Name: 1.6 接待、標誌、象徵意義 (1.6 Reception, Signs, Signification)
Uploaded: 2021-01-14T06:03:26.000Z
Duration: 4 min 18 s
Description: 【看影片學英語】數萬部 YouTube 影片，搭配英漢字典即點即查，輕鬆掌握單字發音與用法，長久累積看電影不必再看字幕。

During the sixties critics stood up, they objected  against this linear effect-oriented approach

基礎被動語態

They argued that many people give a different  meaning to a message than was intended,

Instead, they focused on the recipients of  communication

and how they give meaning to a message, using  their own unqiue toolkit

with their own backgrounds and experiences,  knowledge, emotions, et cetera.

So in this model, this non-linear model, there is  no wrong outcome,

Everyone gives meaning to a message in there  own unique way

Scientists had studied the phenomenon of  polysemic messages for a long time.

Polysemic meaning exactly that, different  people interpreting a message in a different way.

According to these scientists each act of  communication relies

on a communication system, without which we  wouldn't understand each other.

The study of these systems is called semiotics or semiology,

the so called study of ‘signs’ and ‘signification’.

A sign is basically everything that  communicates something.

A spoken word, a gesture, a glance, a photo, a  cartoon,

a written sentence, a hieroglyph, they are all  signs.

The process of giving meaning to these signs is  called signification.

Without going to deep into this fascinating topic,  it’s important to briefly discuss

the influence of semiotic theories on mass  communication theory.

This approach views communication not as a  linear process but as an exchange of meaning.

The sender puts meaning in a message and the  receiver takes meaning from a message.

communication scientists became more  interested in the reception of a message

and acknowledged that communication can  indeed have multiple valid outcomes.

Let’s look at this classic model for example,

proposed by linguist Roman Jacobson in 1960.

He starts with familiar elements from Shannon  and Weavers transmission model:

An addresser sends a message to an  addressee using a channel.

He added to the model elements from semiotics

Like the idea that every message refers to  something outside of the message,

Also, the specific form that our communication  takes, for instance a written word,

Successful communication, according to  Jacobson,

can only exist when all of these elements are in  place.

Also, each act of communication has one  dominant function

that relates to one of these elements in this  model.

Let's review these functions that Jacobson  identified.

When the primary purpose of a message is to  communicate

the emotions and attitudes of a sender, this is  called the emotive function.

For instance when I write a love letter to my  girlfriend.

If a receiver is directly addressed to do  something specific.

An example is a commercial that tells us to  “buy this flavour of ice cream!”.

The referential or descriptive function  corresponds with the context

and happens when a message primarily  describes a situation.

Perhaps a news report is a good example for  this.

Sometimes the main purpose of communicating  is to keep the lines open,

when we have coffee each week with a friend for  instance.

This is called a phatic function and relates to the  channel.

A poetic function means that the message is an  end in itself,

a painting for example that aims at being a  beautiful and aesthetically pleasing piece of art.

And finally there is the metalingual function,

when we use communication to explain the  codes that we use.

Another example is the explanation I’m giving  right now,

in which we are discussing concepts from the  field of semiotics.

signs, signification and the main function of a  message,

Jacobson has given us a model that is very  different from the transmission model.

It’s also a good starting point to discuss a third  perspective

that offers again a new angle with which to view  our field.