Semiotic Function Research Articles

Children’s Drawings, as A Domain of Exercise of the Semiotic Function and Its Aesthetic Appreciation

Children’s Drawings, as A Domain of Exercise of the Semiotic Function and Its Aesthetic Appreciation

Nonsense Syllables in Byzantine Chant Tradition

This article examines the historical phenomenon of nonsense syllables in the chant of the Byzantine church. This practice of non-lexical singing upon the extended use of vocables, appears already in ancient Greek music and has gone by many terms, including kratēmata or teretismata. Three different hypotheses as to the historical roots and development of this singing practice are predominant, namely those of Gregorios Stathis (1979, 2014), Diane Touliatos (1989), and Gregorios Anastasiou (2005). The foundations, results and consequences of these theories are reassessed in the light of critical examination of the fourteenth century treatise Ἁρμονικά (Harmonika) of Manuel Bryennios (Magdalen College MS Gr 13), the tenth century Book of Ceremonies (in Latin cited as De cerimoniis aulae Byzantinae and in Greek cited as Ἔκθεσις τῆς βασιλείου τάξεως) of the Byzantine emperor Constantine Porphyrogennetos, and different versions of the liturgy of the so-called “Service of the Furnace” (Athens, National Library, EBE 2047; Athens, National Library, EBE 2406; Iviron Monastery, MS 1120; S-Sinai, Mt. Sinai, MS 1527; and Lavra Monastery, MS 165). The critical examination and synthesis of previous theories of the origin and development of Byzantine nonsense-syllable singing offers a number of conclusions, where I argue for new, qualified hypotheses that may be laid as foundations for further research. It is concluded that the nonsense syllables seem to have served a number of semiotic functions and purposes: as incantations (sometimes with pagan and ritual associations), as mimesis of nature (birds and cicada), for the intonation of texted chant, as well as for singing practice and solmization purposes. It is also argued that the non-semantic vocalization that this singing constitutes, amounts to a type of proto-programmatic music, with layers of mimetic singing and a rare sense of heightened expression in a context which otherwise focuses strongly on a religious text and its context. Finally, the term “mental representations” is proposed for describing the semantic function of nonsense syllables.

An intersubjective conception of complex trauma in the framework of the semiotic function of affectivity

The current conception of complex trauma is based on an implicit materialized, orthopedic conception of the mind. Just as in osteoporosis, chronic damage to the bone can cause it to fracture, so the self can be chronically damaged by repeated damaging events inflicted upon it by the relational environment. In this paper, we first look at the severe problems of this conception, and subsequently argue for a different conception - an intersubjective conception of complex traumain the framework of the semiotic function of affectivity - that may help us overcome problems. We propose to conceive complex trauma as an adaptation imposed on the mind by a relational environment endowed with limited affective complexity, to which the mind responds by reducing its affective complexity to varying degrees and adopting a variably rigid, affectively hyper-simplified “successful” form of interpretation of reality. In this perspective, complex trauma would be a ubiquitous form of adaptation that takes on the appearance of ways of being in the world and in relationships, if not the only possible form of existence, which often manifest as various forms of psychopathology.

Signs of Legal and Pseudolegal Authority: A Corpus-Based Comparison of Contemporary Courtroom Filings

AbstractLegal language exists in a peculiar state of tension. It is theoretically expected to meet the specific technical needs of a range of professions while simultaneously remaining entirely accessible to the public at large. Its success at that latter aim is at best limited, with laypeople generally more able to recognize that a given text is legal in character than they are to grasp its technical content. For such readers, the primary semiotic function of legal language is an indexical one, indicating that a text possesses a particular authoritative status even if its intended legal function remains opaque. This paper explores that authoritative indexicality of legal language through the multisemiotic analysis of two corpora: a corpus of legitimate legal documents filed in an American courthouse written by licensed attorneys and a corpus of pseudolegal documents filed in that same courthouse written by members of the Sovereign Citizen conspiracy movement. Sovereign Citizens appropriate features characteristic of legitimate legal language in their pseudolegal writings in an effort to imbue them with real legal authority. The comparison of these two corpora therefore provides a unique perspective on which features of legal writing most clearly communicate authority to non-lawyers. In addition to discussing the ways in which legal authority is manifested in these two corpora, this paper also outlines a novel method for the visualization of the spatial distribution of target features in a corpus of static multimodal texts by employing probability density estimation to generate a series of feature-based heatmaps.

Psychologism in the study of children’s semiotic development

Abstract This essay discusses the notion of ‘semiotic development in child development’ and highlights potential concerns for ‘psychologism’ when semiotics turns into cognitive semiotics. The notion of ‘semiotic development in child development’ indicates a transdisciplinary approach involving both semiotics, the general study of meaning and signs, and child psychology. This, however, invites the criticism of committing the fallacy of psychologism. Piaget was aware of this dilemma when developing his theory of the semiotic function as a united capacity in children’s cognitive development. Sonesson’s proposal of a general definition of signs in meaning-making is suggested to, at some points, meet the dilemma with psychologism in studies of children’s semiotic development. Starting from a phenomenological point of view in semiotics and integrating Piaget’s theory on cognitive development and meaning-making meet the study of subjectivity in intersubjectivity. On the one hand, the sign as a theoretical object is not reducible to any given psychological process or processes; on the other hand, sign meaning can only exist if there are beings (consciousnesses) capable of grasping and using signs.

Semiotic Functions of Indexicality

By exploring how indexical signals interact with other semiotic components, as well as how social context affects their interpretation, this study fills a research gap and examines the complex function that these signs play in influencing meaning-making within communication. The present study employed theme analysis to look at public speeches, social media posts, and ads that promoted environmental awareness and community involvement. Themes about social action and environmental responsibility evolved, along with the identification of indexical signals. A comparative examination showed that although basic themes were shared across societies, how particular indications were interpreted differed according to social and cultural situations. Indexical signals interact with other semiotic components to create meaning, as demonstrated by semiotic analysis. This study underscores the significance of indexicality in communicating complex concepts and the necessity of employing culturally sensitive communication techniques. These results might be useful in developing messages that effectively encourage global community involvement and environmental awareness.

SEMIOTICS OF HARLEY-DAVIDSON ADVERTISING THROUGH STYLISTICS AND PRAGMATICS

The article explores the semiotic construction of consumer identity through the stylistics and pragmatics of Harley-Davidson discourse, actualizing semiotic codes of its advertising. The findings provide evidence of the role of metaphorical expressions encoded in slogans and other stylistic devices in actualizing the hermeneutic code of the brand's advertising. The antitheses underlying the juxtaposition of brand values against mainstream ones underlie the symbolic code of the slogans' messages. The actional code relies on directives that stimulate the behavioral model, and implicit commissive acts, promising to fulfill the consumers’ needs. The obtained data demonstrate the semiotic function of the key signified Freedom and its derived sub-concepts in constructing the target brand identity

Testing EFL Communication: Speech Act Theory and the Communicative Approach

The study examined the relationship between Speech Act Theory and the Communicative Approach in assessing foreign languages, emphasizing the theoretical foundations and everyday applications of each approach. The study aims to present the theoretical and practical connections between these two approaches and highlight the emphasis on real-world communication in the Communicative Approach. The opening section examines Speech Act Theory as a forceful linguistic framework for analyzing the semiotic functions of language, elucidating how speeches not only communicate information but also enact actions within communicative encounters. The speech act theory’s illocutionary, perlocutionary, and locutionary actions are explained in depth, emphasizing that language usage is dynamic and how its context affects interpretation. Examining existing research on Speech Act Theory, the Communicative Approach, and their applications in language assessment, the paper investigated the Communicative Approach to Foreign Language Testing, which deviates from conventional paradigms for language evaluation and builds on Speech Act Theory. It was found that the Communicative Approach, which has its roots in Speech Act Theory, emphasizes the practical use of language in real-world contexts. The results shed light on the theoretical foundations of the Communicative Approach, enhancing its application in practice.

Sémiotique du carnage : la chair animale comme unité indicielle et symbolico-discursive

This article is thought of as an exploratory and synthetic reading of works on the question of the presence of animals in discourses on meat. We consider the semiotic functioning of animal flesh by considering it from the indexical and symbolico-discursive point of view. Therefore, we want to show by what processes the indexicality of animal flesh malfunctions while it fulfills, in culinary discourses, a symbolic role, with regard to the ideology of which the carnist discourses are the materiality, testifying to the persistence of an ontological regime of the analogical type.

Semiotics of Prohibited Ornaments (Awisan) in Tamanan Ward

Tamanan Ward is a relic building of the Majapahit kingdom era located in the Keraton Yogyakarta area. The existence of Tamanan Ward is supported by physical evidence, such as the sengkalan in the form of Bethara Gana or Ganesha found at the entrance of the ward and resembles Kori Agung. The Tamanan Ward building is historical evidence of cultural acculturation and depiction of royal heritage from time to time as shown by its ornaments. The ornaments in this building include: Praban motif ornaments and Putri Merong motif ornaments which are referred to as prohibited ornaments (awisan). The awisan ornament is a manifestation of the Sultan's power to organize and build palace buildings that have a broad philosophical meaning. Based on this, the two ornaments that decorate the palace buildings have aesthetic and semiotic functions as a marker. This research aims to explain the meaning and philosophy attached to awisan ornaments in Tamanan Ward through a semiotic approach. The research method used was descriptive qualitative method with data collection technique in the form of literature study through relevant books and journals. The results of this study indicated that, first, the building ornaments of Tamanan Ward were influenced by the visual identity that was present due to the power of the Sultan as King, Second, the analysis of the meaning and function of awisan ornaments can be described using a semiotic approach. Third, the Keraton Yogyakarta building is one of Indonesia's cultural assets and its existence needs to be maintained and preserved.

Onto-semiotic analysis of one teacher’s and university students’ mathematical connections when problem-solving about launching a projectile

An onto-semiotic analysis of the mathematical connections established by one in-service mathematics teachers and university students when solving a problem about launching a projectile using the derivative was carried out. Theoretically, this research was based on the articulation between the Extended Theory of Mathematical Connections and the Onto-semiotic Approach. The methodology was qualitative-descriptive where data was collected through interviews based on a task. Subsequently, following the joint analysis method of both theories, the mathematical activity of the participants when they solved the task was analyzed. The results show that, teacher and students established a system of connections of feature type, different representations, meanings, part-whole, procedural and implications in terms of practices, processes, objects, and semiotic functions that relate them. However, some students presented difficulties caused by some incorrect mathematical connection such as stating that the maximum height of the projectile is the time obtained with the critical number, errors in performing arithmetic calculations when evaluating the function, graphically representing the quadratic function as a straight line and use the general formula in an inappropriate way that prevents the procedural connection from being made.

On the minimal elements of the genetic code and their semiotic functions (degeneracy, complementarity, wobbling)

We address semiotic features of genetic coding, primarily the mechanisms for distinguishing between triplets. It implies that the minimal elements that allow codon recognition and amino acid coding should be identified. Half a century ago, linguist Roman Jakobson and microbiologist François Jacob revealed functional similarities between nucleotides in the genetic code and phonemes in natural language. Developing this analogy, we introduce the concept of a semiotic nucleotide. Unlike “material” nucleotides, its characteristics are limited to the function of differentiation within the processing of genetic information.We demonstrate that, similarly to phonemes, nucleotides are also non-elementary entities and can be represented as a set of two differential features: a) the number of rings and b) the number of hydrogen bonds. This makes it possible to convert semiotic nucleotides into double-byte units of digital information. Proceeding from this assumption, we suggest a new vision of such phenomena as the heterogeneity of the genetic code in terms of coding types, to reveal the code-distinguishing potential of positions within triplets, and represent wobbling as a specific reading regime. All these phenomena relate to the peculiarity of the triplet's third position, where complete or partial neutralization of distinguishing features is possible.

Using the onto-semiotic approach to analyze novice algebra learners’ meaning-making processes with different representations

Representations are key to mathematical activities and meaning-making processes as they are part of modeling, connecting, communicating, and understanding mathematical ideas and concepts. The current study sought to examine a group of novice algebra learners’ interactions with different representations from an onto-semiotic approach. A case study method was employed to understand how different algebraic practices (abstracting, generalizing, justifying, and operating on symbols) and functional thinking types (recursive, covariational, and correspondence) were facilitated through working with multiple representations. Three 6th graders participated in the study by completing 12 algebra tasks and taking part in two interviews. The onto-semiotic approach guided the data analysis process that involved the identification of mathematical objects that emerged in the participating students’ mathematical practices. Then, the configuration of objects and semiotic functions established by the students in the functional situations was examined to understand the role of representations in the students’ development of algebraic thinking and practices. Findings showed that abstraction is an essential process for generalization. Thinking about far figures facilitated abstraction and generalization through helping students construct non-ostensive concrete/pictorial representations. Verbal representations interacted with all representations and preceded symbolic representations. Working with near figures promoted recursive and covariational thinking while examining the far figures usually resulted in correspondence thinking. Implications for the school curriculum are discussed in the paper.

Exploring practices of multiliteracies pedagogy through digital technologies: a narrative inquiry

AbstractDigital technologies have fast become integral within literacy learning and teaching across contexts as students engage with a variety of digital and multimodal texts. While teachers in New Zealand schools have a high degree of autonomy in the design and planning of literacy programs, little is currently known about how they understand and enact multiliteracies pedagogy (MLP). Using data gathered via interviews and classroom observations in an intermediate school in New Zealand, this article adopts a narrative inquiry approach to explore one teacher's approaches to using digital technologies and texts within literacy instruction. We explore in particular the ways in which MLP may be enacted implicitly rather than explicitly, within the complex matrix of teachers' personal beliefs and learning experiences, the perceived learning needs of students, and the school curriculum. We conclude with a call for the conscious and purposeful teaching of MLP, focusing on synaesthesia and the semiotic functions of texts.

WHEN THE WALL SPEAKS: SOCIAL SEMIOTICS ANALYSIS OF (COVID-19)-THEMED MURALS IN INDONESIA

This study aims at analyzing how the meaning-making of semiotic signs is manifested on (Covid-19)-themed murals in Indonesia. Four murals with covid-19 themes derived from different sources on the Indonesian website were used as the main data for this study. Drawing on Kress and van Leeuwen’s representational, interactive, and compositional function of social semiotics, the analysis reveals that (1) the murals adopt the four processes in narrative representation, (2) the gazes are categorized as offers images and the use of long shot in the images suggest objectivity and social distance, (3) the messages are delivered in given-new and real-ideal pattern and the absence of frames in the murals indicating that the visual and verbal modes lock together to create the sense of unity between the image and written modes to construct and deliver the message by integrating the existing knowledge to reinforce new information. Thus, the current study contributes to the multimodal studies of how visual and written expression construct the meaning-making process.

SEMIOTIC BROADENING OF SIGN: A SEMIOTIC ANALYSIS OF THE BLACK COLOR-SIGN

The purpose of writing this article is to show the symmetrical function of linguistics semantics and semiotics. This article explores how semantic broadening in natural languages can be generalized to semiotics, the study of signs and symbolic communication. This study demonstrates that signs, whether members of verbal or non-verbal systems, can be studied similarly to semantic broadening. After introducing the process of semantic broadening, the discussion of the function of this process in semiotics is narrowed down to a case study of the black color-sign. The research method of this analysis is based on qualitative methodology and by collecting data based on a simple assumption which shows that semiotic broadening is a superordinate term that can have explanatory adequacy and can be expanded to verbal and non-verbal signs.

At the nexus of ludology and narratology: Advances in reality-based story-driven games.

Story-driven games are growing in popularity across a wide range of genres. However, the narrative potential of video games is still being debated, particularly in light of the so-called tension between gameplay and storytelling. This study proposes that rules and game mechanics perform narrative semiotic functions, offering a ludic grammar of interactive storytelling. Case studies of four representative games show through exploratory player action shaped by rules, the medium of video games can generate meanings that traditional media cannot, thereby better achieving their narrative goals.

АНГЛИЙСКИЕ РЕКУРРЕНТНЫЕ СТРУКТУРЫ КАК ГРАММАТИЧЕСКИЕ КОНСТРУКЦИИ

The article is focused on English grammatical constructions considered within the framework of cognitive-discourse analysis and viewed along the perspectives of Construction Grammar theory. The analysis is directed upon recurrent structures in English, i.e. structures that are regularly produced and therefore functionally significant for the English language, considered as idiomatic unity of form and meaning, and, as a rule, having propositional content. The study of the constructional features of language units is supplemented by mental schematization of their content based on the idea that the structures under analysis represent the language techniques employed in interpreting referent scenes. The grammar of constructions as a research issue dealing with organizing language units that belong to various linguistic subsystems (phonological structure, lexicon, grammar), has become the subject of quite a number of cognitively and structurally oriented research (called, for example, constructional grammar, linguistics of constructions, Construction Grammar). The study of recurrent linguistic units from the point of view of their structural and cognitive features allows us to consider the types of organization of linguistic units that are regularly reproduced in a language in a semiotic aspect: the content plan of constructions is propositions (or their contractions) as concepts of referent situations comprehended by the speaker. From the point of view of the specificity of a particular language, it is significant to involve in the study of the material of the English language, in which the constructional mechanisms are more obvious than, for example, in the Russian language, due to the fact that tendencies towards analyticism and features of the isolating system have become typologically significant in English. For this reason, the study of the structural features of linguistic units in the English language, it seems, can bring some clarity to the specifics of its structural organization. Since modern linguistic theory has a poly-paradigmatic character, several of its most important interpretations are closely intertwined in the study of the essence of language. They include the perspective of its interpretation as a cognitive mechanism, as a verbal semiotic system and as an ethnocultural socio-discursive phenomenon. In modern studies, the structural features of linguistic units are supplemented by the aspect of mental schematization of their content. Mental schemes fix the mental images of cognizable situations formed in consciousness - mental representations, which can then be described in terms of different types of schemes in the Bartlett sense (situations, scenes, scenarios, frames, etc.). The research material is examples of English structures extracted during a targeted sample from the British National English Corpus, as well as from Internet sites. The main methods of analysis are semantic, conceptual and collocation. The aim of the study is to find procedures for analyzing the structures of the English language that meet the criteria for grammatical structures, as well as to identify a general approach to the analysis of syntactic and word-formation types of structures. As the main results of the study, conclusions are proposed about the essence of categorizing and semiotic functions of recurrent structures, which seem to most fully demonstrate the conceptual essence of the analyzed structures.

The Meaning Of Halal Tourism Reviewing From Social Semiotics

<p>Discourse on halal tourism appears rife in a number of communication channels. The flow of the journey of the presence of the word halal tourism is influenced by actors who play an important role in the development of tourism products in Indonesia. This of course can be traced based on the track record of reporting on halal tourism discourse that was presented in the past ten years from 2012 to 2021. This search can easily be traced through the track record of digital communication media news. Opinions of the pros and cons related to the existence of halal tourism continue. The role of actors, actions, modalities, <em>genres, styles </em>that play an important role in the meaning of halal tourism. Leuween's social semiotics is present in an effort to understand the debate about the existence of halal tourism in Indonesia. The deepening and exploration of the concepts of <em>semiotic resources, semiotic inventories, semiotic change, semiotic function and semiotic rules </em>is expected to provide an understanding of the true meaning of halal tourism. The qualitative research method used in the interpretation of social semiotics is presented through the identification of a number of artifacts found in a number of news broadcasts. This difference in meaning has resulted in not maximally utilizing the opportunities offered by reports of profits in global transactions for the global halal tourism business, which can be obtained by a number of tourism stakeholders in Indonesia.<strong></strong></p>

David B., L’Ascension du haut mal , and the entangled body in pain

Linking Des Fitzgerald and Felicity Callard’s theory of the dynamics of entanglement and Thierry Groensteen’s semiotic function of tressage, this article argues that David B.’s graphic memoir L’Ascension du haut mal (1996–2004) [Epileptic (2005)] uses plurivectorial aesthetic and narrative strategies to depict pain, suffering, and trauma. The book explores the intersection of illness and the counterculture in France, the violent networks and legacies of family. David B.’s depiction additionally entangles the pain of the individual and the suffering of the family as he explores illness as a systemic event which shapes the entire domestic unit, and pictures the difficulty of delineating separate identities in a family where one member’s illness is a consuming and resistant vortex at the centre.