Signification - University of Waterlooraha/306a_web/IndexIconSymbol.pdf · Modes of signification Indexical •A mode deﬁned by necessity ... Semiotic triangle form entity concept

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English 306A; Harris

Signification

IndexicalityIconicity

Symbolicity


Modes of signification

Indexical• A mode defined by necessity (especially cause and effect), or association.

Prototypically, think fever.

Iconic• A mode defined by relationship of resemblance. Prototypically, think

picture.

Symbolic• A mode defined by relationship of “arbitrariness,” convention, and

learning. Prototypically, think word.


Index-to-icon-to-symbolmigration theories

Bow-wow-pooh-pooh-yo-he-hotheories

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Semiotic triangle

form entity

conceptindexicalityiconicity

symbolicity


Semiotic triangle (symbol)

“dog”

yappy, hairyquaduped


Semiotic triangle (symbol)

“dog”

Signifier

The (evoked) world


Signified

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Semiotic triangle (index)

Signified

Signifier

The (evoked) world



Semiotic triangle (icon)

Signifier

The (evoked) world


Signified


Semiotic triangle (word)

“dog”

Sense,Intension

Reference,Extension

Sign(narrow sense)


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Semiotic triangle (word)

“dog”

Semasiology

Onomasiology

The (evoked) world



Metaphor and metonymy

Indirect representationSomething (called the vehicle) carries the primary signification for somethingelse (tenor) that ordinarily holds that signification.

Metaphor is iconicThe vehicle/tenor relationship is an asserted resemblance: the tenor is saidto be like the vehicle in some way.

Metonymy is indexicalThe vehicle/tenor relationship is (not exactly necessary but) drawn from thesame habitat: the tenor is related to the vehicle in some way.


Homer is a pigVehicle Tenor

“Homer”“Pig”

Porcine farmanimal

Simpsonspater familias

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Metaphor and metonymy

Indirect representationSomething (called the vehicle) carries the primary signification for somethingelse (tenor) that ordinarily holds that signification.

Metaphor is iconicThe vehicle/tenor relationship is an asserted resemblance: the tenor is saidto be like the vehicle in some way.

Metonymy is indexicalThe vehicle/tenor relationship is (not exactly necessary but) drawn from thesame habitat: the tenor is related to the vehicle in some way.


Metonymy, metaphor

to go tyson to go ballisticMetaphorMetonymy


Metonymy—The principle of set membership

One element of a set or a relationship (thevehicle) singled out to represent otherelement(s) (the tenor)• Buffalo wins in OT!• Hollywood loves westerns.• All hands on deck.• Thirty head of cattle.

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Metaphor—The principle of comparison

One element (the vehicle) represents anotherelement (the tenor), to which it is unrelated.• Homer is a pig.• My love is red, red rose.• Toronto is toast.• The table leg is broken.• The orthopedic wing is closed.


Metonym

Attributes are picked out (treated indexically)to represent something associated with thoseattributes. Like a mascot.

Dancin’Homer


Metaphor

Attributes are invoked, by way (iconically) ofresemblance.

Homer is a pig.• Eats a lot• Noisy• Not very clean.•

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“Pussy”


“Pussy”

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“Pussy”


“Pussy”


“Pussy”

Metaphor• Tenor = vagina• Vehicle = felus domesticus• Attributes

• Warm• Furry•

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“Pussy!” Stage 1

Metonymy• Tenor = woman• Vehicle = vagina/pussy

The ultimate devaluing ofa (category of a) person:to a small anatomicalcomponent.

!


“Pussy!” Stage 2

Metaphor• Tenor = the insult target• Vehicle = woman (not vagina)• Attributes

• Weak• Soft• Quitter

• Means ‘Opposite of a man’,but in a wholly evaluative way.

=


“Pussy” Metaphor ⇒ Metonymy ⇒ Metaphor

Indexicality, Iconicity• a relatively mundane example of ordinary language• not a fancy literary or rhetorical device• these processes, and figuration generally, are

pervasive

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“Pussy”


“Pussy”

Metaphor• Tenor = the insult target• Vehicle = a particular type of woman

(still not vagina)• Attributes

• Weak• Soft• Quitter

• Means ‘the sort of woman that gives allof us a bad name for being weak, soft,quitters’ (?); in a wholly evaluativeway.

• Embeds “male” values

=


“Dick!” Metonymy ⇒ Metaphor

Anatomical label

Tenor: penis

Vehicle: Famouslyendowed mannamed Dick (?)Cf. kleenex,

sandwich,goldfarb, …

Cf, willy, peter,johnson, …

Insult

Tenor: object of insult

Vehicle: penis

Critical attributes:• Unthinking• Self-serving• Insensitive

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We now return you to regularprogramming

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Indexicality

Defined by associationThere is a connection ofsome sort (necessary orconventional) between thevehicle and the tenor.


Indexicality

EgocentricitySpeaker-oriented• Deixis (pointing words)

AnthropocentrismHuman-oriented• Inherent orientation

(human-body orientationprojected to objects)

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IndexicalityDeixis

Gk. deiktos ≈ “to show”• Pointing words

Work by ‘gesturingoutward’ from speaker,from the EGO, to otherobjects


IndexicalityDeixis

Proximals (“deictics”• Speaking location of EGO

(this, that; here, there; …)• Speaking time of EGO

(now, then; today,tomorrow; …)

Pronouns• Pick out attributes relative

to EGO (speaker, hearer,not-speaker-or-hearer;speaker+others,hearer+others, …)


Indexical orientation — Deictic centre Lexical egocentricity

Proximals (“deictics”)

• Speaking location• Where-EGO-is: here, near, …• Where-EGO-is-not: there, far, …

• Speaking time• When-EGO-is: now, today, …• When-EGO-is-not: then, tomorrow, …

• Relative location to speaker• Close-to-EGO: this, these, …• Not-close-to-EGO: that, those, ..

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Indexical orientation — Deictic centreLexical egocentricity

Pronouns• EGO = 1st person (I, me, …)• EGO+others = 1st person

plural (we, us, …)• Hearer-of-EGO = 2nd person

(you, your, …)• Hearer-of-EGO+others = 2nd

person plural (you, your, …)• Not-EGO-and-not-hearer-of-

EGO = 3rd person (he, she,it, …)

• Not-EGO-and-not-hearer-of-EGO+others = 3rd personplural (they, them, …)


Indexical orientation — Deictic centreExpressive egocentricity

The speaker (or, in a rhetorical extention, the hearer)as the (default) reference point for everything else.

The squirrel isbehind the

tree.


Indexical orientation — Deictic centreExpressive egocentricity

The speaker (or, in a rhetorical extention, the hearer)as the (default) reference point for everything else.

The squirrel isin front of the

tree.

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IndexicalityAnthropocentricity

Gk. anthropos ≈ “man”(hu)man-centred

Inherent orientation: humanorientation projected ontoartefacts and entities)• front, back• left, right• before, behind


Deictic (egocentric) vs. Inherent(anthropocentric) Orientation


Iconicity

Defined by resemblance

Sequential order“Don’t drink and drive”

DistanceImmediacy of action

QuantityReduplication

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IconicityPrinciple of sequential order

Unless marked, the orderof words (by default)mirrors the order ofevents.• He kicked sand in my face

and I got mad.• I got mad and he kicked sand

in my face.


IconicityPrinciple of distance

Linguistic distance tendsto mirror conceptualdistance.• She squeezed me.• She gave me a squeeze.• She gave a squeeze to me.


IconicityPrinciple of quantity

Length of utterance correlateswith (speaker’s perception of)quantity of concept.

• Dinosaurs lived a l o o o n gtime ago.

• Dinosaurs lived a long, long,long, … time ago.

• Lawyerese.• Political speeches.

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Iconicity — Principle of quantityReduplication

Japanesehito 'person'hitobito ’group of people'kami 'god'kamigami ’group of gods'

Mandarinxiao 'small'xiaoxiao 'very small'gaoxing 'happy'gaogaoxingxing 'very happy'


Iconicity — Principle of quantityReduplication

/ ma¯a ma¯a / = all sorts of mangoes/ma¯a/ = mango

/anak anak/ = all sorts of children/anak/ = child

/ ora¯ ora¯/ = all sorts of men/ora¯/ = man


Iconicity — Principle of quantityConceptual Reduplication

Trinidad and Tobago[jEswij]

• emphatic confirmation,agreement; interjectiveintensifier

Children at Play, Romeo Downerhttp://caribbeanartist.com/

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• yes-we?






• yes-we?• yes-whee?






• yes-we?• yes-whee?• yes-oui!


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Any questions?

Modes of significationSemiotic triangleSymbolicity (arbitrariness, convention, learning)Indexicality (relation of necessity)• Egocentricity (deixis)• Anthropocentricity (inherent orientation)

Iconicity (relation of resemblance)• Sequential order• Distance• Quantity

Signification - University of Waterlooraha/306a_web/IndexIconSymbol.pdf · Modes of signification Indexical •A mode deﬁned by necessity ... Semiotic triangle form entity concept

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