Metalanguage and Connotation Roland Barthes

26 In addition, sign users as subjective position also want to extent to the secondary sign system which orients to the contentconcept C is the extension of signifiedcontent contenuC 2 . But the signifierexpression E 2 is not changed. This is called as connotation. Connotation is a process of the relation R between E and C that is interpreted by sign users to develop the content, concept, signified C. Image: Connotation E 2 signifier C 2 signified E 1 signifier C 1 signified Source: Barthes 1964 Fo r example back to the word “women”, this word is extended and related R 2 to be the other description of women such as sexy and beautiful person or as complex description like dependent person, powerless or sexual-object; it is as the extension of contentsignified C 2 . But in other side, the expression is same, the definition word of women E 2 . In this case, what has explained is the extension of contentsignified C 2 , but the expressionsignifier is not changed and Barthes called this extension as connotation. To paint the example above, here is the scheme: R 2 R 1 Secondary sign system Connotation Primary sign system 27 E 2 The definition of women C 2 Beautiful, sexy, dependent person, sexual- object E 1 The word of women C 1 The real women Source: Barthes 1964 But how if a connotation stays in for long time?, In Mythologies 1957, Barthes based on sign users argued that a connotation could dominate a society. For example, it would be handled by major community who wants to give “some connotation negative or positive” to minor community, in order to be a myth concept for long time. Myth is produced by major community to minor community or on the contrary via a connotation process that given.

c. Myth

The word “myth” is difficult to explain because there are some definitions that categorizes it to a theory or a definition only. According to An Oxford Advanced Learners English Dictionary , the word “myth” is explained that myth as 1 a, an old story, primary it is related to an early R 2 R 1 Primary sign system Secondary sign system Connotation 28 events of nature. b, natural story 2 a thing or people’s imagination. 34 As literal definition, myth is a story which is used by a society to explain or to understand some aspects from a reality or nature. Primitive myth is about a life and death, human and god, goodness and badness. In other hand, Barthes imitated the concept of primitive myth to be used to the concept of a connotative process to “uncover” the hidden meaning in advertisements, fashion and so on. 35 He added that myth now days is about power, success, masculine, feminine, or something that could not be questioned such a black person in French as sub-ordinate person caused by colonialism at last time, but it was shown on Paris-Match magazine mid-1957 by wearing French uniform and saluting a French flag as French is a state and does not differentiate any person. It lives on a community that given to “naturalize s omething or naturalize history”. For the example in French at the barber shop on Paris-Match magazine Barthes read and knew that a black person been colonized but on Paris-Match magazine was not happen anything by saluting a French flag. 36 In the definition of Barthes concept about myth which is in Kris Budiman, Kosa Semiotika, is a part of speech that taken to be read in 34 Oxford Advanced Learners English Dictionary, 1995, p. 770. 35 John Fiske, Introduction to Cultural and Communication Studies, Yogyakarta: Jalasutra, 2007,

p. 121.

36 Ibid., p. 122. 29 advertisements for example as “something”, something natural, or the way to conceptualize “something”. 37 In his work, Mythologies essay, Barthes said that myth is from secondary sign system process which connotation is stable or to be