Symbol

Definition and Characteristics of Symbols

• Symbols are a means of complex communication with multiple levels of meaning.
• Symbols serve as vehicles of conception for all human knowledge.
• Symbols facilitate understanding of the world and serve as the grounds for making judgments.
• People use symbols to make sense of the world and identify and cooperate in society.
• The meaning of a symbol is culturally learned and depends on one's cultural background.
• Symbols allow the human brain to create meaning using sensory input and decode symbols through denotation and connotation.

Semiotics and Symbol Interpretation

• Semiotics is the study of signs, symbols, and signification as communicative behavior.
• Semiotics focuses on the relationship between the signifier and the signified.
• It also considers the interpretation of visual cues, body language, sound, and other contextual clues.
• Semiotics is linked with linguistics and psychology.

Symbolic Value and Categories

• Symbols can carry ideological, comparative, and isomorphic symbolic value.
• Ideological symbols convey complex sets of beliefs and ideas.
• Comparative symbols indicate answers to questions of better or worse.
• Isomorphic symbols represent similar forms or structures.
• Symbols can have symbolic value in religious, state, prestigious, and artistic contexts.

Symbolism in Context

• Context can modify the meaning of a symbol.
• Popular usage, history, and contextual intent can influence a symbol's meaning.
• Symbols with emotive power can have problems analogous to false etymologies.
• The context of a symbol can change its meaning.
• Similar symbols can have different meanings depending on the context.
• Historical context contributes to a symbol's apparent meaning.
• Understanding the historical meaning of a symbol is important for interpretation.
• Contextual factors influence the interpretation of symbols.
• The meaning of a symbol can vary based on its context.
• Understanding the context is crucial for understanding a symbol's meaning.

Symbols in Cartography

• Symbols are used in cartography to communicate geographical information.
• Visual variables such as size, shape, and pattern provide meaning to symbols.
• Map symbols are read by making connections between the graphic mark, concept, and real-world feature.
• Cartographic symbols can be categorized based on how they suggest this connection.
• Different types of symbols, such as pictorial, functional, conceptual, conventional, and abstract/geometric, are used in cartography.

Symbol Data Sources