A Semiotic Approach to Korean Ceremonial Dress -Focusing on Wedding Dress in Choson Dynasty

한국의례복식의 기호학적 분석(1) -조선시대 혼례복식을 중심으로-

  • 나수임 (상명대학교 의상디자인학과)
  • Published : 1996.12.01

Abstract

This article aims, by analyzing structurally the codification of dress sign in Korean society, the signifying system of the codes and their message communicated, to make clear a signifying structure that would be codified through the relationship between abstract concepts and real condition of dress. I used the semiotic theory of Ferdinand de Saussure′s conception on structuralismly the codification, cultural semiology of Roland Barthes and Myung-Sook Han′s formula of dress structure as tools analyse may objective of wedding dress of folks in Choson Dynasty, which has been successive our traditional Korean wedding dress. My results of the study are : The procedure of wedding ceremony in Choson Dynasty was presented in texts like Juga-garye, Sarye-peonram and Kukjo-orye, its dress system has been more emphasized on language, and aspect of social system, than parole, one of individual realization. In addition, the meanings of marrage such as "Oneness of bride and bridegroom", "Mixture of two sexes", "Blessing of good luck", were included in the signified like the style, pattern and color of the wedding dress, and specially, pattern and color, the articulated morphemes, was emphasized, When we combinated terms of dress in Choson Dynasty with syntagmatic, regarding their list as paradigmatic, it will signify a wedding dress, and according to combinating ways, it amy be divided as sign of dresses of bride and bridgeroom by sex or king, gentry and common people by class. Wedding Dress in Choson Dynasty = [{ODx(U/Dxu/d)}+AC·H·FW].

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