Media Language

antagonist(noun)

A character or force in a narrative that opposes the protagonist, creating conflict that drives the plot forward, as identified in Propp's character theory.

barthes(noun)

Roland Barthes (1915-1980), a French literary theorist and semiotician whose work on semiotics, myth, and codes of meaning is foundational to media analysis.

character function(noun)

The narrative role that a character fulfils within a story, as categorised by Vladimir Propp's theory into types such as hero, villain, donor, helper, princess, dispatcher, and false hero.

code(noun)

A system of signs and conventions used in media texts to communicate meaning to audiences, including technical codes (camera angles, editing), symbolic codes (colour, costume), and written codes (captions, titles).

codes(noun)

The plural of code; the collective systems of signs, symbols, and technical elements used in media texts to create and communicate layers of meaning to audiences.

connotation(noun)

The associated or suggested meanings, ideas, and feelings evoked by a sign beyond its literal appearance, shaped by cultural context and personal experience.

convention(noun)

An established and widely accepted way of using codes within a particular media form or genre, which audiences recognise and expect through repeated exposure.

denotation(noun)

The literal, obvious, surface-level meaning of a sign or image in a media text, describing what can be objectively seen or heard without interpretation.

disruption(noun)

In Todorov's narrative theory, the event that disturbs the initial state of equilibrium and sets the plot in motion, creating conflict that must be resolved.

equilibrium(noun)

In Todorov's narrative theory, the state of balance or normality that exists at the beginning of a story, which is disrupted and then restored (often in a changed form) by the end.

genre(noun)

A category or type of media text classified by shared conventions, codes, themes, and audience expectations, such as horror, comedy, romance, or documentary.

genre code(noun)

A sign or convention that is specifically associated with a particular genre, helping audiences to quickly identify the type of media text they are engaging with.

hybrid(adjective)

A media text that combines conventions, codes, and elements from two or more genres, creating a product that does not fit neatly into a single genre category.

icon(noun)

In semiotics, a sign that physically resembles what it represents, such as a photograph resembling a person or a map icon resembling a building.

iconography(noun)

The visual images, symbols, and objects that are associated with a particular genre, time period, or cultural context, which carry specific meanings for audiences.

ideology(noun)

A set of beliefs, values, and ideas about how society should be organised, which are often embedded in media texts and presented as natural or common sense.

index(noun)

In semiotics, a sign that has a direct, causal, or physical connection to what it represents, such as smoke indicating fire or a footprint indicating someone has walked past.

myth(noun)

In Barthes' semiotics, the way in which cultural beliefs and values are made to appear natural and inevitable through media representations, disguising their ideological construction.

narrative(noun)

The way in which a story is structured, organised, and told in a media text, including the sequence of events, the perspective from which it is told, and the techniques used to engage the audience.

plot(noun)

The sequence of causally connected events in a narrative as they are presented to the audience, which may differ from the chronological order of the story.

propp(noun)

Vladimir Propp (1895-1970), a Russian folklorist whose analysis of Russian fairy tales identified recurring character types and narrative functions that can be applied to analyse modern media narratives.

protagonist(noun)

The main character in a narrative whose goals and actions drive the plot, often identified as the hero in Propp's character theory, and whose perspective the audience is encouraged to share.

resolution(noun)

In narrative theory, the stage at which conflicts are resolved and a new equilibrium is established, providing closure to the story and satisfying audience expectations.

semiotics(noun)

The study of signs and symbols and how they create meaning, providing a framework for analysing how media texts communicate through visual, audio, and written codes.

sign(noun)

In semiotics, anything that communicates meaning, consisting of two parts: the signifier (the physical form, such as an image or word) and the signified (the concept or meaning it represents).

signified(noun)

In semiotics, the mental concept, idea, or meaning that a signifier represents or evokes, which is the second component of a sign in Saussure's theory.

signifier(noun)

In semiotics, the physical form of a sign that can be perceived by the senses, such as a word, image, sound, or gesture, which represents a concept (the signified).

story(noun)

All the events in a narrative in their chronological order, including those not directly shown to the audience, as distinct from the plot which is how events are arranged and presented.

symbol(noun)

In semiotics, a sign whose relationship to what it represents is arbitrary and based on cultural convention rather than physical resemblance or direct connection, such as a dove representing peace.

symbolic code(noun)

Elements within a media text that communicate meaning through culturally agreed associations, such as colour, costume, setting, and props conveying abstract ideas like power or innocence.

technical code(noun)

Elements of media production technology used to create meaning, including camera angles, shot types, lighting, sound design, editing techniques, and special effects.

todorov(noun)

Tzvetan Todorov (1939-2017), a Bulgarian-French literary theorist whose narrative theory proposes that stories follow a five-stage structure: equilibrium, disruption, recognition, repair, and new equilibrium.