Conceptualizing Objectual Message

Abstract

This study is circumscribed to the science of communication. It aims to illustrate, exemplify, and conceptualize the idea of objectual message. The meta-analytical method and the comparative method are used. Two historical and one semiotic messages are examined. The first message is extracted from Herodotus's Histories: in the form of message, the Scythian kings send Emperor Darius bird, mouse, frog, and five arrows. The second message is extracted from Cassius Dio's Roman History: Decebalus sends Trajan huge mushroom on which he wrote in Latin the advice to make way back and start peace talks. The third element is an analysis of Roland Barthes, in which he states that an object like a scarf constitutes message with haptical meanings. From the comparison of the three messages, the characteristics of the objectual message are infered. In related way, it is found that in practical order the objectual message is one of the most important types of message, along with the verbal message, the oral message and the written message.