Social Semiotics- The Science of Signs In simple terms, social semiotics study the way humans use semiotics (the study of signs and symbols and their use or interpretation) and apply them in communicative and social situations. Swiss linguist Ferdinand de Saussure and linguist Charles Sanders Pierce were early founders of the concepts of semiotics, however linguists such as Michael Halliday and Roman Jakobson have strong influence on the framework of social semiotics. (Chandler, D). The methods of this framework are important to understand as semiotics are vital to ensure that the intended meanings of signals are understood. Semiotics are often used in marketing to influence customers' subconscious decision making. An example of how this works is shown in the image below. Semiotics are basically broken into three parts: the sign, the signifier, and the signified concepts. Social semioticians apply three important principles when analyzing a semiotic system such as langu...