Methods of modelling of socio-economic phenomena – method of constructing multiple spirals and multimodal analysis

Abstract

The article considers the methods of semiotic modelling (method of constructing multiple spirals, and multimodal analysis, etc.). The relevance of the use of these methods for the study of socio-economic phenomena is determined. Features of the use of these methods are described with help of two groups of key notions: a) the group of concept-variables of such concepts as code (genetic, iconic, information, cultural, memetic, social, civilisation, language), gene (biological, cultural, social, philosophic, economic), spiral (Archimedes, double, multiple, plane, spatial, triple, etc.); b) the group of concept-variables of such concepts as modalisation, modality, mode and multimodality. Differences between the methods under consideration are due not only to the different sets of concepts used to describe them, but also due to the main objects studied using these methods. So, as the main object of modeling using the method of constructing multiple spirals, various types of such complex signs as codes and genes are most often used. The objects of multimodal analysis are, as rule, macrolevel semiotic units (video, comic books, creolised and poly-code texts, posters, and other polymodal texts). The conclusion is substantiated that the method of constructing multiple spirals and multimodal analysis, together with the previously considered semiotic and chain analyses, form a single methodological system of social semiotics.