Semiotics is the study of signs and symbols used in communication. It examines how signs gain meaning through their relationships between the signifier (image or sound) and signified (concept). Famous theorists like Saussure, Barthes, Hall, and Pierce contributed to semiotics. Saussure distinguished between the signifier and signified and how signs are interpreted personally. Barthes explored how signs represent culture through denotation and connotation. Hall argued meanings are decoded polysemically based on experience. Pierce categorized signs as icons, indexes, or symbols based on their relationships to what they signify.