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Semiological Analysis On A Music Video

This document provides a semiological analysis of the SB19 "What?" music video using concepts from Ferdinand de Saussure and Charles Sanders Peirce. It analyzes how the lyrics and symbols in the video relate to ideas of national identity and sovereignty over Philippine territory. Specifically, it discusses how the inclusion of the 1734 Murillo Velarde map symbolizes the Philippines' historical rights and identity. The student concludes that the video aims to persuade viewers that the Philippines should assert its national claims and raise its flag with pride.

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Jhaia Pelecio
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168 views5 pages

Semiological Analysis On A Music Video

This document provides a semiological analysis of the SB19 "What?" music video using concepts from Ferdinand de Saussure and Charles Sanders Peirce. It analyzes how the lyrics and symbols in the video relate to ideas of national identity and sovereignty over Philippine territory. Specifically, it discusses how the inclusion of the 1734 Murillo Velarde map symbolizes the Philippines' historical rights and identity. The student concludes that the video aims to persuade viewers that the Philippines should assert its national claims and raise its flag with pride.

Uploaded by

Jhaia Pelecio
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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SEMIOLOGICAL ANALYSIS on

SB19 ‘WHAT?’ music video. Using the concepts of

Ferdinand de Saussure and Charles Sanders Peirce.

Presented to

Prof. Maria Theresa B. Panzo


SSFaculty member of the Department of English
College of Arts and Social Sciences
MSU – Iligan Institute of Science and Technology
Iligan City

In Partial Fulfillment of the


Subject Requirement of ENG125
“Semiotics and Media”

Jhaia A. Pelecio

(A2)

November, 2021
I. Ferdinand de Saussure’s; The arbitrariness of signs

“Raising one’s own flag -- one’s ‘W[h]atawat.’.”

The SB19 P-Pop group is one of the sensational groups in the Philippines that has
struck the hearts of netizens, even outside the country. This group offered their fans a
new song entitled "What" with a groundbreaking music video, and in just less than 24
hours, it reached 1 million views. It couldn’t be denied that this group enormously
influenced their supporters, whilst personally, it awakened my interest in what and why
they made this song, which at first baffled my mind as to how they interconnected those
ideas and meanings that they incorporate into their songs, specifically their lyrics.

A What? To their music video. It’s my confusion that led me to look upon Ferdinand de
Saussure’s meaning of the arbitrariness of signs. "The bond between signifier and
signified is arbitrary," which means that there is no natural relationship between them and
the things or concepts represented. The SB19‘s lyrics, "Wa-wa-wa-wa-wa, watawat"
have nothing to do with their natural meaning, but along with this, I can say that the
repeating word "wa-watawat" as W [h] atawat means that their lyrics are interconnected
to the word or symbol they associate with the message of their song. ’Watawat’ or flag in
English, symbolizes either a nation, a signaling device, or as a decoration, but this music
video emphasizes the flag of the Philippines as they are representing the Philippines and
it can be found in their music video with the Philippine Flag and the Murillo-Velarde Map,
which serves as evidence that we own the Philippine Sea that is claimed to be called the
‘South China Sea’. Their lyrics: "'Di na magpapa-(what?)-paawat Iwawagayway ang
watawat." conveys a persuading message that we should raise our flag, for we have the
right and the evidence that we own it, and we shouldn’t be ridiculed by our fear. Instead,
we should be steadfast in claiming what is rightfully ours.

In a nutshell, their music video "What" denoted "W[h]atawat" or


"Watawat"?There may be no connection between the natural relationships of these
signs, but there’s a lot of words and meanings that could be signified in their entire song,
which makes the cultural convention of the signs represented in the signifier and signified.
II. Charles Sanders Peirce; The evolutionary nature of phaneron

"A map is not only territory, it is also national identity. “

According to Pierce, The "world of appearances," which he refers to as "the


phaneron," is a world entirely composed of signs, which are qualities, connections,
characteristics, objects, occurrences, states, patterns, lifestyles, policies, and so on, and
all have interpretations, implications, or inferences. In the music video, there are a lot of
signs that can be seen, but I was impressed by how they relay their message of
persuasion and support to the Philippines through the Murillo-Velarde map that has been
issued stating that the Philippines should claim the Bajo de Masinloc, otherwise referred
to as the Scarborough Shoal. It has become an intriguing issue between the Philippines
and China about taking this island, but the Murillo-Velarde map shows the whole
Philippine archipelago in such nuance that it is considered the first-ever scientific map of
the Philippines, which is also attested by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague
that China had "no historical rights" to support its claims.

"A map is not only territory, but it is also national identity. Maps have come to
represent a nation. From the 16th century to 2019, the formation of that
[Philippines'] shape, has become integral to being Filipino,"

(Ocampo, 2021)

When I was in my elementary days, I studied Hekasi, which was one of our subject’s way
back when I was in Grade 4. We’ve discussed the Philippines and even bought a plastic
piece of a tiny globe so that we could study the world through seeing the whole
illustrations of it, but we particularly focused on the Philippine map. In my innocence, I
just thought of it as a typical picture of a Philippine map, nothing important about it.
However, as I've grown into a woman, I’ve come to change my perspective on life as I
encounter significant issues that need to be addressed shrewdly, notably this social issue
that our country is facing. As to what the historian Ambeth Ocampo asserted, "A map is
not only territory, it is also national identity. Maps have come to represent a nation." And
I couldn’t disagree with his claim. Moreover, this evolution of my perspectives in life is
interconnected to what Pierce attested to: "The entire world and everything around it is
really an evolutionary result, as well as the entire phaneron (world of appearances), as
well as all ongoing processes of its interpretation through mental significations, has
progressed and is developing."

In the end, everything is evolving, not just the state of the world, but also the state
of our perspectives on every symbol and meaning we attach to everything that is
surrounding us.

III. What meanings are rendered in the music video? What impact do they have to
you as a student of Semiotics and Media, and to the society?
“Societal and one’s self persuasion.”

I As a student of semiotics and media and in society, I am more comfortable using


the word "persuasion" as my adjective in this music video and as a student of semiotics
and media. Moreover, in the music video, I could signify that every member of the SB19
has something to show off to everyone, and it’s their varied individuality; every member
has a different story to tell and, through the lyrics of their song, they’re trying to voice out
their claims, experiences, and principles. Persuasion in a thought that they want to
persuade everyone that they have their own opinions too and that everyone deserves to
be understood, and shouldn’t give a hasty judgment whether you’re an influential person
or not. It’s also a persuasion for me in the general idea of the music video, as they are
trying to inform everyone that we should claim what is ours and we should raise our flag
as Filipino netizens. While, as a student of semiotics and media, I am persuaded to
broaden my understanding of various signs and to be more perceptive to every detail of
life, such as the manner in which other people convey their principles, meanings, and
claims. In the music video, I am also persuaded that I have a significant role in my
country’s battle to fight for our country's rights. I’m also a part of it because I am a Filipino
citizen and this country is my Mother Land.
Indeed, Saussure and Pierce influenced me a lot in exploring the
kaleidoscope of words of semiotics, and this again persuaded me to dig deeper into this
topic.

References:

1744 / 49 Murillo Velarde / Bagay History and Map of the Philippines. (n.d.).
Geographicus Rare Antique Maps.
https://www.geographicus.com/P/AntiqueMap/yslasphilipinas-murillobagay-1744

Charles Sanders Peirce (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy). (n.d.). Stanford


Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/peirce/?fbclid=IwAR3RruTZbV11dku3P40_uv8G7fXi1r
FAz8Xdr2BC5qf_A-cCtADOXaSgAqU#mind

Saussure, Ferdinand. “Nature of the Linguistic Sign.” In The Critical Tradition: Classic
Texts and Contemporary Trends. David H. Richter, Ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s
Press, 1998. 832-835.

SB19 ‘What?’ Official MV. March 09, 2021. YouTube. Retrieved November 06, 2021
from: https://yout.be/OAww-qrSnPs

Tomacruz, S. (2019, September 20). Ever heard of the 1734 Murillo Velarde map and
why it should be renamed? Rappler. https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/iq/why-we-
should-rename-1734-murillo-velarde-map

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