The concept of code appeared in the scientific and technological world. Its main function is decryption. This is a sign system and a list of rules according to which this or that information is encrypted or, conversely, is decrypted (for example, a genetic code or Morse code).
Over time, the concept of code has penetrated into the sphere of culture and art, and it is closely intertwined with the sign, language and symbols of culture. Why is it needed there and what function does it perform?
Cultural Code Definition
This is a combination of symbols and signs enclosed in objects of human activity. It is necessary for understanding the cultural picture of the world. The cultural code is universal, open for editing, self-sufficient for reproduction, transmission and preservation of culture.
Signs of a cultural code
For every cultural code, characters and are mandatory two main attributes. The first is hierarchy. What does this symptom show? It demonstrates a strict hierarchy of subcodes, where one is the main, subordinate, and the rest are secondary, connected and dependent on the main. The next sign necessary for a cultural code is its profitability. The essence of this feature is connected with the theory of the philosopher Umberto Eco. He believed that if a certain statement uses too many characters, then despite the fact that it becomes more informative, it is no longer possible to convey it, because this requires too many operations. Thus, according to Eco, it is much easier to encrypt and transmit (without losing meaning), an expression that uses a limited number of characters.
Cultural Code Features
They are as follows:
- Deciphering the meanings of large-scale cultural phenomena.
- Providing communication of sign and meaning.
- Decoding of the cultural text.
Cultural Code Examples
In ancient times, one of the most significant cultural codes was the name system. They bore a sacred, divine meaning, and often the object was endowed with two names: known to others and true, which contained the essence of the subject. Few knew the true name, and with the help of this knowledge it was possible to subjugate, control and even destroy.
Certain time periods and events are also considered cultural codes. So, in the Christian religion, the appearance of the Son of God, Jesus Christ, is considered a key moment. Around this event, the whole picture of the world of the Christian person is built.
What is a sign and symbol in culture
The cultural code is inextricably linked to these two terms. So what is a sign and symbol in a culture?
A sign is a material or perceived by the sensory organs object that can replace an object or action, takes part in communication processes. It consists of a denotation (an object, of which it is an analogue or a substitute) and a value (information signaled by a sign).
What is the concept of a symbol? A symbol in culture is a sign without objective meaning. Through it opens one or another sense of the subject. This concept is ambiguous.
Several symbol definitions can be given:
- A symbol is a phenomenon that serves as a designation for another phenomenon.
- A symbol is an image denoting an idea.
- An identification mark for representatives of a particular group.
The main feature of the symbol is that it causes a reaction not only to the object that symbolizes, but also to the entire range of meanings associated with this object.
Symbols as elements of culture help to reveal its meaning, to identify. This, for example, religious symbols (cross, crescent, star of David, pentagram), military symbols (order or banner), national symbols (flag, coat of arms), even costumes.
For example, a hijab, a burqa or a veil can be perceived as symbols of Islamic culture.
Examples of the most famous characters
Symbols appeared in the minds of man in ancient times. These were primarily religious symbols. They expressed an ancient man's vision of the structure of the world. So, for example, trying to show the structure of the universe, in ancient times people depicted a tree. This symbol, in their opinion, united all parts of the world (heaven, earth, underground kingdom), and also symbolized fertility and the world axis. Over time, the symbols underwent transformation and simplification: the world tree turned into a cross, and fertility began to show a triangle (with a point upwards symbolized the masculine beginning, and with a point downwards it symbolized the female).
A triangle is not the only geometric figure used in religious symbolism. So, for example, the hexagon was a symbol of protection from dark forces, and the square - four elements (fire, earth, air and water).
The five-pointed star, or pentagram, at one time symbolized protection from any evil, intellectual power, the five wounds of Christ, the divine presence. Until the mid-19th century, the inverted pentagram was interpreted as a symbol of Christ, however, thanks to the interpretation of the occultist Eliphas, Levy became perceived as a symbol of Satanism.
The Kolovrat has a lot of meanings (depending on the meaning, it is depicted a little differently): it is also a symbol of the sun, four elements, fertility.
Signs and sign systems in culture
In total, it is customary to distinguish six sign systems.
- Natural - it includes various natural phenomena that imply and sometimes characterize other phenomena (for example, smoke means fire).
- Functional - it consists of phenomena and objects with a pragmatic purpose. They turned into signs, as they are directly part of human activity and provide certain information about it. An example of an element of such a sign system can be a mechanism or a technical part (for example, a tourbillon - a sign that carries information about the operation of the clock mechanism).
- Iconic - it includes the so-called signs-images. The way they look reflects the appearance of the phenomena they designate. Most of the signs of this language system were created artificially.
- Conventional - this system includes completely artificially created signs to which people have assigned a particular meaning, and the sign is not always similar to the signified phenomenon (an example of an element of such a sign system can be a red cross, indicating emergency medical care).
- Verbal - these sign systems are all living spoken languages. This system is the largest of all, since there are several thousand languages in the world.
- Recording systems. Compared with others, they appeared not so long ago. They arose on the basis of other sign systems. An example of a recording system can be, for example, a musical note or a letter.
Role and Functions
Signs and symbols in culture perform several different functions. The sign functions are as follows:
- Replacing.
- Expressive ideas about a specific subject.
- Expressive idea of an abstract subject (including a simulacrum).
Symbol Functions:
- Communicative - using symbols, you can transmit information in ways that exceed the capabilities of its language.
- Worldview - a symbol can regulate human behavior (first of all, this refers to religious symbols).
This is the role of signs and symbols in culture.
The relationship of the cultural code with the sign and symbol
As mentioned above, the very concept of code first appeared in the technical, mathematical, cybernetic branches (for example, telegraph code or code in a programming language), genetics (DNA code). In these areas, the code is a certain system of signs, with the help of which this or that information can be read and transmitted. The code basically performs an optimizing function, allowing you to fit a large amount of information into several characters.
In cultural studies, the situation is completely different. In the foreground are the meaning and perception of the texts of culture. The need for code arises only if the world of signals passes into the world of meanings. A cultural code is a system of signs, symbols and meanings that are meant by them.
Often when studying culture as a system of signs (both different time periods and existing simultaneously), certain difficulties arise in the communication between cultures and in the interpretation of code signs. They are caused primarily by the presence of various stereotypes related to the perception and understanding of certain symbols, since in different cultures the same sign can mean completely opposite phenomena.
The relationship of language with cultural code and culture
How are cultural codes, language, and cultural symbols related? Language is primarily a sign system: letters, sounds, punctuation.
With the help of language is the interpretation of various cultural symbols. A symbol may even be an element of the language itself.
It is language that allows carriers of culture to communicate with each other, accumulate knowledge, transmit it, explain and fix symbols, traditions, norms. In this case, language is also a product of culture, since its appearance is possible only with its existence. The emergence of culture provokes the creation of a language. It is also one of the conditions for the existence of culture.
