Systemic Signs Research Articles

Культура – знак – значение: о природе и структуре культуры и знака

The article examines the concept of culture as a paradigmatic structure that defines the variety of possible forms of social life, activity, and behavior in a certain community. It examines the structure and nature of the sign and its place in culture. The author sets this concept of culture and ideas about the structure of the sign, starting from some of F. Saussure’s ideas. He accepts Saussure’s distinction between language and speech within “linguistic activity”, but in the language itself he also distinguishes two areas of existence: language as a paradigmatic structure of a single subject and language as a paradigmatic system existing at the community level. As a result, the author sees not two, but three areas of manifestation in “language activity”. He identifies similar three areas in any semiotic activity and in activity in general. At the same time, in the course of generalization in the series “linguistic activity – sign activity – activity”, the social paradigmatic aspect of these activities is also generalized from language to the sign system and culture as a whole. Since language in public form, and language in individual form, and speech have the word as a basic structural unit, then we can talk about three ontological forms (modi) of the word: in public language, in individual language, in speech. The author identifies similar three ontological modi for an arbitrary sign. Taking as a basis the binary structure of an abstract sign (the plan of expression and the plan of content associated with each other) and the idea of the three ontological modi of the sign, we obtain a triangular prism as an ontological scheme of the sign, where the nodes of the prism correspond to various aspects of the sign, three vertical edges – three ontological modi of the sign, the upper face – the plan of expression (syntax), the bottom face – the plan of content (semantics). Based on the obtained ontological scheme of the sign, the author interprets the semiotic representations of some alternative research programs

Implementation of Sibi Sign Language Realtime Detection Program (Case Studi At Sekolah Luar Biasa Negeri 1 Tabanan)

Indonesian deaf people utilize SIBI to communicate using spoken words, gestures, facial expressions, and body language. SIBI, certified for Special Schools (SLB), helps deaf pupils communicate. This project implements SIBI (Indonesian Sign Language System) a real-time detection algorithm at Sekolah Luar Biasa Negeri 1 Tabanan using image processing and YoloV8 ultralytics deep learning. The program trains a sign language gesture detection model on Google Colab's GPU. The SIBI sign language images were used to train a YoloV8 object detection model. The camera captures movements, which the YoloV8 algorithm trained on SIBI gesture data processes. It can recognize gestures in real time and generate text to non-sign language users. The dataset has 107 class vocabulary and 7 class affix prefixes for complete gesture recognition. Shirt color, room brightness, and webcam quality affect detection rates. Optimal detection accuracy is 87.74% and subpar 58.02%. Despite these limitations, the strategy helps deaf students communicate more effectively with non-sign language speakers. This program improves inclusivity and communication in schools, making learning easier for hearing-impaired pupils. This work provides a reliable and quick sign language identification system to help deaf educators and caregivers with daily interactions and education.

Intersemiotic Translation: Mat Dollah’s Batik Paintings of the Malay Folktale “Puteri Gunung Ledang”

In translation studies, intersemiotic translation, which is the transference of a verbal sign system to a non-verbal sign, vice-versa or between two non-verbal modes, is a dynamically creative form of translation often involving literary works. Intersemiotic translations make it possible for written source texts to be brought to life in various artistic ways; they can usurp the power of the written word to transfer sense and meaning through unforgettable images from one culture to another. Folktales, documented in writings, have been translated into many different forms, such as in performing arts, animations, paintings, and illustrated books. This article examines the intersemiotic translation of the evergreen Malay folktale, “Puteri Gunung Ledang” or “The Princess of Mount Ledang” recreated in the form of batik paintings by the batik artist, Mat Dollah. The first specific objective of this study is to identify the variant and invariant features in Mat Dollah’s representation of the folktale by comparing his batik paintings to its original written account. The second objective is to investigate Mat Dollah’s skopos or purpose for recreating the folktale in his batik paintings in the ways that he has represented it. Six selected batik paintings of the folktale are analysed using Kress and Van Leeuwen’s (2006) multimodality approaches in visual grammar focusing on social actor representations and viewer networks (2008), colour (2011) and modality to fulfil the first objective. Transcripts from an email interview with the painter are analysed to fulfil the second objective. In this study, Vermeer's Skopos Theory underpins the overall discussion. The findings show that one invariant core links the batik paintings to the written source text. Next, the skopos or purpose of the artist in producing these recreations in his own unique ways is strongly influenced by his personal experience, his work as an artist, and his perspectives of the world. Two key insights can be surmised about intersemiotic translations from these findings. Firstly, it is the translators’ intent that determines the translation strategies used, ultimately shaping the final translated product. Secondly, this makes the translator’s presence highly visible in intersemiotic translations.

Agency and signification in learning with digital technologies

This paper put an approximation of Actor-Network Theory – ANT (cf. Callon & Latour, 1981; Latour, 1988; Latour, 1993; Latour, 1994) and representational philosophies deriving from the social semiotic multimodal theories (e.g., Hodge & Kress, 1988; Kress, 2010; Kress & van Leeuwen, 2021; van Leeuwen, 2005) to the fore to conceptualize how meaning-making (known as sign-making, learning, the process of signification, Bateman, 2018; Bezemer & Kress, 2016; Kress, 2010) via technologies come about from the technologies' various prompts. It is essential to recognize how representations such as semiotic resources – here, technologies and sign systems – have agency to form social practices. They are agentively selected, interpreted, and acted upon by the user into meaning-making activities (Jewitt, 2008, 2009, 2014). The technologies' front- and back-end properties' semiotic regimes (van Leeuwen, 2005; Djonov & van Leeuwen, 2018a) in different configurations can function as actants by symmetrically translating interests between humans and non-humans, into hybrid existences (Callon & Latour, 1981; Latour, 1994). Humans and technical objects are not rigid and independent substances (Platonic) but beings in constant (re)associations, which modify their existence (Callon & Latour, 1981; Latour, 1994). In that sense, Callon and Latour's claims can be understood in line with the genesis and development of representations that, from a historical epistemological perspective (Wartofsky, 1979), are in constant (re)associations by technologies, cultures, social practices, and humans. As humans mediate by means of their representations (Wartofksy, 1979), the representations are re-shaping and re-shaped through the history of reproduction that impacts interaction, meditation, and meaning-making (Kress, 2010; van Leeuwen, 2005; Wartofsky, 1979). The purpose of this paper is to briefly sketch a future research aspiration striving to theoretically approximate the ANT and representational philosophies and examine what kind of agency digital technologies impose on the users and how the users draw upon that imposition in their meaning-making. Crucially, such a reflection can heighten current understandings of the intricate relationships and networks created by humans and digital technologies in contemporary learning settings such as school to better appreciate students' digital learning from a representational agency perspective integrating the “signifieds-in-transformation” and “actants.” In preparation for future research studies, the following research question guides the theoretical explorations: who acts in the process of signification in learning activities with digital technologies?

Особенности организации работы с фразеологическими соматизмами на занятиях по русскому языку как иностранному (проект учебного пособия словарного типа для среднего этапа обучения языку)

The purpose of the study is to determine the features of the organization of work with phraseological somatisms in classes on Russian as a foreign language at the middle stage (B1-B1+) using a special dictionary-type textbook for the development of non-verbal communication skills. The article describes the purpose, structure and content of the developed manual, the distinctive features of which are contextuality and hypertextuality. The scientific novelty lies in the fact that the article presents a draft dictionary-type textbook, where 40 non-verbal units of Russian communicative behavior will be lexicographically described for educational purposes, and stable combinations with a somatism component will be given as a linguistic and cultural commentary on them. The study revealed that teaching phraseological somaticisms could be integrated into the development of non-verbal skills. These stable expressions originated from corresponding gestures, and some of them still maintain this connection to a greater or lesser extent. They serve as a reflection of two sign systems: speech and bodily movements.

Of Shadowcats and Pipeweed: Fantastic Animal and Plant Names in a Cross-linguistic Comparison

The paper focuses on the names of fictitious species of animals and plants and on their position in the creation of fictional worlds. The examined sample of occasionalisms, or nonce words, is drawn from popular and influential writings, which include J. R. R. Tolkien’s works, Terry Pratchett’s texts, J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series, Suzanne Collins’s The Hunger Games series and George R. R. Martin’s The Song of Ice and Fire series. The position of the sign in the word-formation system of both the original language of the work and of selected translations is analyzed – mainly English, German, and Czech versions are taken into account. A cross-linguistic comparison leads to the conclusion that the choices made by the writer or the translator in naming fictional species correspond, on the one hand, to the linguistic habits of the language in question, while, on the other hand, providing room for linguistic experimentation and influence from the language of the original text. The paper also shows how the chosen texts, through the usage of fictitious names of species, attempt to meet the readers’ expectations for speculative literature. The presence of boundary crossing, hybridization, and linguistic creativity makes foregrounded world-building possible. However, accentuated connections between the words and between the species of the fictional and the actual world also show that an unambiguous, simpler world is presented this way. Word-formation is presented by the study as a way to link the actual world and the simplified speculative world, thus highlighting its importance.

“It's like a guessing game”: Implementation of multiple sign systems in EFL Reading curriculum for undergraduates in Taiwan

“It's like a guessing game”: Implementation of multiple sign systems in <scp>EFL</scp> Reading curriculum for undergraduates in Taiwan

An exploratory study of the damage markers NfL, GFAP, and t-Tau, in cerebrospinal fluid and other findings from a patient cohort enriched for suspected autoimmune psychiatric disease

There is growing evidence suggesting that immunological mechanisms play a significant role in the development of psychiatric symptoms in certain patient subgroups. However, the relationship between clinical red flags for suspected autoimmune psychiatric disease and signs of central nervous system (CNS) pathology (e.g., routine cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) alterations, CNS damage markers, neurophysiological or neuroimaging findings) has received limited attention. Here, we aimed to describe the prevalence and distribution of potential CNS pathologies in psychiatric patients in relation to clinical red flags for autoimmune psychiatric disease and psychiatric symptoms. CSF routine findings and CNS damage markers; neurofilament light chain protein (NfL), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and total Tau (t-Tau), in CSF from 127 patients with psychiatric disease preselected for suspected immunological involvement were related to recently proposed clinical red flags, psychiatric features, and MRI and EEG findings. Twenty-one percent had abnormal routine CSF findings and 27% had elevated levels of CNS damage markers. Six percent had anti-neuronal antibodies in serum and 2% had these antibodies in the CSF. Sixty-six percent of patients examined with MRI (n = 88) had alterations, mostly atrophy or nonspecific white matter lesions. Twenty-seven percent of patients with EEG recordings (n = 70) had abnormal findings. Elevated NfL levels were associated with comorbid autoimmunity and affective dysregulation symptoms. Elevated t-Tau was associated with catatonia and higher ratings of agitation/hyperactivity. Elevated GFAP was associated with acute onset, atypical presentation, infectious prodrome, tics, depressive/anxiety symptom ratings and overall greater psychiatric symptom burden. In conclusion, preselection based on suspected autoimmune psychiatric disease identifies a population with a high prevalence of CSF alterations suggesting CNS pathology. Future studies should examine the value of these markers in predicting treatment responses.

An edusemiotic approach to teaching intonation in the context of English language teacher education

Abstract Employing manifold symbolic, iconic, and indexical signs – whether linguistic or extralinguistic – along with their polysemic and multimodular features, edusemiotics is an integrative and interdisciplinary conceptual framework that surmounts learning processes where learners find significance and meaning under the assumed responsibility of English language teachers for the provision of such a participative environment. Allowing for the salience of intonation despite its intricate nature, thus its inevitable underrepresentation in course books and teaching practices, this article intends to propose a novel means of intonation instruction as well as its components (i.e., stress, pitch, and juncture) for English language teacher education (henceforth ELTE) contexts within the edusemiotic framework. Promoting the importance of edusemiotic teaching of intonation, this article further aims to add to our understanding of how signs and sign systems can be benefitted in ELTE settings and their potential exploitation across various other disciplines. It concludes with suggestions for future research on more practical aspects of edusemiotic tools and learner and teacher attitudes toward integrating them within the teaching program.

A study on patients’ perception of signage system in a tertiary care teaching hospital

A study on patients’ perception of signage system in a tertiary care teaching hospital

Procedure e metodologie per la conoscenza e il disegno delle architetture della città

The experience in comparative reading the architectural components as of their role in urban interrelationships provides the opportunity to promote some reflections and exemplifications on the relevance of history as a primary reference source along any path of urban growth and architectural evolution; on the meaning of the critical evaluation of the epoch and time progression in the juxtaposition of urban segments; last but not least, on identifying, thanks to the comparative tool of the ‘cross’ reading, and measuring the capability of the city’s structures to know how to develop and actively encompass the stratification that the historical process imposes to dignify and valorise the contemporary city. On the shared assumption that every survey activity is indeed an act involving measurement, geometric reference, structural and technological analysis, historical documentation, and is, above all, an interpretative reading task that seeks to provide a critical and cognitive evalu- ation of the examined architecture, it is fair to state that its primary purpose is to render the architectural qualities of the relevant elements, whether they are analysed as per their individ- uality or as part of the whole organism. By its very nature, the survey activity is committed to translating the continuum of reality into a system of features, traces, and signs, i.e., encoding elements of a linguistic code that is widely shareable and, therefore, transmissible. The tran- sition from the complexity of reality, from the continuum of architectural matter to the com- plexity of drawing sign structure, a challenging operation involving the discretisation of reality and its figurative rearrangement, inevitably implies an interpretative gestation concerning the surveyed object.

Narrative Semiology of Personal Brokerage in Jababr Jamal Gharib's Novel "The Time of Balqis's Crying"

Narrative semiology has evolved with the trends and directions of semiology. Philip Hammon's theoretical view of narrative personality is one of the foundations of narrative expansion and the elements of narrative have a role and influence in guiding critical and narrative research. This paper is entitled "Narrative Semiology of Personal Brokerage in Jababr Jamal Gharib's Novel The Time of Balqis's Crying". It is an attempt to practice a new theory of semiology within the foundation of narrative personality, how are that foundation and the system of personality signs embodied in the narrative text? In coordination with the reader, he presents the personal meaning through signifier and is mindful of its semantic dimension.

Сравнение условий организации совместной деятельности в очном и цифровом пространстве

&lt;p&gt;This article presents a review of a pilot study comparing the features of organizing collaborative activities in a digital environment among students in grades 7-9 and the theoretical foundations for organizing joint activities. In the pilot study, students construct a model of a ship according to the rules specified in the task conditions. The reasons for the discomfort experienced by students when integrating into the digital space are examined and analyzed. The lack of means to mediate their activities in the online space is overcome by creating common linguistic models. Subsequently, students develop their own system of signs and symbols, and the number of digital tools used in their activities increases. This leads to increased productivity; some students who did not use video or audio devices affected the behavior of the entire group. Analysis of scientific works allows us to conclude that the organization of joint activities in the digital space is conditioned by the internalization of digital tools by students and the construction of common orientation systems in the digital environment based on them.&lt;/p&gt;

Implementation of Wayfinding Signage in Public Hospitals and Its Evaluation Towards Quality Improvement.

The study aims to evaluate the multi-lingual signage system in the hospital and recommend suggestions. Wayfinding or the signage work was undertaken as a Total Quality Management (TQM) Project in the study setting, conducted over 36 months. The effectiveness of the signage system was evaluated using a questionnaire-based survey among the patients, attendants, and other visitors. Color-coded multilingual signage installed in the hospital block and its surrounding areas included the naming of various areas, way-finding, and safety signage. The most difficult areas to find were ICUs (35.6%), OT (31.1%), and laboratories (31.1%). Additionally, 98% of the participants could reach their desired destination but had to double-check with the staff. It was evident from the study that hospital signage plays a crucial role in hospitals by improving wayfinding, enhancing the patient experience, and promoting safety and emergency preparedness. Signage also indirectly contributes to better patient care. In large teaching hospitals, human assistance is also necessary for wayfinding.

A novel case of Takenouchi-Kosaki syndrome: Focus on hearing and language rehabilitation

Abstract Takenouchi-Kosaki syndrome (TKS) is a rare congenital condition, caused by a mutation in the cell division cycle 42 gene. This gene typo impacts various physiological processes, including hearing, hematopoiesis, immunologic functioning, and neurodevelopment. Despite the high prevalence of hearing impairment in TKS, existing literature has concentrated primarily on pharmacological treatments for hematoimmunologic diseases. This case report presents a novel case of TKS, highlighting the importance of audiological assessment and rehabilitating interventions in children with TKS. We discuss the case of a prematurely born boy who was diagnosed with TKS and who presented with profound bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and associated developmental delays. Following comprehensive audiological evaluation and intervention – including hearing aids, sign language, and alternative augmentative communication systems – a multidisciplinary approach was adopted to enhance his communicative abilities. From this study, it emerges the increasing need for tailored rehabilitation strategies for TKS patients to improve communication skills and overall quality of life. Further researches are needed to develop standardized protocols for assessment and treatment in patients with TKS.

The Moscow–Tartu Semiotic School and Soviet Art History

Although the problems of art history did not form the core of the Moscow–Tartu semiotic school’s interests, its members often turned to the material of visual art within the framework of general and specific studies of sign systems. In turn, Soviet art history in general did not show interest in semiotics. Meanwhile, the selection of problems and the approach to them in art history (mainly of the Moscow school) indicated that the reflections of art historians and philologists starting from a certain time (in the late 1960s and into the 1970s) began to develop in parallel veins. The present article provides an overview of the main problems of visual art in the works of representatives of the Moscow–Tartu school (Lotman, Uspenskij, Ivanov, Toporov and others), as well as of the adepts of semiotics from the side of art history (Paperny, Daniel, Zlydneva). In addition, the article shows how despite not accepting the semiotic mode of thinking, in their texts art historians approached the semiotic problematics of art raised by philologists (in particular, interest in the problem of the border-zone and marginalia, correlation between a word and an image in visual art, and the poetics of the historical avant-garde, etc.). This antinomic (non-)meeting of semiotics and art history in the realm of Soviet humanities in the 1970s can serve as the manifestation of the power of the unified scientific episteme of the era.

Relationship between Ocular Manifestations and Chest pain: A frequency based analysis of Systemic and Ocular Signs in COVID-19 Patients

Objective: To find the frequencies of systemic and ocular signs in confirmed polymerase chain reaction (PCR) positive COVID-19 cases and to find association between ocular manifestation and systemic signs in Covid-19 patients. Study Design: A prospective cross-sectional study. Place and Duration: Department of Medicine and Ophthalmology, KRL Hospital Islamabad. The research lasted six months, from 1st January 2021 to 31st August 2021. Methodology: A total of 416 PCR-confirmed COVID-19 positive patients were included. As a sample strategy, purposive sampling was adopted. SPSS version 21 was used for statistical analysis. Descriptive statistics was calculated for continuous variables. Chi square test was applied to find association among systemic and ocular signs. Results: The study included 73% men, and 27% women. Patients presented with body aches 67%, sudden onset retrosternal chest pain 21.9%, abdominal pain 14.4%, ocular symptoms 10.3%, loss of taste 67%, and loss of smell 66.7%, loose motion 1.1% and shortness of breath in 1%. The patients' mean platelet counts were 230.30 ±65.63, mean lymphocyte counts were 3702 ±176, t mean total leucocyte counts (TLCs) were 7.524 ±5, and mean c-reactive protein (CRP) level was 21.816 with SD of ±25.992.Assessing the relation between ocular symptoms and other systemic symptoms, the Chi-square test revealed an insignificant relationship. However, it showed a significant association between chest pain and ocular symptoms with a p-Value 0.001. Conclusion: This study found a significant association between chest pain and conjunctivitis in COVID-19 patients, attributing chest pain to respiratory issues, inflammation, and blood clotting. Conjunctivitis was prevalent, especially in healthy, young individuals. Keywords: COVID-19, Chest Pain, Conjunctivitis, Ocular Symptoms.

Carved support beams of the Hetmanate

The article examines the carved support beams from the apartments of representatives of the families of the Cossack elders and the Orthodox clergy of the Hetmanate from the last quarter of the 17th till the end of 18th centuries. The creation of multi-ornamented support beams was a kind of confirmation of the social status of the owners of the houses and their artistic preferences, and an expression of the skill level of the master carvers of that time. The aim of the study is to analyze all the support beams of representatives of the Cossack elders and clergy of the 17th and 18th centuries known today and to achieve general undertanding regarding the specifics of these monuments of the material culture of the Hetmanate. For the first time in historiography, on the basis of information about the support beams preserved in museum collections and highlighted in scientific publications, a comprehensive general analysis of these monuments as a phenomenon of material culture was carried out. As a result of the analysis of information about 22 carved support beams of the 17th-18th centuries from the territory of the Hetmanate, it was concluded that the common features of these monuments are the presence (with some exceptions) of straight Orthodox crosses and inscriptions in the Church Slavonic language in the centers of the artefacts. In the ornamentation of the support beams, features characteristic of the late baroque and classicism can be traced. At the same time, both simpler and more richly decorated artefacts exist. The second group includes support beams from the houses of individual representatives of the Cossack elders. Each support beam was a visual manifestation of the owner's wealth and social status, and of their artistic preferences against the background of generally accepted cultural canons. At the same time, carved support beams are examples of the skill of Ukrainian master carvers of the early modern era, which need to be preserved for future generations. In general, the images on these products are permeated with Christian symbolism, although they also contain some symbols that occur in pagan sign systems.

Identification of Indonesian Sign Language System Using Deep Learning in Yolo-based

Identification of Indonesian Sign Language System Using Deep Learning in Yolo-based

Semiotic field of directing at the beginning of the XXI century

We live in a time of amazing and astounding achievements in scientific and artistic thought. More and more new technologies are being developed in various fields, including information. Today it has become a common occurrence, and no one is surprised by the breadth and variety of forms of information transmission, the main tool of which are nothing but signs. We often perceive the meaning of signs as directly as we see images, hear sounds, smells, etc., in science this is called semiotics – a theory that explores the system of signs. The purpose of the study was to study the application of the sign system in art, namely in the field of directing at the present stage. The leading method of research was structural-semiotic analysis, with the help of which modern cinema was analysed for the use of semiotic means in it. In the course of the research, it was found that semiotics is inextricably linked with art, since the creators of their works often use signs and hidden symbols in creativity, thus giving the recipient the opportunity to independently interpret what he saw or heard. The field of directing is also no exception, most of them are theatrical productions and cinematic works. In cinema, the system of signs has become widespread, and a set of certain symbols is a distinctive feature of some directors. The research contributes to the development of the problems of using sign systems in various fields of activity, which expresses its practical significance