Apple in the Semiotic Square

1 Introduction

The world is inundated with a kaleidoscope of symbols forming the realistic foundation for semiotics. Language can be labeled as the most unique set of symbols in this field. The semiotic matrix, a structural model utilizing symbols to analyze linguistic messages, was proposed by Algirdas Julien Greimas, a French structural linguist and one of the leading founders of the French semiotic school (Wei 2016). As one form in language, advertising slogans deserve wide attention. Therefore, this paper explores the underlying meaning of several advertising slogans released by Apple Inc. in virtue of the semiotic matrix theory as a basis for informing appropriate choices. The quaternary opposition and contradiction in a semiotic matrix can be appropriately applied deeply into the linguistic messages of an advertising slogan, enabling profound insight into an advertisement.

The structure of this paper includes six parts. The first part is an introduction to the general background of the paper. The second section is a literature review in which some basic concepts and the research status quo both in China and abroad are presented. Part three provides the theoretical foundation, illustrating some essential knowledge of the semiotic matrix theory raised by Greimas. Then, the fourth part outlines the research design for this paper, and part five presents an analysis and discussion of the research results in a relatively specific way. Finally, the conclusion gives a brief summary of the outcome.

2 Literature review

The semiotic matrix is a theory that can be employed to probe into the inner construction of language, contributing to an exact and overall understanding of particular information. As a bridge linking sellers to buyers, the advertising slogan plays a crucial role in prompting a mass of possible consumers to be attracted by the product being advertised. Hence, the question of how to make a clear distinction between what is sold and what is said in the process of purchasing a suitable product ought to be taken into consideration by those buyers. In essence, an advertising slogan consists of just one or only a few sentences drawing people’s attention to the product. In other words, it tends to publicize prime characteristics of products by conveying some linguistic information to people. To illustrate this, an overwhelming majority of slogans published by Apple Inc. on its official website are made up of only one sentence, such as the slogan for its newest products iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus: This is 7. Another example is the slogan for its iPod shuffle: Small Talk. Although there are just two or three words in these slogans, they reflect the principal properties of the products. In fact, sometimes the fewer linguistic expressions there are, the more complicated the internal meaning is, which happens to constitute the glamour of advertisements.

In both Chinese and overseas academic circles, the semiotic matrix theory is often applied to the analysis of characters’ intricate relationships and of complex story clues in certain literary works. Owing to the abundant linguistic points of literature, researchers usually find that it is relatively easier for them to utilize a semiotic matrix model to dissect this form of corpora. For example, in 2010, Xuejin Li wrote a paper entitled “An analysis of desires and contradictions in A Streetcar Named Desire from the perspective of the semiotic matrix.” Another instance is Kun Yang’s “A brief analysis of Pride and Prejudice under the semiotic matrix theory of Greimas.” Whereas people tend to be accustomed to employing this theory of Greimas to the discussion of literary works, an application of it to the understanding of advertising slogans is still a relatively blank field compared with that of literature. Under such circumstances, some scholars, especially certain Chinese researchers, have set out in this frontier. Both Chunxiao Cao’s “Semantic analysis of advertisements under the semiotic matrix of Greimas” and Yi Wei’s “An interpretation of popular advertisements by the semiotic matrix theory of Greimas” have set a good example for us to further explore this fresh domain. In order to help fill the gap between the semiotic matrix model and linguistic messages reflected in advertising slogans, this paper selects several cases in point in an effort to make a detailed analysis with the help of semiotic matrix theory.

3 Theoretical foundation

Almost all creative thinking is developed on the basis of previous achievements. That is to say, creativity is hardly formed by accident. The appearance of semiotic matrix theory is no exception.

It can be traced back to Aristotle’s De Interpretatione, where one can find the concept of contrary proposition, which means that there are two universal propositions: one is positive and the other is negative. Three main types of relationships exist between these propositions. The first is the opposite relation, which states that these two universal propositions have the opposite truth value. The second is the contradictory relation, which states that the two propositions cannot be both true or both false at the same time. Subalternation comes into being when two propositions are true simultaneously (Aristotle 2003). A little elementary learning of Aristotle’s “proposition and inverse proposition” can contribute to a further understanding of Greimas’ semiotic matrix.

Swiss linguist Ferdinand de Saussure, Russian linguist Roman Jakobson, and the pioneer of French structuralism Levi-Strauss all pursued the binary opposition of language, such as the relationship between the signifier and signified. Under such a structure, all senses that people can perceive with root in the opposition of different elements. Prevailing in linguistic structuralism for a long time, this analytical approach is considered as the basic method to account for the inner construction of language. It is indeed the most significant and simplest relation in linguistic structural analysis (Culler 1975).

Influenced by the theory of binary opposition, Greimas moved forward by developing it into a semiotic matrix model. To put it simply, four elements form the frame of a semiotic matrix. They can be respectively embodied by A₁, A₂, Ā₁, and Ā₂ for short. Here A₁ is the basic element of a linguistic message, and A₂ stands on the opposite side to this. These two elements possess totally contrary senses to each other, such as “big” vs. “small,” “white” vs. “black,” “long” vs “short,” etc. In addition, Ā₁ can be just illustrated as “not A₁,” for it possesses a paradoxical relevance to A₁. The contradiction between them represents the absolute vacuum of sense (Greimas 2005). Likewise, Ā₂ is antagonistic to Ā₁, meaning “not A₂.” Generally speaking, there are three categories of relations among these four components: the opposite relation between A₁ and A₂ and Ā₁ and Ā₂; the contradictory relation between A₁ and Ā₁ and A₂ and Ā₂; and the implication relation between A₁ and Ā₂ and Ā₁ and A₂. The following chart visualizes these relationships to provide clearer comprehension of the semiotic matrix model.

Figure 1

The general semiotic matrix model

In this chart, expresses the relationship of opposition; represents the relation of contradiction; and shows the connection of implication. Applying this model of the semiotic matrix to some examples can make this theory even more accessible for learners to dive deeply into language. Following is an example.

Figure 2

Example of the semiotic matrix for several adjectives

The chart above is just a simple application of the semiotic matrix to explain various relationships between different pieces of linguistic information. In effect, this model can also be employed to probe into more complex linguistic structures. Therefore, the next section will make a detailed and careful analysis of Apple’s advertising slogans using the semiotic matrix theory of Greimas.

4 Research design

Advertising slogans confront us frequently in our daily lives. To understand their true meaning and real intention, it is worth studying them in more detail. Different combinations of a few words constitute all sorts of attractive and distinctive slogans. Whereas advertisement designers aim to make their works stand out, potential purchasers wish to keep a clear head in the maze of these advertisements. Thus, the research questions of this paper concern how to fully comprehend an advertising slogan and whether the semiotic matrix model could be applied to more fully understand the linguistic messages contained in a slogan.

All the advertising slogans selected for discussion are chosen from the official website of Apple Inc. This paper applies the semiotic matrix theory proposed by Greimas to the analysis of slogans in several specific cases. This model is utilized to illustrate these examples one by one in order to probe into their inner structure. It demonstrates that, with the four elements of varied relationships, the semiotic matrix model can, to a large degree, help potential purchasers make an informed choice in their process of selecting the products advocated in advertisements. Apart from that, it can also help advertisement designers create more felicitous advertising slogans.

5 Analysis and discussion of the research results

This section enters into the world of Apple’s advertising slogans by employing the semiotic matrix theory. Various examples are presented in the process of analysis. One of the most important steps in the course of application is to choose the exact basic element in a linguistic clause, which is to determine what the foregoing A₁ is. If this procedure is done well, then next A₂, Ā₁, and Ā₂ can certainly be easily confirmed. Hence, finding the so-called A₁ in a linguistic message is of importance. Since iPhone, iPad, iPod, and Mac Book are well-known featured products of Apple Inc., some typical slogans relating to these items are selected as the analytic targets of this paper.

The advertising slogan of the first generation of iPhone was Apple reinvents the phone. This was the first time that the iPhone slogan appeared to the eyes of the world. It is, of course, a slogan out of the ordinary. Here in this instance, two models of the semiotic matrix can be composed as follows:

Figure 3

The first semiotic matrix for the slogan of the first-generation iPhone

Figure 4

The second semiotic matrix for the slogan of the first-generation iPhone

These two charts break up this simply formed slogan into several small components. The first one gives prominence to the cardinal element: Apple. Its inherent structure is the opposition relationship between Apple and other hightech companies, highlighting the dominant role played by Apple. As one part of it, iPhone also stands on the opposite side against its counterparts: phones produced by other companies. The second chart highlights the core word “reinvent.” It is also the keyword of this slogan, leaving people with an impression of the freshness of this brand-new product. The intrinsic meaning of the slogan is fully illustrated in the second chart, which emphasizes the creativity and newness of iPhone, for it contrasts with its antonym: conservative. These two charts reflect the true intention behind the literal language of the slogan: the cellphone designed by Apple is original and worth a try.

The slogan for iPhone 5s is Forward thinking. Although there are only two words in this advertisement, it contains much more information behind them. In this case, “forward” is the focal point. The semiotic matrix for this slogan can be drawn like this:

Figure 5

The semiotic matrix for the slogan of iPhone 5s

In this model, it is not hard for people to find the remarkable feature of this iPhone generation: the advancing technology. The word “forward” has a contrary relation with “backward,” though the word does not appear in the slogan on the surface. It is with this model that the underlying sense may be detected. That is to say, through the semiotic matrix of Greimas, one can be more perceptive of the advertisement designers’ real purpose.

The advertising slogan of Mac Book Pro is Beauty outside. Beast inside. Having a few distinct linguistic characteristics, symmetrical structure, and alliteration, this slogan is catchy and appealing. Apart from the meaning of ‘dangerous animal’ or ‘cruel person,’ “beast” also carries the strong connotation of being something special because of its power, performance, and resilience. Therefore, this slogan points out both the exquisite appearance and special inner construction of this series of computer products. If this slogan is explained by the semiotic matrix, it can be described as:

Figure 6

The semiotic matrix for the slogan of Mac Book Pro

In this chart, “beauty” and “beast” make up an opposite connection with each other, increasing the contrasting strength between them. This semiotic matrix can help reveal the potential meaning of this advertising slogan, which is to say that the computer produced by Apple possesses both good looks and high quality at the same time. In other words, other brands’ products may not possess such good traits as Apple’s.

There are many more examples of advertising slogans which can be analyzed using the semiotic matrix of Greimas, and the three cases mentioned here demonstrate that this linguistic model is a suitable method to explore the deep-seated meaning of language. Although in many circumstances there are only few words in Apple’s advertising slogans such that people may not catch their whole intention, these short messages deliver a good deal of information. Sometimes, it may be a little difficult to grasp the integrated purpose of these linguistic messages. This is the crux of the matter. The semiotic matrix model can be helpful in figuring out the problem, for it is a theory that can assist in going further into the internal structure of language in an effort to master its complete meaning. By means of this structure, potential customers can receive much more information from these slogans issued by Apple Inc. In the meantime, advertising designers can also create more understandable, specific, and workable advertisements.

6 Conclusion

The advertising slogan is a type of linguistic form, so this paper has made a tentative analysis of several slogans issued by Apple Inc. with the aid of the semiotic matrix model. The cases mentioned demonstrate that the semiotic matrix theory of Greimas can assist the clear comprehension of the inner structure of language.

The semiotic matrix model deconstructs linguistic messages into four elements, which are linked by the relationships of opposition, contradiction, and implication. Through these three different connections, all linguistic constituents of an advertising slogan can be appropriately understood. In this way, the true intention of an advertisement can be ascertained and realized by the potential buyers of the products. Many slogans designed by Apple Inc. are eye-catching and meaningful despite consisting of only few words. However, they contain a wealth of ideas though they possess only few literal linguistic messages. Therefore, the semiotic matrix model can be applied to Apple’s advertising slogans, and slogans in general.

It should be pointed out that although this model can account for the deep meaning of advertising slogans, it is not the one and only method to explore this matter. Hence, the issue invites more detailed and comprehensive analysis.