SEMIOTICS

AND SIGN
LANGUAG
E
Semioti
 Semiotic
s
The study of the use of symbolic communication.
Semiotics can include signs, logos, gestures and
other linguistic
and nonlinguistic communication methods.
As a word, semiotics derives from the Greek
sēmeiōtikós,
which describes the action of interpreting signs.
 Semiotic
Theory
Ferdinand de Saussure (1857–
1913), a Swiss linguist who
studied the meaning of signs
within a particular group or society
 Semiotic
Theory
Charles Sanders Peirce (1839–1914), an
American philosopher and logician who studied
how signs shape our individual understanding of
physical reality
 SIGN
LANGUAGE
 Sign
Language
sign language, any means of communication through bodily
movements, especially of the hands and arms, used when
spoken communication is impossible or not desirable. The
practice is probably older than speech.
 Juan Pablo de Bonet is credited with publishing the first sign
language instructional book for the deaf in 1620. The book was
based on the work of Girolamo Cardano, an Italian physician,
who believed that it wasn’t necessary to hear words in order to
understand ideas.
WHO USES SIGN LANGUAGE?
Sign Language is the primary language of
many North Americans who are deaf or
hard of hearing and identify as part of the
Deaf community.
 The gestures or symbols in sign language are
organised in a linguistic way. It is a rich combination
of finger-spelling, hand gestures, body language, facial
expressions, timing, touch, and anything else that
communicates thoughts or ideas without the use of
speech.