semiotics

American  

[see-mee-ot-iks, sem-ee-, see-mahy-] / ˌsi miˈɒt ɪks, ˌsɛm i-, ˌsi maɪ- /

noun

(used with a singular verb)

1. the study of signs and symbols as elements of communicative behavior; the analysis of systems of communication, as language, gestures, or clothing.

2. a general theory of signs and symbolism, usually divided into the branches of pragmatics, semantics, and syntactics.

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semiotics British  

/ ˌsiːmɪ-, ˌsɛmɪˈɒtɪks /

noun

1. the study of signs and symbols, esp the relations between written or spoken signs and their referents in the physical world or the world of ideas See also semantics syntactics pragmatics

2. the scientific study of the symptoms of disease; symptomatology

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Other Word Forms

• semiotician noun

Etymology

Origin of semiotics

First recorded in 1875–80; semiotic, -ics

Example Sentences

The symbols themselves shift, even though the structure of the semiotics is always the same...

From Salon

Stallone’s presence in the earlier “Creed” movies ensured that the franchise remained tethered to his legacy, with its sequels and fraught semiotics, even if the titles no longer carried the Rocky name.

From New York Times

“I don’t have anything to say. It’s the semiotics of theater without the content.”

From New York Times

One does not need to be an expert in semiotics or linguistics to decode what Trump and other fascists are saying.

From Salon

So that’s one way to talk about it, is just semiotics.

From Los Angeles Times