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Literary Criticism Semiotics & Theory

Signs

An Introduction to Semiotics

by (author) Thomas Sebeok

Publisher
University of Toronto Press, Scholarly Publishing Division
Initial publish date
Dec 2001
Category
Semiotics & Theory
  • Hardback

    ISBN
    9780802036346
    Publish Date
    Dec 2001
    List Price
    $29.95
  • Paperback / softback

    ISBN
    9780802084729
    Publish Date
    Dec 2001
    List Price
    $29.95

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Description

The interpretive science of semiotics offers powerful analytical tools for the application of many disciplines to the study of perception. Semiotics is the study of signs, and as such, is of relevance to a wide spectrum of scholars and professionals, including social scientists, psychologists, artists, graphic designers, and students of literature. Semiosis - the production and interpretation of linguistic and visual signs - is innate to human beings of all societies. From the simplest of hand gestures to the most complex diagrams and charts, the sign is key to the communication of ideas. Thomas A. Sebeok examines, in an engaging, readable style, how the sign mediates between bodily experience and abstract thought.

This updated second edition of Signs combines some of Sebeok's most important essays with a new general introduction, introductory passages at the outset of each chapter, a glossary, and brief biographies of the major semioticians. From an overview of the discipline to a more detailed exploration of sign categories, the author powerfully demonstrates the co-dependency of verbal and non-verbal communication.

Aimed primarily at undergraduate and graduate students, this engaging book also has plenty to offer any general reader who is interested in exploring and analyzing the complex sign systems we so often take for granted.

About the author

Thomas A. Sebeok is Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Linguistics and Semiotics at Indiana University. He has written numerous articles and books, and is world-renowned as an authority on semiotics.

Thomas Sebeok's profile page