Code (semiotics)

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In the broadest sense, a code is an arrangement of physical matter, including the electromagnetic spectrum, that stores the potential (when activated) to convey meaning (or a pre-specified result).^[1] For instance, the pattern of vibration we call 'sound' when activated within the mind, triggers an image; say the word "cat". Also, seeing the shapes we call 'letters' forming the word makes one think of or visualize a cat. The words upon the screen were conceived in the human mind, and then translated into computer code.

A code many are familiar with is our spoken language which is assembled from or built upon phonetic sounds (patterns of vibration in the atmosphere or air). Code can also be used to refer to any physical or electromagnetic quality that human beings (or animals, or electronic devices) can perceive and then link and associate to another set of phenomena such as in a color scheme where 'red' equals 'stop' and 'green' equals 'go'.

Ferdinand de Saussure (1857–1913) emphasised that signs only acquire meaning and value when they are interpreted in relation to each other. He believed that the relationship between the signifier and the signified was arbitrary. Hence, interpreting signs requires familiarity with the sets of conventions or codes currently in use to communicate meaning.

Roman Jakobson (1896–1982) elaborated the idea that the production and interpretation of texts depends on the existence of codes or conventions for communication. Since the meaning of a sign depends on the code within which it is situated, codes provide a framework within which signs make sense (see Semiosis).