Meaning of marriage: A semiotic point of view

Abstract

Semiotics in its function as a theory, approach, or method, can be used to obtain a comprehensive understanding of signs including the sign of marriage which is universal, complex, and significant in nature. The aim of this study is to give another view point on this sign of marriage through the utilization of semiotic analytical tools. The source of data in this study are various types of texts which discuss marriage signs both in denotative level (signs at their primary process) and in connotative level which in this case are marriage as a type of religious symbols (signs at their secondary process). The results of the analysis through the utilization of interpretative semiotic methods reveals that the meaning of marriage can be traced in two levels of signification namely at denotative and connotative levels which both show the same positive impressions which includes love, commitment, respect, companionship, fellowship and unity in one flesh or in one spirit. This comprehensive meaning of marriage sign can be obtained through 4 types of inter-signs relations namely 2 types of relations according to syntagmatic axis i.e. spatial relation and 2 types of relations according to paradigmatic axis i.e. substitution relationship through commutation test.