Reflective Journal: WHAT ARE SIGNS IN COMMUNICATION?

I would like to analyze one theory written by Dimbleby & Burton (2007) about communication base on my understandings. It is the connection between communication and signs.

According to Dimbleby & Burton (2007), communication is a process in which communicators deliver and collect each other's messages. A message is a sign with embedded meaning and is delivered in both verbal and non-verbal way. As the writers point out, the theory can be applied to all examples under any circumstances. For instance, as I understand, it is when two people are discussing about an issue, they are actually giving signs to one another. And if the signs are read correctly, they have managed to send their messages successfully. This is regarding to verbal communication. A non-verbal sign can be a simple gesture that conveys the message. To illustrate, a hand shake represents a hello or a nod for an agreement.

Signs can be more various. Besides words–spoken or unspoken, and gesture, signs can also be sounds, music, letters or anything that living beings can interpret into messages.

I notice there are many TVCs to which the advertisers apply distinctive sounds in order to make them more remarkable. For example, the little sound 'hisamitsu' played at the end of one TVC reminds me of the 'Salonpas patch' commercial. I can recognize it eventhough I am in the toilet. The advertisers use the sound to tell their audiences 'this is Salonpas'. Of course this example is in terms the audiences watched the TVC several times before so they remember the sign.

One more example on my dog. He usually wags his tail whenever my mother comes home from work. We all understand he is happy by then.

By reading the theory and giving some examples of my own, I learn that signs are given every time we communicate. However, I think in different times and with different people, signs can be decoded into different messages.

((RMIT Vietnam - Communication and Social Relation - Reflective Journal)