Roland Barthes was a French theorist and semiotician who made important advances in semiotics and post-structuralism. Semiotics is the study of signs and symbols, such as how different colors on a traffic light signify how to react. Barthes contributed the theory that all signs can be divided into a signifier, the visual or material form of the sign, and a signified, its meaning or interpretation. He applied this concept of splitting symbols into what is seen and what it means.

1. Roland Barthes and Semiotics
Maisie Bloor

2. Semiotics
Semiotics is the study of signs and symbols and their use of
interpretation. We have all been taught to interpret different
signs or symbols. For example when we see the different colours
on a traffic light, we automatically know how to react to it.
One theory to do with semiotics is that all signs can be split into
a signifier and a signified. This theory was brought up by Roland
Barthes.
Signifier-
The stop
sign
Signified-
Telling cars to stop
Sign= Signifier
-----------
Signified
Anything
that
conveys
meaning
Things that give
meaning
What the human
mind interprets

3. Roland Barthes
Roland Barthes was born on November the 12th
1915 in France. He was a French literay, theorist,
philosipher, lingustic critic and semiotician. His
work made important advances in the areas of
semiotics, Anthropology and post-structralism.
His theory was that you could split a symbol into
what you can see and what it means.