English Semantic

“Semantic Elements : Sign and Symbol”

Arranged by:

Fitma Ramadhani (A1M219007)

English Department

Faculty of Teacher Training and Education

Halu Oleo University

Kendari

2021

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page
COVER.........................................................................................................1
TABLE OF CONTENTS...............................................................................2

CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION
1. Background...............................................................................1
2. Problem Formulation.................................................................1
3. Purpose.....................................................................................1
CHAPTER II. DISCUSSION
1. Defintion of Sign........................................................................5
2. Types of Sign............................................................................5
3. Definition of Symbol..................................................................7
4. Examples of Symbol..................................................................7
5. The Differences between Sign and Symbol..............................8
CHAPTER III. CLOSING
A. Conclusion.................................................................................10
REFERENCES............................................................................................11

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 CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

1. Background

The word semantics in Indonesian (English: semantics) comes from the Greek
word sema (a noun meaning "sign" or "symbol"). The verb is semaino which means "to
mark" or "to symbolize". What is meant by a sign or symbol here as the equivalent of the
word sema is a linguistic sign (French: signe linguistique) as proposed by Ferdinand de
Saussure (1996), which consists of a component that interprets, which is in the form of
sound forms of language, and component that is interpreted or the meaning of the first
component. These two components are signs or symbols; while what is marked or
symbolized is something that is outside the language commonly called the referent or the
thing designated.

The word semantics is then agreed upon as a term used for the field of linguistics
which studies the relationship between linguistic signs and the things they signify. Or in
other words, the field of study in linguistics that studies meaning or meaning in language.
Therefore, the word semantics can be interpreted as the science of meaning or about
meaning, which is one of three levels of language analysis: phonology, grammar, and
semantics.

2. Problem Formulation
1) What is a sign?
2) What are the types of signs?
3) What is a symbol?
4) What are some examples of symbols?
5) What are the differences between a sign and a symbol?

3. Purpose
1) To know the definition of symbol.

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2) To find out the types of signs.
3) To know the definition of symbol.
4) To know some examples of symbols.
5) To know the differences between sign and symbol.

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 CHAPTER II

DISCUSSION

1. Definition of Sign

In the Big Indonesian Dictionary (Depdikbud, 1993: 1002) a sign is defined as: 1)
an address or something that states something: a siren, a warning sign; the white flag is a
sign of surrender; 2) symptoms: already visible signs; 3) evidence: that's a sign that they
don't want to cooperate; 4) identifier; emblem: the Indonesian contingent wearing the
Garuda Pancasila sign; 5) Instructions: the traffic light that is red is a sign that it must
stop.

Saussure's defined sign as a form made up (1) of something physical, sounds,

letters, gestures, etc. which he termed the signifier; and (2) of the image or concept to
which the signifier refers - which he called the signified (As cited in Sebeok, 2001, pp. 8-
11). Morever, a sign can be said to be a lexeme which can be directly followed by other
forms, for example punctuation marks, evidence marks, picture marks, namely images
used as signs or symbols of a political party or community group that appear as
contestants in general elections, hyphens, commas, period, question mark, time mark.

This theory is actually related to various symptoms encountered in everyday life,

which generally have one thing. The signs are signs for something, pointing to
something outside of itself. Some of these signs appear spontaneously and become signs
if they are interpreted that way, for example: clouds in the sky we consider as an
indication of rain. There are very diverse signs used in human-to-human communication.

2. Types of Sign
a. Non-verbal Sign

The first type of sign is non-language sign or non-verbal sign, such as limb
movements, signals of various kinds, traffic lights, road signs, and so on. We generally
categorize this type of sign into three:

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 Iconic signs – icons are signs where meaning is based on similarity of appearance.
So our drawing of our tree stands in for the notion of ‘tree’ based on a crude similarity of
appearance.

Indexical signs – Indexical signs have a cause-and-effect relationship between

the sign and the meaning of the sign. There is a direct link between the two. So a leaf
might be an indexical sign.

Symbolic signs – these signs have an arbitrary or conventional link. The word
tree, t-r-e-e only comes to stand in for the notion of tree because of the conventions of our
language. In another convention, the symbolic sign for tree might be ‘arbor’ (German) or
‘木’ (Japanese)

In each case, the sign can be broken into two parts, the signifier and the signified.
The signifier is the thing, item, or code that we ‘read’ – so, a drawing, a word, a photo.
Each signifier has a signified, the idea or meaning being expressed by that signifier.
Only together do they form a sign. There is often no intrinsic or direct relationship
between a signifier and a signified – no signifier-signified system is ‘better’ than another.
Language is flexible, constructed, and changeable. Saussure uses the word ‘arbitrariness’
to describe this relationship.

b. Verbal Sign

The second group is non-verbal sign or the language itself, spoken or written, and
derived from that language, such as Morse writing, Braille for the blind, symbols of
mathematics and logic, and so on. A good example is the word ‘cool.’ If we take the
spoken word ‘cool’ as a signifier, what might be the signified? In one context or
situation, cool might refer to temperature. But in another, it might refer to something as
‘stylish’ or ‘popular’. The relationship between signifier and signified can change over
time and in different contexts.

This is important, because signs are understood and encoded in context. As with
the words ‘’cool,’ the relationship between signifier and signified is made meaningful in

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 context. This area starts by looking at signs in isolation, but as you become more
confident with semiotics, you will start to look at signs as part of a sign system.

3. Definition of Symbol

Symbols in the concept of Ogden and Richards are linguistic elements, whether in
the form of words, sentences, and so on, which arbitrarily represent objects from the
outside world and the world of experience of the user community. Symbols are arbitrary
and conventional language elements that represent object relationships and their
significance. Words, sentences, and other conventional signs are symbols. It has the
following characteristics: sign, replacing or representing, written or oral, mean, rule,
contains many possibilities because sometimes it is not clear, growing which increases
the symbol continues to develop in accordance with human needs, individual, judging
which means that what is said all contains someone's assessment of something, as a result
which means symbols that because they are used cause certain effects, and introducing
which means that the symbol is an identifier of something.

Symbols are abstract, symbols are arbitrary. It is said to be arbitrary because for
the horse object, too many symbols are used according to the language in question.
Incidentally the object whose name is a horse; In Gorontalo it is called Wadala, in
Indonesian it is called Kuda, and in English it is called Horse.

4. Examples of Symbol
1) A red heart signifies romantic love.
2) In most countries around the world, the traffic sign for “Stop” is a red octagon.
3) The international radiation symbol is a danger sign used to warn of ionizing radiation.
4) When it comes to packaging symbols, three chasing arrows are used universally to
signify that a material is recyclable.
5) The WiFi symbol, also known, as a stair-step icon, lets tech users know that a wireless
internet connection is available.
6) The Red Cross is an internationally recognizable medical symbol. It signifies nonpartisan
medical services for those in need of medical attention.

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7) The icon of a briefcase with a small cross inside symbolizes a doctor’s bag and may be
used to signify that a doctor is working in a given location.
5. The Differences between Sign and Symbol

The sign shows a direct relationship with reality, while the symbol shows an
indirect relationship. the zigzag sign indicates the fact that the road is crooked, while the
zigzag symbol does not necessarily refer to the crooked road. Incidentally, the word or
symbol of twisting means something that twists, for example, a road. However, if
someone says, "the answer is twisting", then the meaning of twisting here is not exactly
the same as the meaning of the symbol of twisting in the sentence of twisting roads. Seen
here, the meaning attached to the sign should not be interpreted differently; the meaning
is already that, while the meaning attached to the symbol can still be interpreted
differently. Signs, although conventional, are not arbitrary, because the zigzag sign
applies in Indonesia or in other countries, it can even be said to be worldwide.

Signs are limited, slowly increasing, while symbols develop rapidly according to
the development of the thinking of the speakers of the language concerned. Traffic signs
can be counted in number, but symbols to regulate traffic are more than the number of
traffic signs.

Symbols make use of the sounds of language produced by human speech organs
which then if you want to express them in written form, then the symbols use certain
graphemes, while signs are not like that. To be reminded in semiotics, symbols are also
signs. That is why it is said, language is a sign system. In other words, symbols as signs
are related to language.

Table Showing the Differences Between a Sign and Symbol:

Sign Symbol
A sign is a form of language that is A symbol represents something that are accepted
descriptive in nature. ex. Road signs ( by certain subjective areas. Example of a symbol
DO NOT ENTER) could be a letter or letters standing for a chemical
element or a character in musical notation.
Symbol for a religious cults or groups.

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A sign could stand for something and May only target certain group of people. May be
it may be mandatory to be followed. interpreted differently by different people.

CHAPTER III

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 CLOSING

1. Conclusion

In conclusion, it can be observed that both a sign and a symbol are not
synonymous. The main difference between the two is that a sign is a form of language
that directly communicates with the targeted audiences. Sign could also mean a usage of
gestures to convey information or instructions. It is also a form of language that directly
communicates with the targeted audiences. In contrast, a symbol is a conventional
representation of an object, function, or process.

References

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Abdul Chaer, Pengantar Semantik Bahasa Indonesia (Jakarta: Rineka Cipta, 2013), hlm. 2

Aminuddin, Semantik Pengantar Studi Tentang Makna (Bandung: Sinar Baru Algensindo, 2008),
hlm. 81

Sebeok, T. A. (2001). Signs: An Introduction to Semiotics (Second Edi). University of Toronto

Press.

https://contoh-makalah2.blogspot.com/2019/03/unsur-unsur-semantik-konsep-tanda-sign.html?
m=1

https://opentextbc.ca/mediastudies101/chapter/signs-and-signifiers/

http://www.differencebetween.net/miscellaneous/difference-between-sign-and-symbol/

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