communication. After some time, I lost interest in it. My interest was revitalized when I began to explore context and communication. This helped carry me through the rest of it. It is very academic and a bit dry. However, it has a lot to say about communication in many forms.

[Benietzsche]

semiotician not only inventorize semiotic sources, but create them.

[Bierdo Noir]

Its one of the bestbook, I have ever read about semiotics. Lots of innovation, lots of points and so applicable.I think, Val leuween and Kress, have reborn semiotics and they regenerate this approach. So, This is a baby; I mean, this book has lots of things to cover up in future. readers are those who can continue the path that this book has flattened. You enjoy every chapter you read, although some subjects are not described so deep. So, you, yourself have to ponder and challenge in some subjects to understand it thoroughly. I recommend it to those lovers of Halliday, who has understand language and other semiotic systems as it is: Language as means of communication.