Kleidung als Jargon. Zur Soziosemiotik der Uniform

If one transfers Saussure’s distinction between langue (‘language system’) and parole (‘speech’) to the sign system of clothing, one arrives at a distinction between costume and everyday clothing. While costumes are characterized by a strictly coded assembly of clothing signs, everyday clothing is a weakly coded and mostly context-based configuration of signs. This article reflects this distinction with respect to the example of uniforms. By uniforms the author means not only military or working uniforms but also the so-called “uniforms" worn by members of subcultures. On the one hand, the uniform is considered a “text" which creates social safety. On the other hand, various examples are given which demonstrate strategies for undermining this safety and thereby changing the logic of uniforms.