The origin of the word “Semiotics”, naturally comes from ancient Greece. The word ‘semeion’ stands for a mark or a sign.
The first usage of the word semeion has more of a medical meaning. It was written like ‘semeiotike’, which, as far as we know, stood for symptomatology. Even today in medicine there is a section of the diagnostics that, in some countries, is called semeiotics.
Yet, the contemporary term semiotics has a few other use cases, and therefore – meanings.
For example, in mathematics. Where it stands for a section that studies the epistemological foundations of mathematics
On the other hand, some authors, especially from the Anglo-Saxon tradition, use the term as synonymous with poetics.
Of course, the linguists, like the Dutch Louis Hjelmslev and many more, including but not limited to, Roland Barthes, are using the term as synonymous with a sign system.
Still others, like Algirdas Julien Greimas, and his school of thought, the term stands for a general theory of meaning. In his Sémiotique: Dictionnaire raisonné de la théorie du langage Greimas writes:
The semiotic theory should be first presented as what it is, that is as a theory of meaning.
The last and the most widespread contemporary understanding and usage of the term Semiotics is a science of signs, their nature, functions, and their order in sign systems.
As a science of signs, Semiotics has been used for the very first time by the English philosopher John Locke in 1690. Although Locke doesn’t claim that words are the only type of sign, the type of Semiotics he offers is oriented toward human language.
The first people to define the essence of semiotics as a science of all signs were Charles Sanders Pierce in the USA and Ferdinand de Saussure in Europe. They did so independently of one another.
Charles Sanders Peirce (1839–1914)
Charles Sanders Peirce, an American philosopher, logician, and mathematician, is often regarded as one of the founding figures of semiotics. He began developing his theory of signs in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Peirce’s semiotics is rooted in pragmatism, a philosophical tradition that emphasizes the practical consequences of concepts and beliefs.
Related: Charles Sanders Peirce
Peirce introduced a triadic model of the sign, which consists of three components. His work on semiotics was extensive and complex, covering various aspects of logic, philosophy, and epistemology. His ideas influenced a wide range of disciplines, including communication studies, linguistics, and cognitive science.
Ferdinand de Saussure (1857–1913)
Ferdinand de Saussure, a Swiss linguist, is another key figure in the development of semiotics, particularly through his influence on European structuralism. Saussure’s work was published posthumously in the book “Course in General Linguistics” (1916), which was compiled by his students from his lecture notes.
Related: Ferdinand de Saussure
Saussure proposed a dyadic model of the sign, consisting of two parts. He emphasized the arbitrary nature of the relationship between the signifier and the signified, meaning that the connection between the two is based on social convention rather than any inherent link. He also introduced the idea that signs operate within a system of differences, where the meaning of a sign is determined by its relation to other signs within the same system.
Development and Modern Influence
The ideas of Peirce and Saussure were fundamental for what was to follow. Scholars throughout the 20th century developed their ideas further, which let to the establishment of semiotics as a distinct academic discipline. Roland Barthes, Umberto Eco, and Julia Kristeva are among the many thinkers who expanded on these foundational concepts, applying them to fields such as literature, media studies, and cultural analysis.