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A symbol is something --- such as an object, picture, written word, a sound, a piece of music, or particular mark --- that represents (or stands for) something else by association, resemblance, or convention, especially a material object used to represent something invisible. Symbols indicate (or serve as a sign for) and represent ideas, concepts, or other abstractions. For example, in the United States, Canada, Australia and Great Britain, a red octagon is the symbol that conveys the particular idea of (or means) "STOP".
Common examples of symbols are the symbols used on maps to denote places of interest, such as crossed sabres to indicate a battlefield, and the numerals used to represent numbers. Common psychological symbols are the use of a gun to represent a penis or a tunnel to represent a vagina. [1] See: phallic symbol and yonic symbol.
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Language and Symbols
All languages are made up of symbols. In his work, On Interpretation, Aristotle teaches that "Spoken words are the symbols of mental experience, and written words are the symbols of spoken words." The word "cat", for example, whether spoken or written, is not a literal cat but a sequence of symbols that associates the word with a concept. Hence, the written or spoken word "cat" represents (or stands for) a particular concept formed in the mind.
Another example of the symbol "cat" would be an object, such as a stuffed animal, that is referred to as a cat. The stuffed animal resembles (or exhibits similarity) to a real cat. One can view the object and see the semblance to the real creature that is known to have fur, is soft to the touch, and purrs.
The study or interpretation of symbols is known as symbology, and the study of signs is known as semiotics.
Etymology
The word "symbol" came to the English language by way of Middle English, from Old French, from Latin, from the Greek σύμβολον (sýmbolon) from the root words συν- (syn-) meaning "together" and βολή (bolē) "a throw", having the approximate meaning of "to throw together", literally a "co-incidence" (zu-fall), also "sign, ticket, or contract". The earliest attestation of the term is in the Homeric Hymn to Hermes where Hermes on seeing the tortoise exclaims συμβολον ηδη μοι "symbolon [symbol/sign/portent/encounter/chance find?] of joy to me!" before turning it into a lyre.
The symbolate
A technical term for an object that serves as a symbol is a symbolate. For example, a scepter [2] is a material object that serves as the symbol of royal power. In addition to being a symbol, a scepter can be picked up and wielded. However, the scepter fulfills its symbolic purpose when it is wielded by a monarch.
Objects have physical properties; a scepter is essentially a rod with ornamentation. The rod only becomes a symbol of power when people (1) view a scepter held by the hand of a monarch and (2) accept the monarch's authority (or right to use power).
An alien from outer space might describe a royal audience as follows: A Homo sapiens wrapped in fibers reflecting light at the high end of the visible frequency range moved an ornamented rod against gravity, at which time other individuals ceased emitting complex sound waves. A human would say that the monarch dressed in a purple robe waved the scepter to silence the crowd.
What is the difference between these two meanings? Leslie White approached the question in an effort to define cultural objects, such as a law, a constitution, a marriage ceremony. All the nouns in the paragraph above are cultural objects: the monarch, the robe, the scepter, the language, and the subjects.
References
Notes
- ^ David G. Myers, Psychology, Worth Publishers; 7th edition (June 6, 2004) ISBN 0716752514 ISBN-13 978-0716752516, p. 282
- ^ britishtowns.net
Other references
- Webster's New International Dictionary of the English Language, Second Edition, Unabridged, W.A. Neilson, T.A. Knott, P.W. Carhart (eds.), G. & C. Merriam Company, Springfield, MA, 1950.
- The American Heritage Dictionary, 3rd Edition
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- This page was last modified on 2 September 2008, at 23:52.
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