Rethinking the Peircean trichotomy of icon, index, and symbol

Document Type

Journal article

Source Publication

Semiotica: Journal of the International Association for Semiotic Studies

Publication Date

11-2016

Volume

2016

Issue

213

First Page

165

Last Page

175

Publisher

De Gruyter Mouton

Keywords

classification of signs, Peircean trichotomy, index, icon, symbol, sign emergence and evolution

Abstract

Classification of signs into various kinds is a vital enterprise in semio- tic research. As early as over a century ago, the American semiotician Charles Sanders Peirce laid down a solid foundation for this work by proposing his famous trichotomy of signs. Later scholars have been mostly applying Peirce’s theory to their own semiotic studies rather than challenging the inadequacies that exist therein, thus giving rise to a great number of confusions or even contradictions. The present article modifies Peirce’s theory from the perspective of sign emergence and evolution and emphasizes the importance of understanding sign transformations.

DOI

10.1515/sem-2015-0134

Print ISSN

00371998

E-ISSN

16133692

Publisher Statement

Copyright © 2016, Walter de Gruyter GmbH.

Access to external full text or publisher's version may require subscription.

Full-text Version

Publisher’s Version

Language

English

Recommended Citation

Ding, E. (2016). Rethinking the Peircean trichotomy of icon, index, and symbol. Semiotica: Journal of the International Association for Semiotic Studies, 2016(213), 165-175. doi: 10.1515/sem-2015-0134

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