Semiotic Approach in Brunei Food Advertisement

Brunei Tourism Advertisement

Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque

I decided to use this advertisement for the purpose of semiotic analysis. My aim is to argue whether a sign could gives many connotations. Umberto Eco stated in his book "A Theory of Semiotics", "A general semiotic theory will be considered powerful according to its capacity for offering an appropriate formal definition for every sort of sign-function, whether it has already been described and coded or not. So the typology of modes of sign-production aims at proposing categories able to describe even those as yet uncoded sign-functions conventionally posited in the very moment in which they appear for the first time." - Eco, Umberto (1979), page 5.

Semiotic is the study of sign. Sign must have both a signifier and a signified. Signifier is what we see, touch, feel, taste or hear. While signified is the interpretation of the signifier. As stated by Umberto Eco in his book "Semiotics and the Philosophy of Language", " The sign is usually considered as the correlation between a signifier and a signified ( or between expression and content) and therefore as an action between pairs." - Eco, Umberto (1984), page 1. 

As a signifier and a signified were identified, the signified will automatically become the denotation (literal meaning). And then, when we applied the denotation into a different signifier, it will gives us a connotation (deeper meaning). According to Gillian Dyer in "Advertising as Communication", "...denotation and connotation refer to first and second levels of meaning in a sign. The term denotation refers to the literal meaning of sign; to what is 'objectively' present and easily recognised or identified. Connotation is a term used to refer to meanings which lie beyond denotation but are dependent on it." - dyer, Gillian (1982), page 128.

From the food advertisement above, there are five signifiers that I can identified: the pictures of 'Ardam', 'Pulut Panggang', ' Bingka', 'Ambuyat' and 'Satay'. As we identified the signifiers, our brain will automatically interpret it as a group of 'foods' (signified). Thus, 'foods' is the denotation (literal meaning of sign). But, when we link the denotation with the picture of mosque above, it will gives a connotation (a deeper interpretation of meaning). In "Advertising as Communication", Gillian Dyer agree with Roland Barthes that "...the first system (denotation) becomes the plane of expression or signifier of the second system (denotation)...the signifiers of connotation...are made up of signs (signifiers and signifies united) of the denoted system."(Barthes, Roland) - Dyer, Gillian (1982), page 128.


The signifier (mosque) signified the meaning of Islam whereas when I associate it with foods I will think of 'halal' foods. Thus the connotation is 'halal' foods. Nevertheless, the mosque itself is a signification of Brunei because it can only be found in Brunei. Thus, another connotation is Brunei foods. In the advertisement also there are anchorage which illustrates the Malay food. We can see it directly from the Malay words 'Ardam', 'Pulut Panggang', 'Bingka', 'Ambuyat' and 'Satay'. All of these are the signifiers and they are the signification of Malay foods. Thus, the connotation is Malay foods.


As a result, it is true that a sign could give many connotations. It depends on both a signifier and a signified to interpret it. Umberto Eco agree with Pierce in his book " Semiotics and the Philosophy of Language", " The principle of interpretation says that " a sign is something by knowing which we know something more" (Pierce). The piercean idea of semiosis is the idea of an infinite process of interpretation. It seems that the symbolic mode is the paramount examples of this possibility." - Eco, Umberto (1984), page 2.

References:

Eco, Umberto.1979. A Theory of semiotics. Retrieved from:
http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=BoXO4ItsuaMC&oi=fnd&pg=PR7&dq=semiotic&ots=962T-rPwhi&sig=smdMtUs1j7H-ToX_5GmSaqTgtew#v=onepage&q=semiotic&f=false 


Eco, Umberto.1984. Semiotics and the Philosophy of Language. Retrieved from:
http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=aqTkkHZsIMwC&oi=fnd&pg=PR9&dq=semiotic&ots=9fXiUgWjUc&sig=UrtAACyhSg9h4aOytZ1u_im_XJ0#v=onepage&q=semiotic&f=false


Dyer, Gillian.1982. Advertising as Communication. Retrieved from:
http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=58StsR8D0gYC&oi=fnd&pg=PP11&dq=advertising+as+Communication&ots=FoNRMZdFm8&sig=CkgD3cuuAc78u6N_kEIVN0BkNK8#v=onepage&q&f=false