In semiotics, the process of interpreting a message sent by the addresser to the addressee is called decoding. Creating a message for transmission by the addresser is called encoding. Semiotics (originally spelled semeiotics to honour John Locke (1632-1704) who first coined the term semeiotike from the Greek word σημειον or semeion, meaning mark or sign) is the study of signs and sign systems. ... Process (lat. ... Message in its most general meaning is the object of communication. ...

Discussion

All communication depends on the use of codes. When the message is received, the addressee is not passive, but decoding is more than simply recognising the content of the message. Over time, each individual in the audience develops a cognitive framework of codes which will recall the denotative meaning and suggest possible connotative meanings for each signifier. But the actual meaning for each message is context-dependent: the codified relations between the signifiers in the particular context must be interpreted according to the syntactic, semantic and social codes so that the most appropriate meaning is attributed. In semiotics, the concept of a code is of fundamental importance. ... In metaphysics and statistics, the word individual, while sometimes meaning a person, more typically describes any numerically singular thing. ... An audience is the/a group of people who participate in and experience or encounter a work of art, literature, theatre, music or academics in any medium. ... The term cognition is used in several different loosely related ways. ... In semiotics, denotation is the surface or literal meaning encoded to a signifier, and the definition most likely to appear in a dictionary. ... In semiotics, connotation arises when the denotative relationship between a signifier and its signified is inadequate to serve the needs of the community. ... In linguistics, syntax is the study of the rules, or patterned relations, that govern the way the words in a sentence come together. ... In general, semantics (from the Greek semantikos, or significant meaning, derived from sema, sign) is the study of meaning, in some sense of that term. ...

Although the addresser may have a very clearly defined intention when encoding and wish to manipulate the audience into accepting the preferred meaning, the reality is not that of textual determinism. What is decoded does not follow inevitably from an interpretation of the message. Not infrequently, the addressees find different levels of meaning. This apparent failure of communication may result from the fact that the parties use different codes because they are of a different social class or because they have different training or ability, or because they have different world views or ideologies. David Morley argues that the outcome of decoding will be influenced by pragmatic issues, i.e. whether: Determinism is the philosophical conception which claims that every physical event, including human cognition and action, is causally determined by an unbroken chain of prior occurrences. ... Social class refers to the ranking of people into a hierarchy within a culture. ... A world view, also spelled as worldview is a term calqued from the German word Weltanschauung (look onto the world). The German word is also in wide use in English, as well as the translated form world outlook. ... An ideology is a collection of ideas. ... Pragmatism is a school of philosophy which originated in the United States in the late 1800s. ...

• the addressee has the ability to comprehend the message in its entirety;
• the message is relevant to the addressee;
• the addressee is enjoying the experience of receiving the message; and
• the addressee accepts or rejects the addresser's values.

Further, Umberto Eco suggests a distinction between closed texts which predispose a dominant interpretation and more open texts which may have latent meanings or be encoded in a way that encourages the possibility of alternative interpretations. Photo of Umberto Eco by Robert Birnbaum Umberto Eco (born January 5, 1932) is an Italian novelist and philosopher, best known for his novels and essays. ... Latent means that something is dormant and may become active in the future, as in a latent fault. ...

References

• Chandler, Daniel. Semiotics: The Basics. London: Routledge. (2002)
• Eco, Umberto. The Role of the Reader. London: Hutchinson. (1981)
• Morley, David. Television, Audiences and Cultural Studies. London: Routledge. (1992)