Im Zeichen Der Zeichen

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Im Zeichen Der Zeichen Roland Posner Sign Economy in Language and Related Sign Systems Series A: General & Theoretical Papers ISSN 1435-6473 Essen: LAUD 2003 Paper No. 574 Universität Duisburg-Essen Roland Posner Technical University of Berlin (Germany) Sign Economy in Language and Related Sign Systems Copyright by the author Reproduced by LAUD 2003 Linguistic Agency Series A University of Duisburg-Essen General and Theoretical FB Geisteswissenschaften Paper No. 574 Universitätsstr. 12 D- 45117 Essen Order LAUD-papers online: http://www.linse.uni-due.de/linse/laud/index.html Or contact: [email protected] Roland Posner Sign Economy in Language and Related Sign Systems To appear in: Walter Schmitz (ed.), Sign Processes in Complex Systems. Proceedings of the 7th Congress of the International Association for Semiotic Studies in Dresden 1999. Dresden: Thelem. 1. Semiotic systems My task is the description of language as a complex semiotic system. Initially, I intended to approach this task by confronting my audience directly with sign definitions, characterizations of rule types, and system-theoretic statements.1 This would then sound as follows: A semiotic system (or sign system) is a code taken together with its context of use. Each code includes a repertoire of basic signs and a set of rules for their combination and interpretation. A context of use consists of situations in which a sender applies a code in order to produce a sign combination and (or) a receiver tries to interpret the sign combination with the help of a similar code, both of them being led by certain purposes and specific knowledge.² If I were to continue in this style with you then we could work out together step by step a concept system that is so elaborate that it can explain precisely what is typical about verbal codes and which requirements sender and receiver have to fulfill in order to use verbal codes successfully in sign production and reception. However, the chain of definitions necessary for this approach is long and the procedure too abstract for an oral lecture. I have therefore decided instead to present, wherever possible, selected examples of language use to you and to elaborate its special features by comparing them with other types of sign use in a culture. 2. Logosphere and semiosphere Instead of speaking we often make gestures or operate with numerals and symbols, and in many cases we achieve more by doing that. What is the difference between the spoken word and a gesture or a symbol configuration? And how can they supplement one another in order to facilitate efficient communication? Instead of speaking we often produce a written text, or even a chain of Morse code signs, and in certain cases it is necessary to recode language in this way in order to establish communication. What is the difference between a spoken word and a written word or a word in Morse code? And in which types of situations can they replace each other? Our verbal utterances make use of our lexical repertoire and our grammatical rule knowledge. But this knowledge does not govern them completely. No grammar stipulates how fast or slow, how loudly or quietly, how high or low, how sonorously or hoarsely we should speak. Nevertheless, how we speak often has greater consequences than what we actually say. Are not all modes of sign behavior determined by semiotic systems? And if yes, in what relation do these modes of sign behavior stand to language? Such questions can only be answered when language is regarded as a semiotic system without assuming this system existed in empty space. A language like German is in continuous exchange − with other languages such as Polish, Hungarian, Italian, French, English³, − with language–related codes such as the alphabetic script and the respective cultural techniques of writing and reading4, the chants and the cultural techniques of solo and choir singing5, as well as language art and the cultural techniques of scanning, rhyming and composing literary texts6, − with the body codes of mimic and gesture, which partly accompany speech and partly replace it7, − with the systems of number representation8 as well as arithmetic and algebra9, which again partly accompany the writing of words and partly replace it, − with general behavioral codes such as those of politeness and etiquette10 , − and with the sign systems of pictorial representation in art11 and science.12 All of these systems are semiotic systems in the sense outlined initially. Language itself must therefore be regarded as part of a complex system of sign systems. For systems of sign systems, the Estonian semiotician Jurij Lotman introduced the concept of a semiosphere in the 1980s.13 In doing this, he continued a tradition in which 20th century structuralist linguists distanced themselves from the historically-oriented linguists of the 19th century, who had all too often studied words as isolated individual objects. The structuralist thesis proposing that a sign receives its meaning only within a field or system of signs14 is supplemented by Lotman through the thesis that a sign system also only receives its meaning within a system of sign systems which are used in close connection with one another.15 According to this approach, each national culture is a system of sign systems16, and all cultures of the world are sub-systems of the semiosphere of humans. From a biological point of view, cultures are those ecological niches which gave rise to the emergence of languages. And if it is correct that all humans have at their disposal an innate competence for the acquisition of a language17, then it is important not to forget that this innate competence could not be used without the competence to apply mimic and gesture, and to practice politeness and etiquette according to the conventions of a culture – a context which for millennia also included the cultural techniques of singing and writing as well as those of art and science. As you can infer from my formulations, I consider language in line with its biological evolution primarily as a phono-acoustic means of expression, and I will therefore speak of “oral language” wherever necessary for the sake of clarity. Oral language is a sign system unique to homo sapiens and universally present in this species.18 Only in the event of 2 damage of the necessary production and reception organs is it replaced by another system, for example the sign language of hearing-impaired persons.19 Now, in the course of human history, a series of language-related codes (see above) has established itself around oral language, which makes each oral language appear today as the core of an extensive system of sign systems within the semiosphere of a culture. I would like to designate such a language-related system of sign systems as a “logosphere”.20 Every oral language of today is thus embedded in the logosphere of a culture, which is itself part of the semiosphere of humanity. Strictly speaking, even an oral language is also more than a simple sign system. As children we quickly learn to differentiate variants: dialects indicating difference of origin, sociolects indicating social difference, idiolects indicating speaker identity, and outdated phrases indicating past language stages. Thus apart from language-related codes, an oral language is itself a whole cluster of sign systems and only as such embedded in the logosphere of its culture. It is within this multi-faceted context21, that I would like to treat language as a semiotic system. Thus, language-related codes will play a special role in my lecture. They serve to recode oral expressions so that the language can be used in additional types of situations. This is equally true of the codes of writing, of singing, and of literature. And it is also true of the semiotic systems of number representation. All these codes have historically developed in a close relationship to language. They do not only complement language, but through their joint use with language in the last millennia they have also changed the structure of language considerably. Interesting conclusions on the essence of language can therefore be drawn from a comparison of a language with its language-related codes, as I would like to demonstrate in the following. 3. Performance effort: complementarity of production and reception My main hypothesis in the comparative analysis of language and language-related codes is the idea that sign systems serve to handle complexity: we use them in communicative interaction to reduce complexity in our relation to each other and in cognition to reduce complexity in our relation to the world.22 If sign systems are to fulfill their purpose as instruments for dealing with complexity, then they should not get too complex themselves. It is the context of use of the signs which keeps their complexity on a manageable level. The extent to which the structure of verbal utterances is shaped through their use as instruments of communication, has been convincingly pointed out in investigations which were carried out thirty years ago by my respected teacher Helmut Lüdtke at the Technical University of Berlin.23 He formulated his results in such a succinct way that, as an allusion to the Nuremberg Funnel, his students started to talk of “Lüdtke’s Funnel”: Verbal expressions which were fed in at the top of the funnel thousands of years ago, are systematically modified through permanent use and come out at the bottom completely different. The following example24 may elucidate this. 3 When we refer to the current day in German, then we say “heute”. In French we say “aujourd’hui”. Hui is derived from the Latin hodiē – a word, which has emerged as a contraction from the nominal group in the ablative hō diē, which means ‘on this day’.
Recommended publications
  • Article-755-623839.Pdf
    دوﻣﺎﻫﻨﺎﻣﺔ ﻋﻠﻤﻲ - ﭘﮋوﻫﺸﻲ 9د ، ش 1 (ﭘﻴﺎﭘﻲ 43 )، ﻓﺮوردﻳﻦ و اردﻳﺒﻬﺸﺖ 1397 ، ﺻﺺ 81 - 111 ﺗﺤﻠﻴﻞ ﻛﺎرﻛﺮد ﮔﻔﺘﻤﺎﻧﻲ ﻃﻨﺰ در ﺑﺎب اول ﮔﻠﺴﺘﺎن ﺳﻌﺪي؛ روﻳﻜﺮد ﻧﺸﺎﻧﻪ ﻣﻌﻨﺎﺷﻨﺎﺳﻲ ﻗﻬﺮﻣﺎن ﺷﻴﺮي1 ، ﻧﺠﻤﻪ ﻧﻈﺮي2 ، ﻧﻮﺷﻴﻦ ﺑﻬﺮاﻣﻲ ﭘﻮر3* 1 . اﺳﺘﺎد ﮔﺮوه زﺑﺎن و ادﺑﻴﺎت ﻓﺎرﺳﻲ داﻧﺸﮕﺎه ﺑﻮﻋﻠﻲ ﺳﻴﻨﺎ، ﻫﻤﺪان، اﻳﺮان 2 . اﺳﺘﺎدﻳﺎر ﮔﺮوه زﺑﺎن و ادﺑﻴﺎت ﻓﺎرﺳﻲ داﻧﺸﮕﺎه ﺑﻮﻋﻠﻲ ﺳﻴﻨﺎ ، ﻫﻤﺪان، اﻳﺮان 3 . داﻧﺸﺠﻮي دﻛﺘﺮي زﺑﺎن و ادﺑﻴﺎت ﻓﺎرﺳﻲ داﻧﺸﮕﺎه ﺑﻮﻋﻠﻲ ﺳﻴﻨﺎ ، ﻫﻤﺪان، اﻳﺮان درﻳﺎﻓﺖ: /4/24 96 ﭘﺬﻳﺮش: /8/6 96 96 ﭼﻜﻴﺪه ﻫﺪف اﻳﻦ ﻣﻘﺎﻟﻪ ﭘﻴﺎده ﺳﺎزي روش ﻧﺸﺎﻧﻪ ﻣﻌﻨﺎﺷﻨﺎﺳﻲ ﺑﺮاي دﺳﺘ ﻴﺎﺑﻲ ﺑﻪ اﻟﮕﻮ ﻳﺎ اﻟﮕﻮﻫﺎي ﺣﺎﻛﻢ ﺑﺮ ﻓﺮاﻳﻨﺪﻫﺎي ﻣﻌﻨﺎﻳ ﻲ ﻛﻨﺸﻲ و ﺗﻨﺸﻲ و ﻧﺸﺎن دادنِ ﺗﺄﺛﻴﺮ ﺟﺮﻳﺎن زﻳﺒﺎﻳﻲ ﺷﻨﺎﺧﺘﻲ ﺑﺮ ﻓﺮاﻳﻨﺪﻫﺎي ﻣﺬﻛﻮر در ﺑﺴﺘﺮ ﮔﻔﺘﻤﺎن ﻃﻨﺰ ﺑﺎب اول ﮔﻠﺴﺘﺎن ﺳﻌﺪي اﺳﺖ واز اﻳﻦ ﺟﻬﺖ، ﻧﺨﺴﺘﻴﻦ ﻛﻮﺷﺶ ﺑﻪ ﺷﻤﺎر ﻣﻲ آﻳﺪ. ﻣﻘﺼﻮد از ﻃﻨﺰ، ﺳﺨﻦ ﻣﻄﺎﻳﺒﻪ آﻣﻴﺰِ اﻧﺘﻘﺎدي اﺳﺖ ﻛﻪ ﺑ ﺎ ﻫﺪف اﺻﻼح اﺟﺘﻤﺎﻋﻲ و ﺑﻪ ﻛﻤﻚ ﺟﺮﻳﺎن زﻳﺒﺎﻳﻲ ﺷﻨﺎﺧﺘﻲ در ز ﺑﺎن ﺷﻜﻞ ﻣﻲ ﮔﻴﺮد و ﺑﺎ ﻫﺰل و ﻫﺠﻮ ﻓﺮق دارد. روش ﻧﺸﺎﻧﻪ ﻣﻌﻨﺎﺷﻨﺎﺳﻲ در ﭘﻲ ﺗﺠﺰﻳﻪ و ﺗﺤﻠﻴﻞ ﮔﻔﺘﻤﺎن ﺑﺮاي ﭘﻲ ﺑﺮدن ﺑﻪ ﺷﺮاﻳﻂ ﺗﻮﻟﻴﺪ و درﻳﺎﻓﺖ آن اﺳﺖ. ﻧﺸﺎﻧﻪ ﻣﻌﻨﺎﺷﻨﺎس ﺑﺎ ﻣﺠﻤﻮﻋﻪ اي ﻣﻌﻨﺎدار روﺑﻪ روﺳﺖ ﻛﻪ در ﻣﺮﺣﻠﺔ ﻧﺨﺴﺖ ﻓﺮﺿﻴﻪ ﻫﺎي ﻣﻌﻨﺎﻳﻲ و ﻧﻮع ارﺗﺒﺎط آن ﻫﺎ ﺑﺎ ﻳﻜﺪﻳﮕﺮ را در ﻧﻈ ﺮ ﻣﻲ ﮔﻴﺮد . ﺳﭙﺲ ، ﺑﻪ ﺟﺴﺖ وﺟﻮي ﺻﻮرت ﻫﺎﻳﻲ ﻛﻪ ﺑﺎ اﻳﻦ ﻓﺮﺿﻴﻪ ﻫﺎي ﻣﻌﻨﺎﻳﻲ ﻣﻄﺎﺑﻘﺖ دارﻧﺪ، ﻣﻲ ﭘﺮدازد ﺗﺎ اﺛﺒﺎت آن ﻓﺮﺿﻴﻪ ﻫﺎ ﻣﻴﺴﺮ ﺷﻮد. ﻓﺮﺿﻴﺔ ﭘﮋوﻫﺶ ﺣﺎﺿﺮ اﻳﻦ اﺳﺖ ﻛﻪ ﻓﺮاﻳﻨﺪ ﻣﻌﻨﺎﻳﻲ در ﮔﻔﺘﻤﺎن ﻃﻨﺰ ﻧﻈﺎم ﻛﻨﺸﻲ را ﺑﻪ ﺗﻨﺸﻲ ﺗﺒﺪﻳﻞ ﻣﻲ ﻛﻨﺪ و ﺑﺎ ﺑﺮﻗﺮاري ﺗﻌﺎﻣﻞ ﺑﻴﻦ اﺑﻌﺎد ﻓﺸﺎره اي (ﻋﺎﻃﻔﻲ، دروﻧﻲ) و ﮔﺴﺘﺮه اي (ﺷﻨﺎﺧﺘﻲ، ﺑﻴﺮوﻧﻲ) ﻓﻀﺎﻳﻲ ﺳﻴﺎل را ﻣﻲ آﻓﺮﻳﻨﺪ ﻛﻪ ﺧﻠﻖ ﻣﻌﻨﺎﻳﻲ ﺑﺪﻳﻊ را ﻣﻤﻜﻦ ﻣﻲ ﺳﺎزد.
    [Show full text]
  • A Diagrammatic Approach to Peirce's Classifications of Signs
    A diagrammatic approach to Peirce’s classifications of signs1 Priscila Farias Graduate Program in Design (SENAC-SP & UFPE) [email protected] João Queiroz Graduate Studies Program on History, Philosophy, and Science Teaching (UFBA/UEFS) Dept. of Computer Engineering and Industrial Automation (DCA/FEEC/UNICAMP) [email protected] © This paper is not for reproduction without permission of the author(s). ABSTRACT Starting from an analysis of two diagrams for 10 classes of signs designed by Peirce in 1903 and 1908 (CP 2.264 and 8.376), this paper sets forth the basis for a diagrammatic understanding of all kinds of classifications based on his triadic model of a sign. Our main argument is that it is possible to observe a common pattern in the arrangement of Peirce’s diagrams of 3-trichotomic classes, and that this pattern should be extended for the design of diagrams for any n-trichotomic classification of signs. Once this is done, it is possible to diagrammatically compare the conflicting claims done by Peircean scholars re- garding the divisions of signs into 28, and specially into 66 classes. We believe that the most important aspect of this research is the proposal of a consolidated tool for the analysis of any kind of sign structure within the context of Peirce’s classifications of signs. Keywords: Peircean semiotics, classifications of signs, diagrammatic reasoning. 1. PEIRCE’S DIAGRAMS FOR 10 CLASSES OF SIGNS In a draft of a letter to Lady Welby composed by the end of December 1908 (dated 24-28 December, L463:132-146, CP 8.342-76, EP2:483-491; we will be referring to this diagram 1.
    [Show full text]
  • The Commutation Test and Chris Bacon's Score for Source Code As
    The Commutation Test and Chris Bacon’s Score for Source Code as a Framework for Film Music Pedagogy Aaron Ziegel, Towson University he cinema, whether experienced at the neighborhood multiplex or streamed at home, is arguably the medium through which today’s col- lege-age Americans are most likely to encounter newly composed sym- Tphonic music. Given the ubiquity of the film-viewing experience, students are often eager to learn the tools and methodologies that can equip them to criti- cally assess and more fully comprehend the function of music in movies. The filmSource Code (2011), directed by Duncan Jones and scored by Chris Bacon, provides a particularly effective starting point through which this process can begin.1 This article will discuss the pedagogical potential found in the film’s main titles and the impact of applying a commutation test to this sequence. Although here I address one specific example, the methodology of the commu- tation test is easily adaptable to other circumstances, as the theoretical foun- dation will make clear. While variations on the commutation test are a regular occurrence in many film music classrooms, this essay aims to present an intro- ductory primer that may be of use to instructors interested in an entry point for incorporating film music studies into their teaching. With that in mind, the appendix presents one suggestion for how to create film clips for classroom use. The value of this classroom activity extends beyond providing students with an engaging and memorable learning experience. By situating this analysis I wish to express my gratitude to the many students at Towson University whose feedback and enthusiastic classroom participation, along with suggestions from the anonymous reviewers, helped me to refine the pedagogical approach described in this essay.
    [Show full text]
  • Charles Sanders Peirce - Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia 9/2/10 4:55 PM
    Charles Sanders Peirce - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 9/2/10 4:55 PM Charles Sanders Peirce From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Charles Sanders Peirce (pronounced /ˈpɜrs/ purse[1]) Charles Sanders Peirce (September 10, 1839 – April 19, 1914) was an American philosopher, logician, mathematician, and scientist, born in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Peirce was educated as a chemist and employed as a scientist for 30 years. It is largely his contributions to logic, mathematics, philosophy, and semiotics (and his founding of pragmatism) that are appreciated today. In 1934, the philosopher Paul Weiss called Peirce "the most original and versatile of American philosophers and America's greatest logician".[2] An innovator in many fields (including philosophy of science, epistemology, metaphysics, mathematics, statistics, research methodology, and the design of experiments in astronomy, geophysics, and psychology) Peirce considered himself a logician first and foremost. He made major contributions to logic, but logic for him encompassed much of that which is now called epistemology and philosophy of science. He saw logic as the Charles Sanders Peirce formal branch of semiotics, of which he is a founder. As early as 1886 he saw that logical operations could be carried out by Born September 10, 1839 electrical switching circuits, an idea used decades later to Cambridge, Massachusetts produce digital computers.[3] Died April 19, 1914 (aged 74) Milford, Pennsylvania Contents Nationality American 1 Life Fields Logic, Mathematics, 1.1 United States Coast Survey Statistics, Philosophy, 1.2 Johns Hopkins University Metrology, Chemistry 1.3 Poverty Religious Episcopal but 2 Reception 3 Works stance unconventional 4 Mathematics 4.1 Mathematics of logic C.
    [Show full text]
  • A Semiotic Perspective on the Denotation and Connotation of Colours in the Quran
    International Journal of Applied Linguistics & English Literature E-ISSN: 2200-3452 & P-ISSN: 2200-3592 www.ijalel.aiac.org.au A Semiotic Perspective on the Denotation and Connotation of Colours in the Quran Mona Al-Shraideh1, Ahmad El-Sharif2* 1Post-Graduate Student, Department of English Language and Literature, Al-alBayt University, Jordan 2Associate Professor of Linguistics, Department of English Language and Literature, Al-alBayt University, Jordan Corresponding Author: Ahmad El-Sharif, E-mail: [email protected] ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT Article history This study investigates the significance and representation of colours in the Quran from the Received: September 11, 2018 perspective of meaning and connotation according to the semiotic models of sign interpretation; Accepted: December 06, 2018 namely, Saussure’s dyadic approach and Peirce’s triadic model. Such approaches are used Published: January 31, 2019 to analyze colours from the perspective of cultural semiotics. The study presents both the Volume: 8 Issue: 1 semantic and cultural semiotics aspects of colour signs in the Quran to demonstrate the various Advance access: December 2018 semiotic meanings and interpretations of the six basic colours (white, black, red, green, yellow, and blue). The study reveals that Arabic colour system agrees with colour universals, especially in terms of their categorization and connotations, and that semiotic analysis makes Conflicts of interest: None an efficient device for analyzing and interpreting the denotations and connotations of colour Funding: None signs in the Quran. Key words: Semiotics, Signs, Denotation, Connotation, Colours, Quran INTRODUCTION or reading, a colour ‘term’ instead of seeing the chromatic Colours affect the behaviour by which we perceive the features of the colour.
    [Show full text]
  • From Braudel to Derrida: Mohammed Arkoun’S Rethinking of Islam and Religion
    MEJCC Middle East Journal of Culture and Communication 4 (2011) 23–43 brill.nl/mjcc From Braudel to Derrida: Mohammed Arkoun’s Rethinking of Islam and Religion Carool Kersten King’s College London, UK Email: [email protected] Abstract Th is article examines Mohammed Arkoun as one of the pioneers of a new Muslim intellectualism seeking new ways of engaging with Islam by combining intimate familiarity with the Islamic civilizational heritage (turath ) and solid knowledge of recent achievements by the Western academe in the humanities and social sciences. It will show how his groundbreaking and agenda- setting work in Islamic studies refl ects a convergence of the spatiotemporal concerns of an intellectual historian inspired by the Annales School with an epistemological critique drawing on structuralist and poststructuralist ideas. Infl uenced by Paul Ricoeur’s hermeneutics and the deconstructionist philosophy of Jacques Derrida, Arkoun evolved from a specialist in the intellectual history of medieval Islam into a generic critic of epistemologies, advocating a concept of so-called ‘emerging reason’ which transcends existing forms of religious reason, Enlightenment rationalism and the tele-techno-scientifi c reason of the postmodern globalizing world. Th is article concludes that Arkoun’s proposals challenge the intellectual binary of the West versus Islam and the historical dichotomy between the northern and southern Mediterranean. Keywords Arkoun , Islam , epistemology , postmodernism , Mediterranean Introduction In the last twenty years or so the literature on the intellectual history of the contemporary Muslim world has begun recognizing a new type of Muslim intellectual (Kersten 2009 : 10). On the spectrum of present-day Muslim thought they are located on the opposite side from the exponents of a narrow and scripture-based interpretation of Islamic revivalism.
    [Show full text]
  • Roman Jakobson and the Birth of Linguistic Structuralism
    Sign Systems Studies 39(1), 2011 Roman Jakobson and the birth of linguistic structuralism W. Keith Percival Department of Linguistics, The University of Kansas 3815 N. E. 89th Street, Seattle, WA 98115, U.S.A e-mail: [email protected] Abstract. The term “structuralism” was introduced into linguistics by Roman Jakobson in the early days of the Linguistic Circle of Prague, founded in 1926. The cluster of ideas defended by Jakobson and his colleagues can be specified but differ considerably from the concept of structuralism as it has come to be understood more recently. That took place because from the 1930s on it became customary to equate structuralism with the ideas of Ferdinand de Saussure, as expounded in his posthumous Cours de linguistique générale (1916). It can be shown, however, that Jakobson’s group rejected Saussure’s theory for ideological reasons. As the term “structuralism” became more widely used it came to be associated with posi- tivist approaches to linguistics rather than with the original phenomenological orientation that had characterized the Linguistic Circle of Prague. The purpose of this paper is to clarify these different approaches and to suggest that because of its extreme porosity the word “structuralism” is an example of a “terminological pandemic”. More research on the varied uses to which the key terms “structure” and “structuralism” were put will undoubtedly further elucidate this important episode in 20th-century intellectual history. 1. Introduction In this article, I shall examine the early history of linguistic structu- ralism and the role played in it by the Russian philologist and linguist Roman Jakobson (1896–1982).
    [Show full text]
  • The Object of Signs in Charles S. Peirce's Semiotic Theory
    University of Rhode Island DigitalCommons@URI Open Access Master's Theses 1977 The Object of Signs in Charles S. Peirce's Semiotic Theory William W. West University of Rhode Island Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/theses Recommended Citation West, William W., "The Object of Signs in Charles S. Peirce's Semiotic Theory" (1977). Open Access Master's Theses. Paper 1559. https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/theses/1559 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@URI. It has been accepted for inclusion in Open Access Master's Theses by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@URI. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE OBJECT OF SIGNS IN CHARLESS. PEIRCE'S SEMIOTIC THEORY OF WILLIAMW. WEST THESIS SUBMITTEDIN PARTIAL FULFILLMENTOF THE REQUIREMENTSFOR THE DEGREEOF MASTEROF ARTS IN PHILOSOPHY UNIVERSITYOF RHODEISLAND 1977 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page . I INTRODUCTION. • • • • • • • • • • • • . .. • • • 1 Chapter I THE CATEGORIES• . .. •· .... 4 II SIGNS EXPLAINED 8 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • The First Trichotomy: The Sign Itself . ~ • • 15 Qualisign • • • • • • • • • • •• • • • • • 15 Sinsign • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 16 Legisign. • • • • • • • • • • • . • • • • 17 The Second Trichotomy: The Sign-Object Relation ••••• . • ....... • • 18 Icon. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 19 Index • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 24 Symbol • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 28 The Third Trichotomy: Ho~ the Interpretant Represents th~ Object • • • • • • • • •
    [Show full text]
  • 22-Barthes-Semiotics.Pdf
    gri34307_ch26_332-343.indd Page 332 17/01/11 9:35 AM user-f469 /Volumes/208/MHSF234/gri34307_disk1of1/0073534307/gri34307_pagefiles Objective Interpretive CHAPTER 26 ● Semiotic tradition F r om : E . M . G r i f f i n , A F i r s t L o o k a t C ommu n i c a t i o n T h e ory , 8 t h E d . , Ne w Y o r k , Ne w Y o r k : Mc G r a w H i l l ,2 0 1 2 . Semiotics of Roland Barthes French literary critic and semiologist Roland Barthes (rhymes with “smart”) wrote that for him, semiotics was not a cause, a science, a discipline, a school, a movement, nor presumably even a theory. “It is,” he claimed, “an adventure.” 1 The goal of semiotics is interpreting both verbal and nonverbal signs . The verbal side of the fi eld is called linguistics. Barthes, however, was mainly interested in the nonverbal side—multifaceted visual signs just waiting to be read. Barthes held the chair of literary semiology at the College of France when he was struck and killed by a laundry truck in 1980. In his highly regarded book Mythologies , Barthes sought to decipher the cultural meaning of a wide variety of visual signs—from sweat on the faces of actors in the fi lm Julius Caesar to a magazine photograph of a young African soldier saluting the French fl ag. Unlike most intellectuals, Barthes frequently wrote for the popular press and occasionally appeared on television to comment on the foibles of the French middle class.
    [Show full text]
  • A Literary Semiotics Approach to the Semantic Universe of George Orwell’S Nineteen Eighty-Four
    A Literary Semiotics Approach to the Semantic Universe of George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four A Literary Semiotics Approach to the Semantic Universe of George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four By Murat Kalelioğlu A Literary Semiotics Approach to the Semantic Universe of George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four By Murat Kalelioğlu This book first published 2018 Cambridge Scholars Publishing Lady Stephenson Library, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE6 2PA, UK British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Copyright © 2018 by Murat Kalelioğlu All rights for this book reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner. ISBN (10): 1-5275-2018-8 ISBN (13): 978-1-5275-2018-9 Dedicated to in loving memory of my beloved mother Muazzez KALELİOĞLU TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Tables .............................................................................................. ix List of Figures............................................................................................. xi Foreword ................................................................................................... xii V. Doğan Günay Preface ....................................................................................................... xv List of Abbreviations ..............................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Phenomenological Principles of Global Innovative Logosphere of Computer Being Construction (Based on Europeаn and Oriental Languages)
    Загальне мовознавство UDC 811.111: 81’42 DOI https://doi.org/10.32838/2710-4656/2021.1-1/34 Makhachashvili R. К. Borys Grinchenko Kyiv University Semenist I. V. Borys Grinchenko Kyiv University PHENOMENOLOGICAL PRINCIPLES OF GLOBAL INNOVATIVE LOGOSPHERE OF COMPUTER BEING CONSTRUCTION (BASED ON EUROPEАN AND ORIENTAL LANGUAGES) The paper main focus is the inquiry into the phenomenological premises of comprehensive structuring of the global innovative linguistic sphere of modern digital technologies (Global Innovative Logosphere of Computer Being as construed by the transformative neological strata of modern European and Oriental languages of international communication – English, Spanish, French, Chinese, Japanese, accordingly). The problem of theoretical and methodological substantiation of cross-cutting principles, directions, mechanisms, and results of qualitative dynamics of linguistic macro- and microstructures of vocabulary in the realm of computer being, as a consolidated linguistic object, is investigated in depth. Consideration of this issue requires the involvement of the phenomenological perspective of the study of complex linguistic objects, such as the Global Innovative Logosphere of Computer Being. Mosaic, simulation, and multidimensional approaches to understanding complex dynamic linguistic phenomena and entities, prioritized by this methodological context, allowed us to identify the ontological nature of computer lexical innovations of the European and Oriental languages (namely, the ability to embody and structure elements
    [Show full text]
  • Handbook-Of-Semiotics.Pdf
    Page i Handbook of Semiotics Page ii Advances in Semiotics THOMAS A. SEBEOK, GENERAL EDITOR Page iii Handbook of Semiotics Winfried Nöth Indiana University Press Bloomington and Indianapolis Page iv First Paperback Edition 1995 This English­language edition is the enlarged and completely revised version of a work by Winfried Nöth originally published as Handbuch der Semiotik in 1985 by J. B. Metzlersche Verlagsbuchhandlung, Stuttgart. ©1990 by Winfried Nöth All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. The Association of American University Presses' Resolution on Permissions constitutes the only exception to this prohibition. Manufactured in the United States of America Library of Congress Cataloging­in­Publication Data Nöth, Winfried. [Handbuch der Semiotik. English] Handbook of semiotics / Winfried Nöth. p. cm.—(Advances in semiotics) Enlarged translation of: Handbuch der Semiotik. Bibliography: p. Includes indexes. ISBN 0­253­34120­5 1. Semiotics—handbooks, manuals, etc. 2. Communication —Handbooks, manuals, etc. I. Title. II. Series. P99.N6513 1990 302.2—dc20 89­45199 ISBN 0­253­20959­5 (pbk.) CIP 4 5 6 00 99 98 Page v CONTENTS Preface ix Introduction 3 I. History and Classics of Modern Semiotics History of Semiotics 11 Peirce 39 Morris 48 Saussure 56 Hjelmslev 64 Jakobson 74 II. Sign and Meaning Sign 79 Meaning, Sense, and Reference 92 Semantics and Semiotics 103 Typology of Signs: Sign, Signal, Index 107 Symbol 115 Icon and Iconicity 121 Metaphor 128 Information 134 Page vi III.
    [Show full text]