Biosemiotics is a branch of semiotics that explores sign processes in biological systems, such as the psychophysical mechanisms in the central nervous system and other structures with psychophysical functions, genetic codes, or communication at the level of...
Chapter 5/5
5. Semiological Schools of Thought
Semiotic studies extend between what Umberto Eco calls the “lower” and “upper threshold of semiotics.” The lower threshold is situated “at the point where semiotics arises from something that is not semiotics, as a connecting link between the world of signals and the world of meaning, similar to the transition in physical anthropology between the last primates and Homo sapiens”
Lower and Upper Branches of Semiotics:
The two areas that study the lower threshold of semiotics are biosemiotics and zoosemiotics.
Traditional Branches
The areas of semiotics that are considered traditional are Linguosemiotics, Abstract semiotics, Artsemiotics, Narrative semiotics, and Ethnosemiotics.
New Semiotic Branches
The modern semiotic branches are Kinesics (kinematics), Proxemics, Semiotics of the Mass Media, Visual Semiotics (Semiotics of the Image), Sociosemiotics, Computer Semiotics, and Syncretic Semiotics.
In Chapter 5, we will cover the following topics:
5. 2. Zoosemiotics
Zoosemiotics is a branch of semiotics that studies the sign behavior of animals. It originates from the ethological school of psychology, which examines animal behavior as a chain of semiotic acts. According to ethologists, animals recognize their environment and...
5. 3. Semiotics of Culture
Semiotics of Culture studies the upper threshold of semiotics. Umberto Eco emphasizes that culture can be studied from a semiotic perspective. Semiotics is a discipline that can and should deal with the entirety of culture The field began to take shape in the 1970s...
5. 4. Linguosemiotics
Linguosemiotics studies natural languages as sign systems. The term is not widely used because all of linguistics after Saussure can be considered linguistic semiotics. It is used solely to refer to linguistics within the context of general semiotics. Linguistic...
5. 5. Abstract semiotics
Abstract semiotics is a key branch of semiotics. The focus of abstract semiotics is to deal with the fundamental principles and concepts underlying the study of signs, independent of specific cultural or linguistic contexts. It aims to understand the universal...
5. 6. Artsemiotics
Artsemiotics, or art semiotics, is a subfield of semiotics that specifically examines how meaning is created, communicated, and interpreted through visual art. It blends the study of signs and symbols with the analysis of visual media, exploring how artworks function...
5. 7. Narrative semiotics
Narrative semiotics is a branch of semiotics that studies how meaning is constructed and communicated through narratives, which are structured sequences of events or actions that are typically found in stories, literature, films, and other forms of media. This field...
5. 8. Ethnosemiotics
Ethnosemiotics is a term, coined by the Russian linguist Yury Stepanov. The term tends to encompass numerous science fields. From anthropology and ethnography through social psychology and Engineering psychology (ergonomics). Therefore, ethnosemiotics researches...
5. 9. Kinesics (kinematics)
The semiotic field of interest is constantly being filled with new scientific directions. Some of them are being singled out as separate scientific directions. One such example is Kinesics. Kinesics (kinematics) is a term that, naturally, originates from the Greek...
5. 10. Proxemics
Proxemics is a part of semiotics that studies the "structure of human space". Meaning, the placing of a person within the space in relation to the other people. Edward Hall was the one who coined the term. He coins the following terms as well: Intimate space (0-45cm)...
5. 11. Semiotics of the Mass Media
Semiotics of the mass media is a part of semiotics that strives to combine all semiotic studies of media. That includes but is not limited to television, cinema, press, advertisement, film, newspapers, magazines, and digital media comix, and even crossword puzzles....
5. 12. Visual Semiotics (Semiotics of the Image)
Visual semiotics, also known as the semiotics of the image is a term that some semioticians use to solidify all semiotic studies that use visual codes. The focus is to understand how visual images function as a system of signs that convey meaning. This field of study...
5. 13. Sociosemiotics
Sociosemiotics is a term coined by Algirdas Julien Greimas's School of Thought. Sociosemiotics is a term, needed to designate socially significant semiotic systems. While acknowledging that all communication is essentially social, it is proposed that sociosemiotics...
5. 14. Computer Semiotics
Computer semiotics is a specialized area within semiotics that focuses on the study of signs and symbols as they relate to computer systems, digital communication, and human-computer interaction (HCI). It explores how meaning is created, communicated, and interpreted...
5. 15. Syncretic Semiotics
Julien Greimas' school of thought introduces the term syncretic semiotics to denote the contemporary semiotic systems that are using heterogenous semiotic languages like comics, ads, etc. In order to study an ad, for example, one ought to either study separately the...
5.16 Conclusion
Some readers might get confused by so many schools of thought, which are more or less intertwined. They are actually so connected that one can't easily tell where one of them ends and the other starts. Sometimes even the semiotic intellectuals get confused and are...
