Lecture Notes: Greimas Square

Introduction

• Series of videos on the Greimas Square (Semiotic Square).
• Focus: "The interaction of semiotic constraints" by Greimas and Rastier.
• Goal: Understand the basic components and model of the square.

Components of the Greimas Square

Semantic Universe (S)

• Represents a specific angle on reality, forming a closed system.
• Contains smaller units of meaning called "semes."

Binary Opposition

• Start with two contrasting semes (e.g., life and death).
• These semes are known as hyponyms within the larger semantic universe.
• Hyponyms: Terms whose semantic fields are included in a larger category (hypernym).

Completing the Square

• Opposite/contradiction of semes creates two additional corners: "not death" ((\overline{S2})) and "not life" ((\overline{S1})).
• Bottom part of the square is the negative side.

Relationships within the Square

Disjunctive Relationships

• Contrary: Dotted line between life and death; similar relationship between bottom terms.
• Contradictory: Solid line diagonally across the square.

Constructing the Square

• Starting with one term (e.g., life), you can derive the three other corners through contrary and contradictory relationships.

Axes and Schemas

• Complex Axis: Top horizontal relationship.
• Neutral Axis: Bottom horizontal relationship.
• Schema 1 & 2: Diagonal lines representing contradictory schemas.

Deixis

• Deixis 1: Between life and not-death.
• Deixis 2: Between death and not-life.
• Implication: One term implies another, like Venn diagrams (e.g., life within not-death).

Example: Traffic Lights

• Injunctions (commands): Green light (go) vs. Red light (stop).
• Non-Injunctions: Absence of rules (e.g., orange lights).
• Orange light after green: Start stopping.
• Orange light after red: Prepare to go.

Conclusion

• Introduction to the basic model of the Greimas Square.
• Next steps: Compare multiple squares and analyze texts or cultural phenomena.