ways to revealed what is the meaning behind sign, and what is the message behind the novels or any kind of art works.
Based upon the explanation above, the writer is interested in describing the semiotic aspect of Pierce in the novels “The Lord of The Ring” and convey the
meaning of sign in the novels. Therefore, the writer would like to do the research
under the title “Pierce’s Triadic Concepts in the Novels: “The Lord Of The Ring
” Trilogy” the Relation of Sign to Representament, Sign to Object, and Sign to Interpretant.
B. The Focus of the Study
In writing this paper, the writer would like to focus the paper on the semiotic aspect of Pierce’s semiotic theory in the novels “The Lord Of The Ring”
trilogy. The theory of Pierce is classified in three terms, first is Representament, second is Object and third is Interpretant. In this research, the writer describes the
relation of sign to representament, to object, and to interpretant. From those relations they will classify into qualisign, sinsign, legisign, icon, index, symbol,
rheme, dicisign, and argument . As explained before, the using of semiotic aspects
in these novels is one of the ways to deliver the message from these novels. Therefore, in this research, through the Pierce’s semiotic theory, it will be
explained what kind of signs that appear and have relation to the novels.
C. The research question
The research questions that the writer wants to propose is “How the triadic concepts of Pierce reveal the meaning of signs in the novels: “The Lord Of
The Ring” trilogy?
D. The Significance of the Study
The research will have advantages for the readers of the novels who want to understand the meaning of the signs based on the semiotic aspects of Pierce that
are used in these novels, and as the general knowledge of semiotic aspects that appears in the novels, furthermore, the writer would like to take a part in adding
more references for the readers who concern with this field such as novel’s practitioner, readers and observers to use.
E. Research Methodology
1. The method of the Study
In this research, the writer uses the qualitative method where the writer describes the signs on the novel entitled “The Lord Of The Ring”. And
then, the writer analyzes and describes the meaning of the signs based on the relevant theory.
2. The Objective of the Study
Based on the research questions above, the writer has objectives of the research as following:
1. To know the kinds of the signs based on Pierce’s semiotic aspects that appear in the novels: “The Lord Of The Ring” trilogy,
especially in the relation of sign to representament, to object, and to interpretant.
3. Unit of Analysis
The unit of analysis of this research is the “The Lord of The Ring” novels by J.R.R Tolkien, the novels was released in three different years
and became a trilogy to that stories, there were released in year 1954 The Fellowship of The Ring, 1965 The Two Tower, and 1966 The Return
of The King.
4. The Instrument of the Research
The research uses the writer himself as the research instrument and rewriting and identifying the semiotic aspect based on Pierce’s semiotic
theory that appear in the novel “The Lord Of The Ring” trilogy.
5. Technique of Data Analysis
For this research, first, the writer classifies the relation of sign to representament, to object and to interpretant based on the novels, and find
out the interpretation of the signs by using Pierce’s semiotic theory. Then, the classified data will be analyzed through descriptive analyzed
technique.
CHAPTER II THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
A. Semiotic
1. Definition of Semiotic Semiotic is a study of how sign convey meaning, in the life but not
all sign work immediate, visible, or even noticeable aspect of social life.
5
Alex Sobur also said, “semiotik adalah ilmu yang mempelajari arti tanda
”.
6
Semiotic is study or method of analysis to convey the meaning of signs. There are two kinds of semiotic that often studied in recent time.
First is semiotic of communication, in this term, the explanation is about how the sign is produced, and this theory pays attention to five factors of
communication, which are: sender, receiver, message, media, and reference. The first term of semiotic is more about the goals of
communication. The second term is semiotic of signification, in this second term, the understanding of signification is more important to
discuss which the receiver’s cognitive process is having more attention. The semiotic significant is usually used in poems, drama, or prose. Here,
the readers have to understand by themselves about the meaning of symbol or sign used by author in hisher literary work. Semiotic tries to explain
5
www.semiotic.com. p.2
6
Alex Sobur Analisis Teks Media: Suatu Pengantar untuk Analisis Wacana, Analisis Semiotik, Analisis Framing
, Bandung: PT. Remaja Rosdakarya, 2002, p.23
combination of sign which were the essential, the characters, and form of sign, and the process of its signification. Semiotic gives big attention to
everything that can be esteemed as a sign. One sign can be used as a signifier that has the important meaning to substitute something else.
There is nothing considered axcept sign in semiotic, the study is about anything that has related to sign, whether it is signifier, signified, how the
sign can produce, meaning of the sign or anything else. Semiotic is one of the ways that communication can be delivered.
According to John Fiske, there are three important areas in the semiotic studies:
1. The sign itself. This consists of the study of different varieties of
signs, of the different ways they have of conveying meaning, and of the way they relate to the people who use them. For signs are
human construct and can only be understood is terms of the use people put them to.
2. The codes or system into which signs are recognized. This study
covers the ways that a variety of codes have developed in order to meet the needs of society or culture.
3. The culture within which these codes and signs operate.
7
According to Ferdinand De Saussure, language is a system of sign, because language is one of instrument to communicate. “La langue est un
system de signes…”
8
Saussure calls the science of sign as Semiology, and he describe more about Semiology as it mention below:
7
Ismawarni, “A Semiotic Analysis on Short Message Service”, Thesis, Jakarta: The Library of State Islamic University of Jakarta, 2006, p.19
8
Ibid, p.23
Semiology is a science that studies the life of sign within society is conceiveible; it would be a part of social psychology and
consequently of general psychology, he called it Semiology from the Greek Semeion ‘sign’. Semiology would show what constitutes
sign, what laws govern them. Since the science doesn’t exist, no one can say what it would be; but it has a right to existence; a
place staked out in advance. Linguistic in only part of the Semiology; the laws discovered by Semiology will be applicable to
linguistic and the latter will be circumscribe a well-defined area within the mass of anthropological facts.
9
2. The Field of Semiotic Semiotic is concerned with everything that can be taken as a sign.
A sign is everything, which can be taken as significantly substituting for something else that doesn’t necessarily have to exist or to actually be
somewhere at the moment in which a sign stands in for it. These are the fields of semiotics.
a. Analytic semiotics.
This is semiotics, which analyzes the system of data. Pierce explain that semiotic have object of the
sign and analyzed becomes idea, object, and meaning. b.
Description semiotics : it is referred to the system of the sign
that are described as the real thing. c.
Zoo semiotics : it is referred to the system of sign on the
behavior of non-human. d.
Cultural semiotics : semiotics studies about the system of sign
in the culture of the society. e.
Social semiotics : it is referred to the system of sign, produced
by the human who have being the form of symbol. f.
Narrative semiotics : it is referred to the system of sign on the
mythology and folklore narrative. g.
Natural semiotics : semiotics studies the system of sign from
the nature. h.
Normative semiotics : it is referred to the system of sign made
by the human being, which have the form of the norms. i.
Structural semiotics : this is semiotic which studying about the
system of sign through the language structure.
10
9
Ibid, p.23
10
Ibid, p.24-25
B. Charles Sanders Pierce’s Semiotic Theory
