2 discussions 1 assignment- reserved for someone [[[[[[Part 2]]]]]]]
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Hall-RepresentationMeaningandLanguage--LindseyWilliams1.pptxRepresentation, Meaning, and Language
By: Stuart hall
Hum 4459
Lindsey Williams
Learning Objectives
Define the connection between representation and meaning
Summarize what Hall means by sign and signifier and describe how this helps us understand how to study cultural artifacts. (edit by Dr. Tanner)
Distinguish the difference between the Reflective, Intentional, and Constructive approach
Describe the importance of the circuit of culture, and relate this concept to a relevant cultural example
Thesis
As a culture, we use different signs, visual and linguistic, to represent an object or idea. The way we interpret an object is through a conceptual map, which allows us to communicate with each other.
“The meaning is not in the object or person or thing, nor is it in the word. It is we who fix the meaning so firmly that, after a while, it comes to seem natural and inevitable. The meaning is constructed by the system of representation. It is constructed and fixed by the code, which sets up the correlation between our conceptual system and our language system” (Hall, 21).
“Representation is the production of meaning through language” (Hall, 29)
Circuit of Culture
The circuit of culture to which we are accustomed to is how we make meaning of our surroundings, and is how we identify ourselves within a culture
Signs and codes are used to signify different meanings for a culture. The object in itself does not hold the meaning until culture constructs the meaning for a specific object (Ex: Traffic Lights)
“Our 'circuit of culture' suggests that, in fact, meanings are produced at several different sites and circulated through several different processes or practices [the cultural circuit). Meaning is what gives us a sense of our own identity, of who we are and with whom we 'belong' - so it is tied up with questions of how culture is used to mark out and maintain identity within and difference between groups” ( Hall, 4).
Different Theories of Representation
The reflective approach: Meaning lies in the object, person, idea or event in the real world, and language functions like a mirror, to reflect the true meaning as it already exists in the world” (Hall, 24). There are set truths in which meanings revolve around.
The intentional approach: It is the speaker, the author, or interpreter who imposes their unique meaning on the world through language. Words mean what the author intends they should mean (Hall, 25). The individual decides what something means through their interpretation of it.
The constructionist approach: Things in themselves nor the individual users of language can fix meaning in language. Things don’t mean: we construct meaning, using representational systems- concepts and signs (Hall, 25). Culture assigns meanings to different objects, giving them meaning in the particular culture and context.
Evidence
Meaning is represented through ionic and indexical signs
Ionic signs are visual signs that represent an object- for example, a photograph of a tree is the ionic sign of a tree, the photo itself is not actually a tree
Indexical signs are written or spoken signs- In English T,R,E, E refers to a tall plant, but the indexical sign for tree is different depending on the language. In French, a tree is spelled A,B,R,E (Hall 21)
Example: Traffic lights- We classify the color spectrum to create colors which are different from one another. We represent or symbolize the different colors and classify them according to what they signify in our culture (Hall, 26)
Application- “A Quiet Place”
Language through signs and symbols due to culture of silence for survival
The meaning of the red lights and the white lights differ due to the context. White lights indicate safety and red lights indicate danger
The red and white lights do not have meaning until the meaning is constructed
Sign language is used as the linguistic representation of meaning due to the silent culture
Discussion
Do things, such as objects, people, events in the world have their own, one, true meaning, which language reflects?
Do meanings shift in different cultures and languages? How? Give an example.
“Does visual language reflect a truth about the world which is already there or does it produce meanings about the world through representing it?” (Hall, 7)
Name another film or scene from a film in which themes of representation and meaning can be identified.
Works Cited
Hall, Stuart. Representation: Cultural Representations and Signifying Practices. Sage Publishing, 1997.
Krasinski, John, director. A Quiet Place. Paramount, 2018.
