SemioticaPub Date : 2023-06-26DOI: 10.1515/sem-2022-0102
J. Zlatev, Simon Devylder, Rebecca Defina, Kalina Moskaluk, Linea Brink Andersen
{"title":"Analyzing polysemiosis: language, gesture, and depiction in two cultural practices with sand drawing","authors":"J. Zlatev, Simon Devylder, Rebecca Defina, Kalina Moskaluk, Linea Brink Andersen","doi":"10.1515/sem-2022-0102","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1515/sem-2022-0102","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Human communication is by default polysemiotic: it involves the spontaneous combination of two or more semiotic systems, the most important ones being language, gesture, and depiction. We formulate an original cognitive-semiotic framework for the analysis of polysemiosis, contrasting this with more familiar systems based on the ambiguous term “multimodality.” To be fully explicit, we developed a coding system for the analysis of polysemiotic utterances containing speech, gesture, and drawing, and implemented this in the ELAN video annotation software. We used this to analyze 23 video-recordings of sand drawing performances on Paama, Vanuatu and 20 sand stories of the Pitjantjatjara culture in Central Australia. Methodologically we used the conceptual-empirical loop of cognitive semiotics: our theoretical framework guided general considerations, such as distinguishing between the “tiers” of gesture and depiction, and the three kinds of semiotic grounds (iconic, indexical, symbolic), but the precise decisions on how to operationalize these were made only after extensive work with the material. We describe the coding system in detail and provide illustrative examples from the Paamese and Pitjantjatjara data, remarking on both similarities and differences in the polysemiosis of the two cultural practices. We conclude by summarizing the contributions of the study and point to some directions for future research.","PeriodicalId":47288,"journal":{"name":"Semiotica","volume":"26 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2023-06-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"89253889","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
SemioticaPub Date : 2023-06-19DOI: 10.1515/sem-2022-0121
P. Augustyn
{"title":"Funktionskreis, Gestaltkreis, and Situationskreis in the context of integrated medicine","authors":"P. Augustyn","doi":"10.1515/sem-2022-0121","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1515/sem-2022-0121","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract This paper explains Viktor von Weizsäcker’s Gestaltkreis model as a reinterpretation of Jakob von Uexküll’s Funktionskreis. Also derived from the Funktionskreis is Thure von Uexküll’s Situationskreis model. Both Weizsäcker’s Gestaltkreis and Thure von Uexküll’s Situationskreis have evolved in the context of integrated medicine in Germany throughout the twentieth century. Focusing on the role of language in health and medicine, this paper addresses important concepts associated with the project of integrated medicine in Germany, especially the biographical approach practiced by Viktor von Weizsäcker and developed by Thure von Uexküll through the concept of the biographical organ. While their efforts to reform the practice of medicine and the training of physicians were unsuccessful, recent research in the psychology of language and health and recommendations for more patient-centered communication resonate with the principles underlying Viktor von Weizsäcker’s and Thure von Uexküll’s integrated medicine.","PeriodicalId":47288,"journal":{"name":"Semiotica","volume":"134 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2023-06-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"79436882","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
SemioticaPub Date : 2023-06-07DOI: 10.1515/sem-2023-0036
M. Kermani, Zahra Baradarankashani
{"title":"Ritualism and disempowerment of education: social semiotics of the educational experience of young Iranian girls","authors":"M. Kermani, Zahra Baradarankashani","doi":"10.1515/sem-2023-0036","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1515/sem-2023-0036","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Despite recent noticeable changes in women’s educational opportunities in developing countries such as Iran, there is still much controversy surrounding the common assumption that a direct relationship exists between women’s empowerment and formal literacy. According to the social semiotic method, the present research explores the hidden side of the female educational experience and its relationship with empowerment. In the current study, we conducted 39 interviews and analyzed the collected data using Van Leeuwen’s semiotic approach. The results are based on the analysis of three semiotic sources, all of which are ubiquitous in the daily life of Iranian students: uniforms, queues, and homework. The findings indicate that the emphasis on the ideological aspects of educational experiences, in the form of a ritualistic approach by the educational system’s agents, causes a gradual semantic break between students and educational goals. Such an emphasis also instills an ambiguous and contradictory understanding in the student’s mind, of which the final result is the alienation and internalization of passive patterns of social action.","PeriodicalId":47288,"journal":{"name":"Semiotica","volume":"23 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2023-06-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"73922022","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
SemioticaPub Date : 2023-06-06DOI: 10.1515/sem-2021-0076
Muhammad A. A. Taghian, A. M. Ali
{"title":"Assessing the subtitling of emotive reactions: a social semiotic approach","authors":"Muhammad A. A. Taghian, A. M. Ali","doi":"10.1515/sem-2021-0076","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1515/sem-2021-0076","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract This article attempts to evaluate emotive meanings across languages and cultures expressed and elicited semiotically from viewers. It investigates the challenges of subtitling emotive feelings in the American film Homeless to Harvard (2003) into Arabic. It adopts Paul Thibault’s (2000. The multimodal transcription of a television advertisement: Theory and practice. In Anthony Baldry (ed.), Multimodality and multimediality in the distance learning age, 311–385. Campobasso: Palladino Editore) method of multimodal transcription and Feng and O’Halloran’s (2013. The multimodal representation of emotion in film: Integrating cognitive and semiotic approaches. Semiotica 197(1/4). 79–100) framework of the multimodal representation of emotion to formulate strategies for subtitling emotion from English into Arabic. Additionally, Feng and O’Halloran’s (2013) framework is adapted to show how stylistic choices (e.g., cinematography, music, soundtracks, etc.) and semiotic expressions can elicit emotion from viewers. The social semiotic model is employed to investigate how emotive representation is realized through verbal and non-verbal items. The findings showed that the filmmakers had properly used stylistic choices and various semiotic techniques to elicit emotion from the viewer derived from the emotion of the film’s heroine.","PeriodicalId":47288,"journal":{"name":"Semiotica","volume":"62 1","pages":"51 - 96"},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2023-06-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"89243970","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
SemioticaPub Date : 2023-05-26DOI: 10.1515/sem-2020-0107
Z. Ayık
{"title":"Deployment of gestures in the semiotic construction of scientific knowledge: a systemic functional approach to pedagogic semiosis","authors":"Z. Ayık","doi":"10.1515/sem-2020-0107","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1515/sem-2020-0107","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract A variety of semiotic resources makes the construction of scientific knowledge possible and meaning-making resources are conveyed by certain semiotic modes. Next, numerous studies have demonstrated the pedagogical importance of gestures in the demonstration of scientific knowledge in the classroom. Drawing on social semiotic systemic functional theory and legitimation code theory, this study explores the types and the role of gestures in the semiotic construction of scientific knowledge in pedagogic semiosis and their pedagogical values for the meaning-making of science content. With this aim, a gesture observation protocol (GOP) is developed to annotate and analyze data. Two science lectures, which are broadcast remotely for middle school students including gifted students, are observed. Systemic Functional Multimodal Discourse Analysis (SF-MDA) method is employed to analyze and evaluate data. Results demonstrated that the deployment of gestures that contributes to the construction of scientific knowledge is low and deployed gestures mostly do not have pedagogical value. It is recommended that teachers should be more conscious and educated about deploying gestures to present scientific knowledge efficiently.","PeriodicalId":47288,"journal":{"name":"Semiotica","volume":"69 1","pages":"133 - 172"},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2023-05-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"84299471","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
SemioticaPub Date : 2023-05-24DOI: 10.1515/sem-2022-0080
Marc Bekaert, Maarten Coëgnarts
{"title":"A Peircean framework for analyzing subjectivity in film: a nine-field ocularization matrix","authors":"Marc Bekaert, Maarten Coëgnarts","doi":"10.1515/sem-2022-0080","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1515/sem-2022-0080","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract The goal of this article is to offer a new model for the study of ocularization in film grounded in the semiotic pragmatism of Charles Sanders Peirce. We first present a literature overview addressing the state of research regarding the theorization of ocularization in film studies. Second, we discuss Peirce’s three universal categories (Firstness, Secondness, and Thirdness) on which our model will be based. Third, we argue how the theme of ocularization in film, as outlined in the first part, can be theorized anew through these categories. This will result in the introduction of a nine-field matrix that will allow us to systemize all kinds of instances of subjectivity in cinema. Lastly, we will demonstrate the empirical usefulness of this model by illustrating each of the matrix’ nine categories through a discussion of Steven Soderbergh’s film Kimi (2022).","PeriodicalId":47288,"journal":{"name":"Semiotica","volume":"79 1","pages":"27 - 49"},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2023-05-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"91241406","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
SemioticaPub Date : 2023-05-23DOI: 10.1515/sem-2021-0153
Hyeong-yeon Jeon, J. Oh, Chi-Hyun Wang, Sang-won Kim
{"title":"A semiotic model of South Korea’s cultural industry ecosystem: the K-pop industry","authors":"Hyeong-yeon Jeon, J. Oh, Chi-Hyun Wang, Sang-won Kim","doi":"10.1515/sem-2021-0153","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1515/sem-2021-0153","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract We explored the need for an ecosystem approach based on relational systems when conducting research on South Korea’s cultural industry. We used Mollard’s (2009. L’ingeniere culturelle. Paris: PUF) idea of the participants in the French cultural system as a key reference and extended it to the notion of the platform, which is the core concept of South Korea’s cultural industry ecosystem (CIE). We also utilized the idea of the “semiotic square of consumption values” from Floch to explicate each platform and participant, which play a significant role in South Korea’s CIE. By defining a role rooted in the relationship and values for each subject (i.e., the production, consumption, authority, and intermediary subjects), we aimed to better understand the ecosystem of the cultural industry and focused on K-pop as a specific aspect of South Korea’s cultural sector by identifying the current identity of each participant.","PeriodicalId":47288,"journal":{"name":"Semiotica","volume":"55 1","pages":"97 - 117"},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2023-05-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"77025926","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
SemioticaPub Date : 2023-05-23DOI: 10.1515/sem-2022-0094
Jiangping Zhou
{"title":"Complexity of grammatical metaphor: an entropy-based approach","authors":"Jiangping Zhou","doi":"10.1515/sem-2022-0094","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1515/sem-2022-0094","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Grammatical metaphor in M. A. K. Halliday’s sense has long been extensively investigated by researchers in terms of theoretical and empirical studies. Regarding the empirical studies, they have predominantly employed observed or normalized frequencies of grammatical metaphor to uncover its distribution in different text types. Few studies, however, were conducted to quantitatively examine the complexity of grammatical metaphor in that no indicator presently is proposed to measure the degree of complexity in grammatical metaphor. This paper targeted at investigating the feasibility of implementing entropy to measure this complexity. The findings demonstrate that the entropy value could be afforded as an indicator of complexity of grammatical metaphor to efficiently uncover the way that disciplines of different registers build knowledge by means of employing such linguistic features as grammatical metaphor. This research is significant in that it sheds light on the quantitative comparison of complexity of grammatical metaphor in text analysis.","PeriodicalId":47288,"journal":{"name":"Semiotica","volume":"40 1","pages":"173 - 185"},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2023-05-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"75152582","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
SemioticaPub Date : 2023-05-22DOI: 10.1515/sem-2019-0037
Yunus Luckinger
{"title":"The development of possible worlds in an online video game","authors":"Yunus Luckinger","doi":"10.1515/sem-2019-0037","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1515/sem-2019-0037","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract With the development of technology, video games have become more and more realistic and indistinguishable from the real world. In this regard, this article takes a semiotic approach to create a better understanding of how possible worlds are created in video games, placing them on a continuum, which shows that the development of possible worlds is based on the reality we face in the real world. A video game called Player Unknown’s Battle Grounds is used to demonstrate a new approach to analysis, which shows that each video game is created within its own possible world that is created through the selection and combination of entities from the real world.","PeriodicalId":47288,"journal":{"name":"Semiotica","volume":"1 1","pages":"119 - 131"},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2023-05-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"74771386","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
SemioticaPub Date : 2023-05-17DOI: 10.1515/sem-2022-0039
Marie-Hélène Hermand
{"title":"Sémiotique des textscapes : quelle contribution du textscape linguistique à la mise en scène des langues dans un corpus de sites web ?","authors":"Marie-Hélène Hermand","doi":"10.1515/sem-2022-0039","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1515/sem-2022-0039","url":null,"abstract":"Résumé Cet article propose une réflexion théorique et méthodologique permettant de décrire et d’interpréter les textscapes à des fins d’analyse communicationnelle. L’objectif consiste à tester le concept sémiotique de textscape linguistique pour analyser la mise en scène des langues dans la communication des organisations sur le web. Le cadre théorique fait appel aux études du paysage linguistique (Linguistic Landscape Studies) et à la théorie des paysages textuels (textscapes). Le corpus est composé de 100 sites web d’organisations économiques (chambres de commerce, clusters économiques, entreprises) qui revendiquent un positionnement à l’échelle transfrontalière européenne. L’étude est menée d’un point de vue statistique (analyse de métadonnées) et qualitatif (analyse sémiotique du textscape linguistique) en vue de préciser la place et les fonctions communicationnelles du textscape linguistique dans la communication multilingue. Les résultats ont permis de dégager les profils d’expression, un scénario sémiotique typique des sites web observés et surtout de localiser les (dés)équilibres communicationnels.","PeriodicalId":47288,"journal":{"name":"Semiotica","volume":"21 1","pages":"1 - 26"},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2023-05-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"72713824","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}