ICONIC LANGUAGE: DEFINITION, CHARACTERISTICS, TYPES, EXAMPLES - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

The iconic language may be defined as a visual representation and discourse that seeks to convey a message through the image. Also, it is a limited expression because generally the symbol tends to have a unique meaning.

However, within the virtual context, the symbol can act as a sign and vary its meaning. Therefore, the referent depends on the knowledge and culture of the person. Due to this, it is essential that there is a link between the sender, code and receiver.

Iconic language can be defined as a visual and discursive representation that seeks to convey a message through the image. Source: pixabay.com

For this relationship to take place, it is necessary that each iconic unit is made up of the iconme, grapheme and trait. That is, by signal, perception and recognition; These aspects are constituted by the model, size, orientation, value and color of the semantic figure.

The objective is for the icon to be conceptually identifiable so that communication can be generated. In this way, it is observed that one of the elements that determines this language is suggestion.

It should be noted that the iconic language should not be confused with the written manifestation. The latter is characterized by linear spelling and the various meanings that some words present, which are adjusted to the content that is intended to be disseminated.

Instead, iconic language is the expression of a concrete idea. An object that, despite having numerous interpretations, emits a precise concept.

Origin

According to the testimony of linguists and anthropologists, the iconic language arose more than 6500 years ago, this is how it is appreciated with hieroglyphs; whose representations have been identified as the first non-verbal expression system.

However, it was at the beginning of the 20th century that this manifestation began to be studied as a linguistic and social phenomenon. Semantic discourse was an essential instrument for the development of functional analysis, a theory created by Roman Jakobson (1896-1982).

This researcher focused on communication factors and stated that to convey a coherent message it was not necessary to write long sentences, but rather to create a metalinguistic image.

This function focused on establishing a code of understanding between the sender and the receiver. Years later, Eric Buyssens (1910-2000) expanded Jakobson's hypothesis. This Belgian author stated that the meaning of the object was attributed by the conception that man gave it.

From these theses, the project of expanding the visual discourse arose, which is why they began to design semic figures that are now known as iconic language.

Definition

The purpose of iconic language is to represent reality through images, which must have specific connotations so that individuals can instantly recognize them. In this way, it is observed that this discourse is defined as a register of systematic signs.

These signs are systematic because they establish an immediate connection between the object and the viewer. That is, through the icon the person can interpret the meaning of the conversation and translate the signals from the environment without the need for explanation.

Then, this language is identified by evaluating and recreating –through lines– the aspects that make up the world. This is because the representations are not limited to the virtual field, but comprise casual images.

Unlike those signs that are made by man and indicate a specific act, the so-called casual icons do not involve individuals. On the contrary, they are natural figures that the population knows, shares and relates to the order of the day. For example, the reddish clouds in the afternoon emerge the sunset.

It is necessary to point out two definitions of iconic language that emerged in the course of the 20th century:

Charles Morris Hypothesis (1901-1979)

This theory alludes that the signified and the signifier are linked through a set of properties that establish the reference of the object. Among these attributes, the texture, design and composition of the symbol stand out.

Morris also states that icons have greater value when fully defined; which is why a photograph is more reliable than a drawing.

Umberto Eco Hypothesis (1932-2016)

Umberto Eco affirmed that the structure of the sign must be related to the interpretation. That is, the image has to be identified with its meaning; but such representation must be socially recognized. For this reason, he stated that the symbol of the rabbit is not the body, but the ears.

characteristics

Iconic language is characterized by expanding the dimension of visual discourse, since it encodes and analyzes the content of empirical reality in order to represent it. Likewise, it causes particular facts to be universalized through the sign.

The iconic language causes particular facts to be universalized through the sign. Source: pixabay.com

In addition, it provides sensory data, since the population is conditioned to trust the message transmitted by the symbol. In this way it is shown that the icons cause a kind of impartial motivation in the recipient.

Similarly, it can be said that it is an analytical communication system because it is essential to know the referent before interpreting the sign. Therefore, the viewer reflects on the ideological background of the figure in order to use it.

All sema is allegorical. This happens because the meaning of an object derives from the mental structure. It is like stating that the issuer elaborates its iconic theories based on logic and linking different concepts.

The visual message is made up of three spatial elements. Its components are physical resources that are used so that the flat image acquires the two-dimensional extension.

It is made up of a syntax that comprises two sensitive edges or phonemes. The first is the embedding factor, the second refers to the juxtaposed unit. Those mechanisms come together to form the whole of the icon.

Types

The iconic speech was born as an explanatory method. In ancient times it was perceived as a tool to portray the thoughts and relevant events of communities. Its first manifestations were hieratic painting and ideographic representation.

With the passage of time, it was incorporated into the field of sociology and obtained the designation of language. Currently, its use is as vast as that of written expression. There are even characters that have come to replace some words.

So, visual communication determines people's lives. That is why it is considered pertinent to mention its main fundamentals:

Signaling codes

They are figures where space does not have a significant role. These signs are only made up of graphemes and iconmes, as they are allegorical by themselves and are used to indicate directions. These include harbor lights, traffic lights and clock hands.

Ideographic codes

They are images designed to replace verbal language in order to facilitate communication. They assume two functions: one material and the other symbolic. That is to say, their references are concrete and global.

These icons are identified by being silhouettes of people, vehicles and institutions. Unlike signal codes, ideographic codes are thicker in their diagrams.

Graphic codes

They are digital or linear systems that come together to build a sign. These representations are flat and exhibit the principle of monosemia, as can be seen with maps and diagrams.

Pictorial code

These signs stand out for the realism they show, as they use texture and color to reproduce the messages. They are expressed through particular and multiple features. In this way it is detailed in paintings, lithographs and engravings.

Sequential codes

They are codes that create their own grammar, since they incorporate different sensory manifestations to construct didactic or entertainment discourses. The means that this iconic language uses are graphic records and dimensional analysis.

In addition, these images include the spatial and temporal order with the aim of establishing and juxtaposing a sequence of visual communication, as observed in photonovels and comics.

Examples

The iconic language seeks to highlight the figure or the object, for that reason it uses different planes of composition. It also focuses on pigmentation so that people associate symbols with specific ideologies, emotions, and social groups.

Designers use figures of speech to give images a verbal meaning. Following this aspect, it is possible to express that this discourse encompasses all spaces of reality, since each linear expression can be considered an icon if it has some individual meaning.

However, this definition must be known worldwide. Some examples will be presented in the following paragraphs:

Turn prohibition

This traffic sign is made up of a circle and a curved line, the purpose of which is to cancel out the arrow at the bottom of the frame. The purpose of the symbol is to show individuals that the path is restricted. The image was made in red and black to alert the population.

1945

It is a black and white photograph that has been awarded the title of icon because it represents the end of the Pacific War. Therefore, the portrait does not express a romantic moment between the soldier and the nurse, but rather an international celebration.

School zone

It is an ideographic expression that is made up of a yellow triangle and two black silhouettes that apparently run. The icon reveals that it is necessary to drive with caution because the zone is school.

References

1. Aicher, O. (2008). Visual communication. Retrieved on November 6, 2019 from Florida University: ufl.edu
2. Bael, E. (2009). Visual language analysis. Retrieved on November 7, 2019 from Faculty of Linguistics, Philology and Phonetics: ling-phil.ox.ac.uk
3. Colle, R. (2002). The content of iconic messages. Retrieved on November 6, 2019 from Revista Latina de Comunicación Social: revistalatinacs.org
4. Doelker, C. (2005). The language manifestations. Retrieved on November 6, 2019 from the Department of Linguistics: linguistics.georgetown.edu
5. Flanigan, J. (2012). The syntax of the image. Retrieved on November 7, 2019 from Faculty of Linguistics: linguistics.utoronto.ca
6. Moreno, L. (2007). The language of the image: critical analysis of semiotics and mass communication. Retrieved on November 6 from La Academia: avelengua.org.ve
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8. Sánchez, V. (2017). Image and language: towards a definition of iconic language. Retrieved on November 6, 2019 from the University of Navarra: unav.edu