Integrating visual semiotics in interpretation of “Tugu negara”

• Published in: Pertanika Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities
• Main Author: Ismail N.; Rashidin R.; Ahmad A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Universiti Putra Malaysia 2017
• Online Access: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85057172596&partnerID=40&md5=401a828353e5d128fc62d245e55d183b

This study analyses the commemorative of national monument, Tugu Negara, using visual semiotics approach in interpreting the potential meaning of gesture and symbols. Visual semiotics studies have focused on factors from outside the ‘text’, which includes the implicit meanings of each feature of a particular monument. The analysis primarily utilized O’Toole’s framework (1994, 2011) for exploring national monument and accounting insights on how the monument represents several meanings by analysing its features. This framework offers a systematic technique for examining the monument in terms of its constituent components in a hierarchical order that is Work, Figure and Member. O’Toole provided three communicative functions of language of monuments inspired from Halliday’s Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) theory which are modal function, representational function and compositional function. This study found that Tugu Negara as a war monument of Malaysia, symbolizes leadership, unity, solidarity, victory, enthusiasm, strength, bravery, sacrifice and misery. By the same token, this war monument also comprises a meaning of violence and defeat. © Universiti Putra Malaysia Press