Semiotics Of Television Criticism

In the legends of China,Cang Jie invented Chinese characters through observing the flying of a phoenix and replaced the old “rope knot typing” method of recording information.Ever since then the writing of Chinese characters began to flourish.There is a long history of using symbols by the human race.Human activities are almost inseparable from the symbols.One could even say that people are “symbol” of the existence,to certain extent.Semiotics is the doctrine of the study of symbols.The main focus of this thesis is on the criticism of television semiotics.Unlike traditional criticism,the study of semiotics focuses on the methods of using symbols for communication,mutual understanding and its basic rules.The primary task of semiotics is to interpret the intrinsic meaning of either an aesthetic object or other human works.The most important question in the study of semiotics is the mechanism of meaning.The specialized study of semiotics of television criticism helps us perceive a new understanding of semiotics,especially about the methods,categories and meanings of television's semiotic criticism.It also helps us distinguish more clearly between criticism of television semiotics and cinematographic criticism.Through studies of television semiotics it would also enable us to apply semiotics method in film and television criticism more concretely.In the first two chapters of the thesis,based on both the theory of semiotics and the theory of film semiotics,we discuss how television semiotics generates meaning and produces the signification of this meaning en masse.In the third chapter,in order to get a general picture of current status of semiotics research,we briefly review the application and development of semiotics in China and the introduction of western semiotic theory in China.In the fourth chapter,we carry out the analysis of the specific text using Greimas' s semiotics theory,specifically “Greimas Square”.Through this analysis we demonstrates the feasibility of application of semiotics in television criticism.Summing up in the final chapter,we outline the current problems and challenges of method of semiotics.This gives us a more clear understanding of the criticism method of semiotics theory.