Meaning Construction in TXT's New Rules and No Rules: A Riffaterrean Semiotic Study

Abstract

Song lyrics constitute literary texts that communicate symbolic meanings through figurative language and indirect expression. As one of the leading fourth-generation K-pop groups, TOMORROW X TOGETHER (TXT) frequently portrays adolescent experiences through interconnected lyrical narratives. This study aims to analyze the symbolic meanings embedded in TXT's New Rules (2019) and No Rules (2021) using Michael Riffaterre's semiotic theory. Employing a qualitative descriptive approach, the study analyzed the official lyrics through heuristic and hermeneutic readings, followed by the identification of the matrix, model, variants, and actual hypogram. The findings reveal that New Rules is structured around the matrix of freedom, symbolizing adolescents' resistance to institutional authority and social expectations, whereas No Rules develops the matrix of chaos and uncertainty, representing psychological disorientation and disrupted social routines during the COVID-19 pandemic. The analysis further identifies an actual hypogram linking the two songs, demonstrating that they form a continuous narrative in which the pursuit of unrestricted freedom is transformed into existential uncertainty. These findings extend the application of Riffaterre's semiotic theory to contemporary K-pop lyrics and show that sequential song texts can function as interconnected literary narratives. The study contributes to literary semiotics and K-pop studies by providing new insights into how symbolic language represents adolescent identity, social change, and psychological experience within contemporary popular culture.