This is a stop sign which means drivers need to stop when approaching the road ahead. It is clearly an icon, beacuse everyone can see the meaning from the “STOP” on it. It can be found at road junctions. It is very helpful to control the traffic, and make the intersection nice and smooth.
This imagine is a symbol. It is the logo of Chinese Students & Scholars Association at Syracuse University. It can be found at the website of SUCSSA and some occation around campus when SUCSSA take part in. As a Chineses student, I know this is my group everytime when I see this symbol.
This is an instruction of IKEA furniture. I think it is an icon here, for the reason that it shows clearly “how to” on the imagine and people just need to follow what is shown. It can be found in the package of IKEA furniture. This imagine teaches people how to start when open the IKEA furniture box, and it shows what is good to do and what is forbidden.
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June 3, 2009 at 7:14 pm
legries
Hi Xiaojin. Nice job finding a diverse array of signs. I want to complicate your understanding of signs just a bit just to make sure you are fulling understanding their differences and how they work together in one image.
As Scollon and Scollon explain, an icon is a sign that gives its meaning by looking like the object it refers to. How is the stop sign in your eyes exactly an icon? Do you mean to say it is an index? Also, how does the color red act as a symbol and give meaning to this sign?
Also, how do the colors in the logo act as a sign themselves which adds to the meaning of the logo?
Lastly, what other signs are at work in the Ikea instructions? Clearly, as you note, icons are present in that that resemble people and the objects referred to in the image? But other signs are also at work? Can you talk more about those, please? Perhaps, go back to pages 28 – 31 in DISCOURSES IN PLACE to see how Scollon and Scollon discuss the combinations of signs at play in specific images.
Thanks.
Laurie
June 4, 2009 at 5:47 am
aluoo
You had some pretty good findings here. I like the IKEA instructions picture, it’s pretty straightforward in telling people what to do even though there aren’t any words. The stop sign is a pretty good one too, it stands out and it’s pretty obvious what it means. Anyone can understand it. I didn’t understand the CSSA though, maybe you can go a little bit more in details.
June 4, 2009 at 1:16 pm
mkfish01
The first picture of a stop sign is a universally know icon. I believe that most of the world can recognize this and understand what it is trying to say. I also believe this can be a symbol too because it literally says ‘STOP.’ There is no thinking involved and it states what needs to happen. If you are able to read but have never seen this sort of sign, a person would still understand how to react to it.
The second picture makes a lot of sense being a symbol, but I feel it could also be an icon because it represents something. It represents the SUCSSA group at Syracuse. It symbolizes the people that are involved in that organization and what they stand for.
The third picture from IKEA I also feel is only an icon. It is a simple picture showing what you should do if you have an issue with the IKEA furniture.