1. Semiotics of Roland Barthes Chapter 26
Making of Myth: Stripping the Sign of its History
p. 336

2. Semiotics of Roland Barthes
A sign is the combination of signifier and signified.
A sign does not stand on its own: it is part of a system

3. Intercepted Scud Missiles
Signifier
2.Signified
Convicted
Prison Term
Repentant
Forgiven
Relief
Denotative System
Sign
Welcome home
Yellow Ribbon
(forgiveness)
Guided Smart Bombs
Intercepted Scud Missiles
Shock and awe
Toppled Saddam
Mission accomplished
II. Signified
Figure 26-1 p. 336
Denotative sign system is a descriptive sign without ideological content.
A connotative System is a second-order semiological system built off a preexisting sign system.
The sign of the first system becomes the signifier of the second.
The transformation of the yellow ribbon symbol has transformed into an ideological sign.
“Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree” was a best-selling pop song of 1972 in the US.
Connotative System
I. Signifier
Yellow Ribbon
Pride in Victory
Welcome-home
II. Sign

4. Levis: Made in China?
The classic American clothing company, Levi Strauss, is shutting its domestic factories and moving all production to China, leaving behind an increasingly anxious U.S. garment industry.
Sharpen your focus
What are the signifier and signified of a favorite item of clothing or jewelry?
Signifier
2.Signified
Working Man
Comfort
1853
Durability
Masculinity
Levi 1853:
History of jeans:
Can you think of a way that this sign has already been stripped of history?
Sign
American
Iconic brand