Towards a dynamic model of the sign
Document Type
Journal article
Source Publication
Semiotica
Publication Date
9-2017
Volume
2017
Issue
218
First Page
137
Last Page
144
Publisher
De Gruyter Mouton
Keywords
Saussure, Peirce, Eco, sign model, metaphorization, metonymization
Abstract
This paper argues that a linguistic or any other type of sign should not be viewed as a static unit in a synchronic system, but rather as a dynamic entity that appears in real communicative events. As discrete entries in a dictionary, words are given definitions as their meanings, but these definitions may lead to interpretations that have not been sanctioned by a language community and yet are totally reasonable and understandable. In this way, “old” words can be used to stand for “new” segments of our life experience through which some meanings are born and others modified. It is through our inferential use of this living sign that we keep adapting to an ever expanding world.
DOI
10.1515/sem-2016-0140
Print ISSN
00371998
E-ISSN
16133692
Publisher Statement
Copyright © 2017 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston. Access to external full text or publisher's version may require subscription.
Full-text Version
Publisher’s Version
Language
English
Recommended Citation
Ding, E. (2017). Towards a dynamic model of the sign. Semiotica, 2017(218), 137–144. doi: 10.1515/sem-2016-0140