Symbols.

Objects, parts of objects, pictures, print, actions, gestures, signs, and speech can all be symbols.
Symbols may start as cues and signals.
Different Kinds of Communication Symbols
Aided Symbols
Traditional orthography (print) or Braille
- standardized and abstract symbol systems comprised of letters formed by a unique visual (lines) or tactile (dots) character.
Stringing a series of these characters together creates words, which in turn stand for a very specific referent.
Manual signs
- can be a visual or tactile means of communicating
- Signs are made with 1 or 2 hands and include a specific hand shape, position in space, and movement. Each sign represents
a word or words that convey meaning.
Representational Symbols
Lexigrams or logos
shapes (with or without color) that represent different referents. While considerably abstract, many of these shapes can
closely resemble referents (e.g., the universal logos for male and female restrooms resemble the silhouette of a man or
woman).
- The less the logo resembles what it refers to the more abstract the symbol. The more it resembles its referent, the more
iconic it is. Furthermore, what may closely resemble its referent visually may not do so at all tactilely.
Ogden and Richards Meaning Triangle
In order for signs to operate, all three elements are essential in an irreducible triad. The three part connection is distinctly represented
in a renowned model produced by C.K. Ogden and I.A. Richards.
This is envisioned to illustrate how words are affiliated to both thoughts and things. The word-thought relationship is ordained.

The symbol (word) signifies an object by virtue of the concept associated with the form of the word in the minds of the speaker; and
the concept looked at from this point of view is the meaning of the word.

There is not a direct link between the sound of the word dog and the object it refers to. What is called the signified is not actually what
we have been shown but an abstract concept formed in our mind.
The Semantic Triangle shows the direct relationship between Words & Thoughts and Thoughts &
Thing. But the dotted lines represent the word (sign) is not the Thing (a referent) and there is no
any direct relation between words and thing. The referent needs some prior experience and
reference about the word or sign to be comprehensive.
The word means different things to different people in different situations. Any sign or word
which has its own meaning is grasped with certain references to it. The process of grasping or
understanding words or signs, which already have meaning, with the asserted meanings given
by the references is called the meaning of meaning.

Any sign or word have their own meaning even though we need certain reference to understand is called The Meaning of Meaning. (1Dictionary: If a word is new, a people need reference to understand the word. 2- Mayan Code: These codes are signs only. No one cannot
understand meaning of the Mayan codes without any reference. So the signs have a direct relationship with reference and reference has direct
relationship with referent)
Ogden and Richards theory attempts to not only describe the approaches humans take when communicating, but also to understand how
communication is lost when not done correctly.
One peak of the triangle would be the symbol (a word). Another peak would be a thought, such as words to describe the symbol. Finally, the
image we create in our minds would become the referent. Through the use of the Semantic Triangle, Ogden and Richards believe they have
found a way to connect all words to their meaning (Erickstad, 1998). There are relationships between all three factors, represented by the
sides of the triangle. The relationship between the thought and symbol are causal, meaning the symbol evokes an attitude or a proposed
effect on another person. Similarly, there is a relationship between the thought and the referent, though the relationship can be either direct,
such as something we can see in front of us, or indirect, such as an image or idea about something we have seen in another instance. Finally,
the relationship between the symbol and the referent is purely indirect in that it is an arbitrary relationship created by someone who wishes
the symbol to represent the referent (Ogden and Richards, 1927, p. 11). As demonstrated by the illustration above, the word dog is
associated in the mind of the reader as a particular animal. The word is not the animal, but the association links the two, thus all three
elements are required in an irreducible triad for the signs to operate correctly (Littlejohn, 2002).
Language has an influence upon thought, as hypothesized by Ogden & Richards. When we evaluate what is stated, we do it in terms of
correctness (Is the representation correct?).
When you want to say something and that something is important because it will impact your image or it will hurt you or your business, then
you want to think twice on how you are going to present it to the world.
You have to ask yourself: Is the representation I have adequate? Is it as true for my audience as it is for me? And last but not least: did I use
the correct words?
And for those who get a headache just thinking about the workings of the semantic triangle: if you dont have the time to think twice about the
words you use or if you are not very good at using those words, its only common sense to hire a copywriter before you do any damage. Its
easier to prevent than to heal
Charles Morris Three Fields of Sign Theory
Semantics or the study of how signs are associated with things.
Second, the study of how the signs relate to other signs or syntactic.
The region of Pragmatics. This is implicated in the extent use of everyday life.