Both images above portray top-down processing as such emergency signs, warning notices and prohibitions are formal, and are put up and regulated by authorities whom are part of the government. These signs serve to communicate information and instruction to the public. However, these signs are also symbolic as they represent the power of the authority figures who are providing this information. Their symbolic power can be seen through the use of the language, i.e. the use of capital letters only, indicating assertiveness. For example, the top image reads "KEEP CLEAR" instead of "please keep clear".
These signs are multilingual and consist of two different languages, namely, English and Afrikaans. Although English is considered to be the predominant language between the two in Newtown, the presence of an additional language indicates cultural diversity. The positions of the languages in the two images shows that the message in English represents the ideal value and the message in Afrikaans represents the real value. The type of arrangement used in these multilingual signs is duplication, because all the information is given in both languages.
When analysing the colour in the two signs above, we looked at the prototypical associations with that colour on such signs. Red is prototypically associated with 'warning, danger or fire'. Green is prototypically associated with nature, and could account for why this sign was placed outdoors.