Peirce's semiotic models

Charles Sanders Peirce's semiotic models describe how signs convey meaning. He identified three interconnected components: the "representamen" (the actual sign or symbol), the "object" (what the sign refers to), and the "interpretant" (the understanding or meaning created in the observer). Peirce proposed three types of signs based on their relationship between sign and object: icons (resemble what they represent), indexes (point to or are connected with their object), and symbols (stand for their object by convention). This framework explains how signs function to communicate meaning across different contexts and forms.