There are many completely different things in the world that we do not know about. An iconic sign is a concept that we seem to understand purely intuitively, but its full meaning is not quite the same as it seems at first glance. In this article we will talk about what iconic signs are, about their role, purpose, why it is important for us to know what they are.
But before we start talking directly about the subject of our article, let's plunge into the history of this concept.
History
So, when did iconic signs appear? For the first time, the definition of this concept was given by Charles Sanders Pierce, an American philosopher and mathematician who laid the foundation for such a science as semiotics. The life of this scientist falls on the middle of the nineteenth - the beginning of the twentieth century. From this we can conclude that, by the standards of history, iconic signs and symbols as concepts appeared not so long ago. Since then, however, the definition of the term has undergone significant changes. For example, in his theory of semiotics, Peirce concluded that the iconic sign and what it represents "are one and the same." But if you look closely and delve deeper into this topic, you can ask yourself the question: "Does photography have the sameproperties that the object or area depicted on it?" Of course not.
In order to somehow solve the problems that have arisen, the Italian scientist and philosopher Umberto Eco formulated the following idea: the difference between an iconic sign and a real picture is in particular perception. That is, perceiving some kind of image, we use previously obtained knowledge about things and objects located on it.
Since we have already touched on such a term as semiotics, we will discuss it in more detail.
What is semiotics?
As mentioned above, this term means a science that is part of linguistics. It appeared quite recently and has been developing very actively since then. Today, the analysis of texts at various levels is an important problem, which is being de alt with by entire institutes and research groups of scientists.
With the help of semiotics, any information can be interpreted as a text. And this is its feature. Text information can be presented in a variety of ways. Including the usual verbal (or verbal) and iconic messages. The concept of an iconic message can also include a video recording. After all, today it is a huge amount of content consumed by people. Video recordings are actually a collection of iconic signs, which means that the video itself is one.
Actually, semiotics is not as simple a science as it seems. For example, even the images that we consume as content in many print and electronic media, being iconic, can, however,be interpreted differently. In order to understand the sign in the sense in which it is required of us, as a rule, they comment on it: they make signatures or footnotes.
We discussed the functions of semiotics as a science and as a tool for text analysis. However, we will not go into details and go directly to the topic of our story. Let's start with a definition.
What are iconic signs?
In computer science, various symbols are of great importance. Including iconic ones. These are, as you might guess, icons on the desktop. They have a direct resemblance to the designated object. Approximately this is how iconic signs are understood in linguistics. One of the prerequisites for such a symbol is its correspondence (similarity) with the designated object. In our life they are used quite actively. For example, a sign of road works, indicating the place of their implementation. But we did not start with the most common example. Probably the most understandable would be the statement that all the emoticons and icons that we use when commenting on something or expressing our opinion on social networks are also iconic signs.
Now let's get to one of the most important parts of this article. We have to identify and understand the difference between iconic signs and symbols. It would seem that this is the same thing, because the first is actually the second. However, there are significant subtleties here, implied by the definition of the symbol and the iconic sign separately.
By the way, directly examples of iconic signsand symbols you can see below.
Differences
What is the difference between iconic signs and symbols? In fact, there is only one fundamental difference. Consider a symbol for something, such as a chemical element. This is one or two letters (in fact, there are also three-letter ones in the current table) of the Latin alphabet. They have no direct connection with the atom. Looking at the symbol of a chemical element, it is impossible to say, without having specific knowledge in the field of chemistry, how many, for example, electrons are on its outer shell, or how many bonds it can form. Thus, a symbol can be understood as a certain code, the key to which lies in our minds. And if you do not know what name of a chemical element is hidden behind its symbol, then you are unlikely to guess it by analyzing its individual features or properties.
A completely different story with iconic signs. They are designed so that a person can easily understand what is at stake. A prerequisite for any such drawing is recognition and similarity with the object that it depicts. Otherwise, the "icon" loses its unique properties and turns into a symbol. We already gave an example of such a sign in the previous section, but still we will analyze one more for consolidation. Each of us noticed, going into the toilet, the signs indicating the men's and women's sections. As a rule, they are made in the form of figures of a man and a woman. Looking at them, we understand without unnecessary prompts for whom this or that is intended.a door. And this is the main advantage of iconic signs.
It's time to talk about the division of roles. After all, we live "hand in hand" with both symbols and iconic signs.
Roles of signs and symbols
In the previous section, much has been written about the difference between the concepts we are discussing. Iconic signs, examples of which we have considered above, as well as symbols, perform an important function in our language and everyday life. With your permission, we will use the examples provided in the previous sections to explain the new material.
So, where is the use of the symbol and the iconic sign? And in what situations is it better to designate an object in one way or another? Everything is quite simple and, probably, intuitively clear. Suppose we have a certain amount of information that we must invest in a future sign. When creating it, we must understand whether it will be an iconic sign or a symbolic object. Yes, an icon is easier to understand and quicker to remember, but a lot more information can be put into a symbol, albeit requiring prior familiarization. For example, the notation of atoms of chemical elements contains a huge amount of information: having seen the formula of a molecule, we can immediately say how many bonds each atom forms, or we can count the number of its electrons. All this is possible thanks to our knowledge of chemistry, which in this situation acts as a "decoder" of the symbolic code in our brain.
After all thisa logical question arises: "How and where are this or that type of designation used, how are they related to each other and are they connected at all?" In the next section, we will talk about how icons are used in journalism.
How do journalists use it?
In the section on semiotics, we have already discussed the role of signs in the presentation of specific material. It's time to talk about what information can be extracted from certain semiotic objects when analyzing a text.
There is such a thing as creolized text. This is such a set of semiotic signs, including several different types of messages. As an example, consider, for example, an article in a magazine. It contains both a verbal part - a verbal presentation, and iconic signs - a pictorial part.
Creolized texts differ from each other and are of two main types. The first is a material in which both parts of the text enter into equal relations with each other, but at the same time the verbal part is independent and does not lose a drop of meaning when the pictorial elements are removed from it. Thus, iconic signs and symbols in the form of images complement the verbal part of the above. This kind of creolized text is very common in newspaper articles, news articles, and non-fiction articles. The second type, as you probably guessed, is a close combination of these two types of information presentation. When the picture complements the text, there is, one might say, a synergy of these components (that is, a mutual enhancement of the effect fromperceived message). We notice examples of such texts every day, surfing the Internet or walking down the street: these are advertisements. In it, we are attracted by the image, and only then we read the material from which we learn everything we need to purchase the advertised product or service.
Without a doubt, journalism is the main application of the signs and symbols we are discussing. It was with its development that research in the field of semiotics began to advance. But let's turn to the not so trivial branch of the use of icons and symbols.
How is this used in computer science?
The very name of this science - computer science - suggests that it closely studies information, ways of its transmission and perception. In technology, iconic signs are used to convey data to the user. For example, the simplest is the icons on your desktop. Even the name itself - "icons" - hints that all the icons on the desktop are iconic. And indeed it is. They give us information about the content of the object we click on. That is, by their appearance, we can understand what awaits us approximately if we open a shortcut with one or another iconic splash screen.
In general, since ancient times, symbols have served people to convey information and data. Today, ancient symbols have evolved into letters in various world languages, as well as into unique machine programming languages, in which all operations and codes are also written using certain characters.
Understood what role icons play in journalism. But after all, the scope of such an interesting and, as we found out, necessary concept cannot be limited to journalism and computer science. They are applied in other areas of our lives.
Iconic signs in cultural studies
You probably know what cultural studies is and what it does. This is a huge field of knowledge (one might even say science), covering the entire culture of mankind since its inception. In fact, we owe a lot in our lives to this part of our being. If we did not have any culture, life in the ever-developing and growing world of modernity would be impossible.
Culturology, among other things, also studies writing, drawings, signs that a person left at different times. Of course, among them are various images, and rock paintings, and letters, and manuscripts. And all this can be attributed to iconic signs. People in ancient times attached much more importance to them than we do now. They believed that a certain symbol could summon a spirit or, say, heal a person. Until now, we see these remnants of the past: for example, a Voodoo doll. It is believed that if you create a doll that looks like a certain person, and then pierce certain parts of it with a needle, then the real person will have pain in those areas where the Voodoo needle sticks out. In fact, all this is just a misunderstanding of the iconic sign. After all, it does not have one hundred percent similarity with the depicted object and almost never has the same properties. An iconic sign is just an object with which we can perceive some real picture.or get information about her.
Now everything has become clearer with cultural studies. But what role do the objects we are discussing play in everyday life? How do they affect us? The answers to these questions are in the next section.
Why is all this necessary?
We ourselves sometimes do not notice how we give the signs some qualities that make them look like the depicted objects. But it is worth considering: is it right? Does a sign depicting any object or phenomenon really have something globally in common with the object that it is intended to designate? There is hardly any such connection. Of course, they do not have global common features, but there is something in common: without the depicted object or phenomenon, there will be no symbol, since it simply will not be needed. Another detail that I would like to focus on is the interpretation of the symbol. We can perceive the same sign in different ways. Of course, iconic signs were created in order to narrow this circle of perception and direct a person specifically to association with the object implied by the symbol. But, without having a store of knowledge about the object of the iconic sign, we will not be able to recognize it. This is also one of the problems with the use and distribution of icons.
In addition, very often students of a linguistic profile receive tasks like: "point out a sign that is not iconic." It is not necessary to explain how to perform such tasks. Indeed, at the beginning of the article, we analyzed the difference between iconic signs and symbols.
Conclusion
Today we allsurrounded by information. And each of us sees a huge number of signs a day, and their number is constantly growing. It is very important not to get lost in this chaos of graphic symbols and expand your knowledge base about what surrounds us. After all, it can be difficult to guess what lies behind another beautiful logo.
