Semiotics is the study of signs, symbols, and the systems through which meaning is created and communicated. It examines how signs, whether words, images, gestures, sounds, or objects, function as carriers of meaning within various cultural and social contexts.
The field explores the relationships between the sign itself (the form), the concept it represents (the meaning), and the interpreter who decodes it. Semiotics breaks down communication into a complex process where meaning is not fixed but negotiated between the sender and the receiver.
Rooted in the works of theorists like Ferdinand de Saussure and Charles Sanders Peirce, semiotics is applied in linguistics, media studies, anthropology, marketing, and art criticism to analyze how messages are constructed, conveyed, and understood across different cultures and situations. It reveals how everyday signs influence perception, behavior, and social interactions beyond explicit language.