A Study of the Presentation of Lifestyle in the Material Signifiers of Negaheman Mikonand (Through a Social Semiotics Approach based on the Ideas of Theo van Leeuwen)

As one of the most common terms used in social semiotics, lifestyle can be studied in different ways, such as by identifying and analyzing the material signifiers present in the text. Seeking to analyze the presentations of lifestyle in the play Negaheman Mikonand (They Look at Us) by Naghmeh Samini, the present study first identifies the semiotic resources in the text, such as set design, set framing and set props, and then examines the semiotic potential of each of them. Thus, the main focus of this article is on the presentation of lifestyles through material signifiers in Negaheman Mikonand and the process of signification. The main assumption of this article is that the material signifiers used in Negaheman Mikonand have a semiotic function in developing and identifying the lifestyle of each character and semantically they have a signifying mechanism. This study is of the descriptive-analytical type and the data was collected using library research method through theoretical study. Adopting the semiotic approach developed by Theo van Leeuwen, the present article relies on social semiotics as its theoretical framework. The findings of the article indicate that lifestyle is presented through material signifiers in the play, resulting in the creation of meaning in the text in different ways. In set design, meaning is created through arrangements and interior design and the decorative elements used in them. In the framing of the set this occurs through rhyme/ contrast and segregation/separation in the framing and whether the framing is permanent or temporary, while in the set props, which include communicative tools, it comes about through the functions and limitations of these tools.