A MOSDÓJELEK KONTRASZTíV SZEMIOTIKAI VIZSGÁLATA NÉHÁNY MAGYARORSZÁGI ÉS SZERBIAI PÉLDA ALAPJÁN

The paper deals with the premises daily used by people, still handled as a taboo: with the toilets and their signs. The author interprets the figures labelling the toilets as signs also expressing the social estimation of men and women. The bases of her research are photographs that had been taken in the toilets of different settlements and institutions in Hungary and Serbia. Beyond the presentation of the process of indication, the paper takes into consideration the denominations of the lavatory as well, acceptable in our society. The examination is divided into three parts: in the first instance the author presents the researched phenomenon, then analyses the figures on the ladies’ and gents’ toilets, finally goes into detail about the significance of the spatial arrangement of the toilets as well.