Social semiotics as theory and practice in library and information science
Author(s): Matthew Jason Wells (Faculty of Information, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada)
Citation: Matthew Jason Wells , (2015) "Social semiotics as theory and practice in library and information science", Journal of Documentation, Vol. 71 Iss: 4, pp.691 - 708DOIhttp://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JD-01-2014-0018
Downloads: The fulltext of this document has been downloaded 53 times since 2015
Abstract:
Purpose– Information scholars frequently make use of “conceptual imports” – epistemological and methodological models developed in other disciplines – when conducting their own research. The purpose of this paper is to make the case that social semiotics is a worthy candidate to add to the information sciences toolkit.
Design/methodology/approach
– Both traditional and social semiotics are described in detail, with key texts cited. To demonstrate the benefits social semiotic methods may bring to the information sciences, the digital display screen is then employed as a test case.
Findings
– By treating the display as a semiotic resource, the author is able to demonstrate that, rather than being a transparent window by which the author may access all of the data, the screen actually distorts and conceals a significant amount of information, and severely restricts the control users have over software packages such as online public access catalogues. A programming paradigm known as language-oriented programming (LOP), however, can help to remedy these issues.
Originality/value
– The test case is meant to provide a framework by which other information sciences issues may be explores via social semiotic methods. Social semiotics, moreover, is still evolving as a subject matter, so IS scholars could also potentially contribute to its continued development with their work.
Keywords: Technology, Discourse, Semiotics, Display, Screen, Social semioticsPublisher: Emerald Group Publishing Limited
以下摘自：https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_semiotics
Social semiotics is a branch of the field of semiotics which investigates human signifying practices in specific social and cultural circumstances, and which tries to explain meaning-making as a social practice. Semiotics, as originally defined by Ferdinand de Saussure, is "the science of the life of signs in society". Social semiotics expands on Saussure's founding insights by exploring the implications of the fact that the "codes" of language and communication are formed by social processes. The crucial implication here is that meanings and semiotic systems are shaped by relations of power, and that as power shifts in society, our languages and other systems of socially accepted meanings can and do change.
Social semiotics is thus the study of the social dimensions of meaning, and of the power of human processes of signification and interpretation (known as semiosis) in shaping individuals and societies. Social semiotics focuses on social meaning-making practices of all types, whether visual, verbal or aural in nature (Thibault, 1991). These different systems for meaning-making, or possible "channels" (e.g. speech, writing, images) are known as semiotic modes. Semiotic modes can include visual, verbal, written, gestural and musical resources for communication. They also include various "multimodal" ensembles of any of these modes (Kress and van Leeuwen, 2001).
Social semiotics can include the study of how people design and interpret meanings, the study of texts, and the study of how semiotic systems are shaped by social interests and ideologies, and how they are adapted as society changes (Hodge and Kress, 1988). Structuralist semiotics in the tradition of Ferdinand de Saussure focused primarily on theorising semiotic systems or structures (termed langue by de Saussure, which change diachronically, i.e. over longer periods of time). In contrast, social semiotics tries to account for the variability of semiotic practices termed parole by Saussure. This altered focus shows how individual creativity, changing historical circumstances, and new social identities and projects can all change patterns of usage and design (Hodge and Kress, 1988). From a social semiotic perspective, rather than being fixed into unchanging "codes", signs are considered to be resources which people use and adapt (or "design") to make meaning. In these respects, social semiotics was influenced by, and shares many of the preoccupations of pragmatics and sociolinguistics and has much in common with cultural studies and critical discourse analysis.
The main task of social semiotics is to develop analytical and theoretical frameworks which can explain meaning-making in a social context (Thibault, 1991).
以下摘自：http://book.douban.com/subject/4086765/
Social Semiotics
作者: Robert; Kress, Gunther Hodge
出版社: Cornell University Press
出版年: 1991-01-01
页数: 280
定价: $ 28.19
装帧: Paperback
ISBN: 9780801495151
内容简介 ······
Social Semiotics is a major new textbook in communication and cultural studies. It offers a comprehensive and original approach to the study of the ways in which meaning is constituted in social life.
Hodge and Kress begin from the assumption that signs and messages - the subject matter of semiotics - must always be situated within the context of social relations and processes. They then show what is involved in analysing different kinds of messages, from literary texts, TV programmes and billboards to social interactions in the family and the school. While presenting a judicious assessment of different perspectives, Hodge and Kress also develop their own distinctive and highly fruitful approach, demonstrating how semiotics can be integrated with the social analysis of power and ideology, space and time, and gender and class.
Social Semiotics is richly illustrated with examples and written in a clear style which does not presuppose prior knowledge of the field. It will become a key textbook for courses in communications, media and cultural studies and will be of general interest to students of sociology, literature and linguistics.
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