Charles Sanders Peirces Semiotics The Triadic Model

When Ferdinand de Saussure was formulating his two part dyadic model of the sign, consisting of a signifier, or the form that a sign ta es, and the signified, or concept it represents, !merican, Charles Sanders Peirce "#$%&#&#'( was theori)ing his own model of semiotics and signs* +n contrast to Saussures model, Peirce formulated a three,part triadic model consisting of an interpretant, representamen, and an o-.ect*

Peirces Triadic Model +nterpreting Signs

/a0ing an interpretant as part of his semiotic model was Peirces new and distincti0e addition to understanding and defining signs* Peirce did not -elie0e that signification was a straightforward -inary relationship -etween a sign and an o-.ect, and he 0iewed this inno0ati0e part of his triad as how we percei0e or understand a sign and its relationship to the o-.ect it is referring to* ! critical point in Peirces theory is that the meaning of a sign is created -y the interpretation it stimulates in those using it* /e reiterates this in his comment that 1a sign addresses somebody, that is, creates in the mind of that person an equivalent sign, or perhaps a more developed sign. 2 So an interpretant is the sense we ma e out of the sign, similar in meaning to Saussures signified e3cept that it is a sign in the mind of the interpreter* The element of interpretation in Peirces theories also emphasi)ed his claims that semiosis is a process, whereas Saussures emphasis was always on structure*

/ow do we interpret a stop sign4 +mage -y 5ritish Colum-ia Crown Pu-lications

Peirces Triadic Model 6epresenting Signs

The representamen in Peirces theory is the form the sign ta es, which is not necessarily a material or concrete o-.ect*

Peirce was interested in the signifying element of a sign and emphasi)ed that not all the elements of a sign are necessary or carry the same weight in its interpretation* Thus, in his 0iew, it is not the sign as a whole that signifies an o-.ect -ut those elements most crucial to its functioning as a signifier* For e3ample, a 1stop2 sign may ha0e a white -order -ut that part of the sign is not crucial to the message 1stop here now*2 We would -e a-le to interpret the sign if that -order were a-sent or if a -lac -order were used instead* The representamen is similar in meaning to Saussures idea of signifier*

Semiotics per Peirce7 8-.ects Create Signs

!n 1o-.ect2 is the referent to which the sign refers to also nown as the 1sign 0ehicle*2 +t is important to understand that this does not ha0e to -e a material o-.ect* !s with the sign or representem, not e0ery feature of the o-.ect is rele0ant to signification* 8nly specific elements of an o-.ect ena-le a sign to signify it* For Peirce, the relationship -etween the o-.ect of a sign and the sign that represents it is one of determination it is the o-.ect, entity, or socially agreed concept that determines its sign and its successful signification9 the idea -eing that the o-.ect imposes definite constraints that a sign must adhere to if it is to represent that o-.ect and form the correct interpretation in our minds*

Semiosis of the :lements of the Triad

Peirce called the relationship and interaction -etween the representamen, the interpretant and o-.ect, 1semiosis*2 For e3ample, in Peirces model, the stop sign, the representamen, consists of a red octagonal -oard mounted on a pole containing the word 1stop2 in white lettering* The sign would -e facing traffic at an intersection and the idea, the 1interpretant,2 or the way this sign would -e understood to dri0ers and pedestrians is that traffic must stop at this .unction* The referent that the sign refers to is the action stop* The act of dri0ers stopping their 0ehicles is in this case is the 1o-.ect2 of this sign* Peirce, nown for his pragmatics, theori)ed that we interpret sym-ols according to a rule, a ha-itual connection* The sym-ol is connected with its o-.ect -ecause the sym-ol,user and a sign e3ists mainly due to the fact that it is used and understood* Consider this, the ne3t time you pull up at an intersection*