符號就是地圖的語言，不只擁有概念或習慣上的意義，並且具有可認知的形狀。當用語言來描述符號時，往往可透過選擇作用，來達到語言與符號兩者間最高的類似度。台灣報紙在氣象報導上，從早期純語文的描述，蛻變到現今僅由符號來表示，但這些符號是否與一般人對氣象現象的聯想相符，就成為本研究對圖畫符號的語意探討。本研究蒐集民國95年台灣各大報與中央氣象局及Yahoo䋞頁上的氣象符號，以晴天、多雲、雨天三種天氣系統之分類，經問卷與認知雙重方法測試。結果發現，當圖畫符號形狀愈單純時隱喻就愈強烈，愈容易引發出正確的聯想。而符號語法之解讀，則與格式塔完形組織的論點有諸多的吻合。這些結論將可提供日後報紙媒體在氣象符號使用上之參考。
Symbol is the language of maps, not only implied the mental concept and meaning but also the identifiable shape. According to Peirce's 'The Triadic Sign Model' when interpretant serves as mediator between symbols and their referents, selection will be the best method to generate appropriate map. In Taiwan, the weather report by newspaper was described by language before 1997, but they all changed into pictorial symbols nowadays. Based on Peirce's concept, the goal of this paper is to check the success of semantics interpretation, syntactics arrangement of these pictorial symbols, and discuss their pragmatics. From the results, the simpler shape of the symbols, the stronger metaphor they involved, which are easier to evoke the correct association. Also the syntactics arrangement of symbols was simultaneous with Gestalt psychology. These proper symbols will provide a good reference to media's weather report.
