Teaching Semiotics to Promote Students’ Critical Thinking in the Reading and Writing Class Arum Priadi English Education Department Ahmad Dahlan University arumpriadi@gmail.com

Students’ Habits Indonesian students tend to ask rather than find something by themselves Another case is when students wanted to confirm the lecturer’s desk. They preferred asking to reading the lecturer’s name holder that has already been set on each table The other example is finding location on a map. Some students would rather ask someone first to show a certain building or room than looking at it

Students’ Habits students are familiar with multiple choice questions &comprehension questions. students are afraid of making mistakes when exploring opinions

Semiotics Therefore, an alternative way to solve those troubles is supposed to be initiated. Teaching semiotics, in this case, can be the one solution to help students in eliminating their difficulties

Semiotics as one perspective Making meaning Semiotics as one perspective

The significance of Semiotics treats objects, images and practices as “texts” to be read. The question is not - What am I seeing ?, but - “What does it mean” ?

The significance of Semiotics It therefore, can cover; pictures, fashion, clothing, photographs, advertisements, furniture, household items, toys, films, cartoons, virtual imagery.... and treat them as “texts” to be read and decoded.

What is semiotics? Semiotics (from the Greek ‘semeion’) is the study of signs and texts, which is to say that it is the study of meanings, communication, interpretation and significance. Semiotics is less interested in what something means than in how it means anything at all to anybody.

What is a Sign? The basic unit of semiotics is the sign. A sign is a unit of meaning. ‘Aliquid pro aliquo’: a sign is ‘something that stands for something else.’ A sign is something that ‘tells’. It is for this reason that Umberto Eco (‘The Name of the Rose’) defines semiotics as the discipline that studies lying. Signs are always pretending they are something else.

The Sign The signifier + the signified = the sign The form + the idea in your head = the meaning But the relationship between the signifier and the signified is ARBITRARY, and dependent upon a shared code.

Signs & Texts Signs combine to form Texts. A text can be thought of as a message recorded in some medium so that it is independent of a sender or a receiver. Semioticians analyse texts to reveal their hidden meanings - what’s really going on.

Codes Signs and Texts are governed by codes. Codes are the rules and conventions for making a text in a given genre or medium. They are also the environment/context in which signs exist. Codes are what help us understand and interpret signs. They are the rules of the game. These rules change over time. (eg: lava lamps)

Saussure - Background Ferdinand De Saussure: Born 1857 in Switzerland 1856: at Leipzig University published a paper. (“On Vowels in Indo-European Languages”) 1906 - Whilst the Professor of Sanskrit at Geneva he was asked to teach a course in general linguistics to some undergraduates. After his death in 1913, his former students published his lecture notes. ‘Structural Linguistics’ was born.

Saussure - Introduction Traditionally language thought to be a system of naming. This is fine for specific things, but what about “Man” or “Happiness” or “Nation”? For Saussure, language has nothing to do with names and is independent of the ‘real world’.

Semiology Semiology - a ‘science which studies the role of signs as part of social life.’ Saussure believed that his linguistic theories could be applied to all communication events. Semiology assumes that all culture on some level is ‘like a language’.

Barthes Definition “Semiology aims to take in any system of signs whatever their substance and limits; images, gestures, musical sounds, objects, and the complex associations of all of those which form the content of ritual, convention or public entertainments. These constitute, if not languages, at least systems of significations.” (Roland Barthes (1964))

Reading&Writing Reading should not be passive since it needs critical thinking What is presented in the text describes a discourse; therefore, the students should communicate with the text The discourse relates to context and a text is a media to cover

Saussure - The Sign Saussure’s sign has 2 parts; a sound-image (signifier/Sr) and a concept (signified/Sd). The formal association of these two parts makes a sign. (eg: /tree/ - ‘concept of a tree’) The relationship between the two is formal and psychological. Signifcation is something that goes on in our heads.

Criticisms - Volosinov Volosinov/Bakhtin (1895-1936): “A word is a bridge thrown between myself and another.” Saussure’s system is too abstract. Language must be understood diachronically. Each sign has a history of use that must be taken into account. (eg: Volkswagons and Swastikas.) Is this a fair criticism? Meaning is dialogical and situated. (THEME)

Criticisms - Social Semiotics Speech is solidarity” (Gunther Kress) In social semiotics, all speech has a social meaning, which is ‘motivated’. (connected to action by individuals in society). People talk to each other, they get people to do things and meanings are exchanged. In other words, language is performative.

Criticisms - Social Semiotics In social semiotics, language is not a closed system. It is open and fragmented and changing all of the time. Saussure is too individualistic systematic Saussure forgets that sign-systems are Open and ongoing Heavily contextual

PEIRCEAN SEMIOTICS C.S. Peirce (pronounced ‘Purse) An American philosopher and logician writing at about the same time as Saussure was teaching his course. Was fired from a University job early in his career, and eked out a living writing articles for newspapers

Peircean Semiotics Unlike Saussure, Peirce didn’t focus on language. He was interested in all kinds of signs, and his system applies equally to bacteria as to humans. Peirce believed that all thinking and interpretation was the work of signs. (eg: ‘I’ is the sign through which people represent themselves to the world.) As a logician he wanted to find out not only how signs happen to behave, but the rules to govern how they must behave.

Peircean Semiotics For Peirce logic and semiotics are exactly the same thing. Like Saussure, Peirce believed that signs allow coded access to an object, but in Peircean semiotics signs can be material as well as well as mental/psychological

Peirce’s Sign Peirce defined the sign as ‘something which stands to somebody for something in some respect or capacity.’ The Peircean sign has 3 parts: Sign/Representamen(S/R) Object (O) Interpretant (I)

Peirce’s Sign The Sign/Representamen is very much like Saussure’s signifier. It stands for something and is interpreted. This produces the Interpretant, which is close to Saussure’s signified. It is what is represented or meant by a sign. Both the Sign/Representamen and the interpretant together stand for something else: the Object.

Icon, Index, Symbol ICON: ‘relation of reason’ An iconic sign resembles its object (eg: a photograph) INDEX: ‘relation of fact’ An indexical sign has some natural/causal connection with its object. (eg: smoke & fire) SYMBOL: ‘relation of cognition’ A symbolic sign relates to its object in a conventional and arbitrary manner only (eg: language)

What’s the point of semiotics? Allows us to see what is hidden in texts. Gives us an understanding of the polysemy of communication. Reveals just how much of culture we take for granted as natural and necessary. Unifies the study of communication, and makes legitimate the study of things like pop-culture

Summary Semiotics is the study of signs and sign-systems. Signs are combined into texts. This process is governed by codes. A sign is something that stands for something else to someone else The idea of the sign can be extended from the written or spoken word to images, objects, even activities and events in the everyday world.

Reading&Writing Text encourages students to think critically in order that they can give some comments and inputs after reading The comments and inputs, then, are manifested in writing It shows a complex activity which contains students’ comprehension

Reading&Writing Productive skill means thinking critically when writing so it links to what they have read from the writer’s ideas then develop them into a new text consisting of students’ critical thinking after adapting and adopting a text, therefore it matches with its context since a text is developed with context. (Wallace, 2003:15)

Sign: Semiotics Implementation in Reading and Writing Class We are living in the world that represents signs. They are around us. What is appeared says more than what is spoken sometimes and it involves many aspects to understand the real meaning. (Hawkes, 2004: 101) semiotics relates to the meaning behind what is stated, demonstrated, written or symbolized. (Danesi, 2004:3) The researcher thinks that sign says complete information in the simple manner but powerful

Critical Thinking Critical thinking has many aspects to do. It is not only thinking but also involving knowledge and skills including reading and writing. Both skills illustrate process of attaining academic achievement. It is, therefore, important to motivate every effort to lead there. The effort seems challenging since critical thinking needs broader horizon. The lecturer should take care of this responsibility and go along with students

Critical thinking activities Students are asked to: look at the each picture, then observe things and read words around it, determine the topic based on its context, understand signs revealed, reflect to get the meaning, interpret the signs based on the topic and context, evaluate the interpretation to make sure that each sign has been connected to the topic and context,

Critical thinking activities 7. appreciate the result to comprehend the analysis, 8. manage the ideas to get the logical order, 9. be aware of the interpreted meaning form the signs, 10. be concerned with the issues, 11. be yourself, 12. act and practice what is understood about the issues.

Selected materials

Critical hinking analysis The figure is Rp.100.000. But it looks embarrassing since the figures in it are covering their faces with two hands. Those symbols lead the context to deflation. It expresses that Rupiah is down to the lowest level. Rp.100.000 has the highest nominal in Rupiah. It illustrates that the economics condition is lowering. This situation, thus, arouses the increasing prices of goods. It is urgent, therefore, for the government to stabilize Rupiah into the normal level together with Bank of Indonesia in order to make the prices stable again. That is the hope of Indonesian people.

Selected materials

Critical thinking analysis Sumatra and Kalimantan look like the misty islands because they are still covered by heavy smog. The context must be smoky haze in Riau. People have to use a masker to reduce too much smog inhaled. It must be bothered all daily routine activities because people breathe the smog in a whole day. It says: WISATA ASAP RIAU BUKA FULL 24 JAM NON STOP MINGGU/HARI LIBUR TETAP BERASAP (Riau Fog Tourism Destination. It opens during 24 Hours Non Stop. Sunday or the day off keeps fogging

Critical thinking analysis That is the heart-breaking warning in order that other people see and feel what is happening there. Moreover, the figure invites us to be empathic and the most important thing is that they need a quick solution from the government to get over the deadly disaster soon.