Systems of Representation

What is language

Language is an arbitrary sign. Arbitrary signs are symbols that refer to something however do not reflect the visual of that being. For example, $ is the symbol of money however does not look like money.

The First System of Representation

The first system of representation argues that all objects and activities correlate with a set of mental concepts or representations. Meaning is created through our own conceptual map of the world. This also means that people who belong to the same culture share the same conceptual map.

Denotation

The literal meaning of a word

The Definition of Representation

1. Representation means to depict something or to stand for something. 2. Stuart Hall defined representation as "the process by which meaning is produced and exchanged between members of a culture through the use of language, signs and images which stand for or represent things."

Icon

A sign that physically resemble what it stands for. In other words a literal sign or the denotation of something.

Index

A sign which implies some other object or event. In other words a implied sign or the connotation of something.

Symbol

A sign with a conventional or a arbitrary relation to the signified. A symbol is a learned sign which means that you learn what the symbol should represent. A symbol is constructed in our culture.

Connotation

An idea or feeling that a word invokes in addition to its literal or primary meaning. What the word or image means in reality, in other words, the feeling the image invokes within you.

Stuart Hall

Stuart Hall was a famous sociologist and worked within the interdisciplinary field of cultural studies. Within this field Hall created several theories, however the most notable of theories was probably Hall's theory regarding cultural representation.

The Second System of Representation

The second system of representation argues that humans exchange meanings and concepts through language. In the second system, one constructs a connection between our conceptual map and the signs organized in various languages which represent those concepts. The relation between concepts and signs lies at the heart of the production of meaning in language. The process which links these three elements together is what we call 'representation'.

Why do we need a system of representation

We need a system of representation because: 1. It does not only exist an individual concept in the world. Rather there are several concepts that need to be organized within a system. 2. We need a way to organize, classify and arrange different concepts. 3. We can establish relationships between concepts. Thus creating, for instance, a dichotomous relationship between concepts such as good and evil. 4. We can distinguishing concepts from each other.

Signs

Words, sounds or images that carry meaning.