Page 46 - Portolio SEMIOTICS OF DISCOURSE FINAL

SEMIÓTIC OF DISCOURSRE
SECOND 2do SEMESTRE 2020
DOCENTE: LIC. TERESA DÁVALOS C. FECHA: 27/10/2020

TEMA 1: SEMIOLOGY Y SEMIOTICS

Semiology y semiotics

Semiology and semiotics are two related disciplines, which study semiosis, the relation of
signification involving sign, object and mind, and classification of signs. Morris has
classified three dimensions of semiosis: 1) the syntactic dimensions i.e. relations between
signs, 2) semantic dimension i.e, relations between signs and objects, and 3) pragmatic
dimension, i.e. relations between the sign and interpreter. Shepperson and Tomaselli have
tried to describe the differences between semiology and semiotics in relation to European
vs. African culture. In the following we try to introduce the basic ideas of semiology and
semiotics.

SEMIOLOGY

Semiology has its basis in Kantian dichotomy of phenomenal (mental) and noumenal
(material) worlds, which corresponds the classic European dichotomy of subjective and
objective. De Saussure (1857-1913) founded the idea of semiology as the science of signs.
Sign is a conceptual object, which consists of signifier (the name of sign) and signified
(the referred idea in the mind, concept or meaning). In addition there are perceptual
objects or referents (the real objects), but the signs do not refer to them, but only the
concepts in our mind. The goal of semiology is to determine the relations between the
signifier and signified in the given language context. De Saussure argues that the names
(signifiers) and their relations to signified ideas are pure arbitrary, and there doesn't exist
any fixed universal ideas, but they are also arbitrary and depend on language. Shepperson
and Tomaselli remind that the semiology can easily lead to a solipsistic view: semiology is
itself just a linguistic structure and we are caught by it without any reference to real world.

SEMIOTICS

Peirce rejected the dualistic ontology behind the semiology and constucted a triadic view of
world, which is represented in semiotics. He studied the triadic relation between the sign,
the object and the mind. He argued that we cannot fully reach the material reality by our
experiences. The signs construct the relation between the mind and experience, and they
signify completely when they cause a habit change in the interpreter (we could call this
"deep learning"). The most effective change in habit can also produce new signs or new
uses of signs. So the signs have meaning only in relation to mind and habits. (Question:
what did Peirce think about relation between the sign and the real objects? Does it exist at
all? Or does it exist only mediatively, by sign-mind and object-mind relations?)

The triadic nature concerns also understanding. If the sign means something, it requires
somebody (a mind) signifying and something (an object) that is signified. In addition, the
signs themselves have triadic nature, and Peirce lists several triads. A trichotomy of icon,