Volume 11, Issue 1

In this paper I claim that the spatial structural system of Shanghai Shikumen Longtang constitutes a sign system based on its architectural semiotics. The paper focuses on the structure of the architectural space, including the interactive relationship between the architectural spatial structure and its residents. The research agenda undertakes a theoretical study of modern architectural semiotics by means of syntactic and semantic analyses of the spatial structure of Shanghai Shikumen Longtang, including as well an analysis of the pragmatics of meaning in production and reproduction in Shanghai Shikumen Longtang. The application of spatial language grammar in the analysis reveals the meaning of the sign system of the architectural spatial structure and pragmatic communication of Shanghai Shikumen Longtang, decodes the profound and intricate signification in the spatial system of Shanghai Shikumen Longtang and suggests a deeper and broader view for recognizing the underlying meaning system of the Longtang in the urban space of modern Shanghai City.

This essay proposes a reading of L’Oiseau bleu, féerie en six actes et douze tableaux, a play of 1909 by Maurice Maeterlinck, translated into various languages, including English. Given the central role played in it by the symbol, this work is particularly interesting if considered in the framework of the general science of signs, or semiotics. Moreover, through this work Maeterlinck proposes a vision of the cosmic order and thematizes the positive and vital character of plurality and of difference.

Focusing on the main character Fausta in the film The milk of sorrow / La teta asustada by Claudia Llosa, this article applies a narratological and postcolonial queer analysis to the process of Fausta’s identity creation to reveal in the text certain cultural identity negotiations. It is suggested that by means of the representation of cultural identity, a critique is posed to the current (un)balance of power that is directly relatable to coloniality. The study concludes that cultural identity is based on character(s)-construction and their relation to chronotopes, i.e. representations of temporal and spatial categories or ‘time-space’. It is also suggested that the text questions traditional models of power, although the critique is less potent in parts of the text.

This paper conceives of music as discourse. It elaborates on the deictic concept of pointing as a heuristic guide for sense-making and stresses the role of focal attention as a means for singling out those elements that are denoted as being meaningful. Three aspects are discussed: the delimitation of the elements (which elements?), the mutual relations of these elements (the structure of the music) and the mental operations of the listener (narrative comprehension). To the extent that all these aspects can be organized in a kind of overall mental apprehension, it is possible to explore the possibilities of cognitive maps as organizational tools for musical sense-making, both as the result of sensory experience and cognitive processing by the listener.

Kola nut is a ubiquitous crop that is the most valued, respected and widely used of all foods and cash crops grown in Nigeria. The presence of kola nut at a gathering or the offer of it generates a whirlpool of feelings in the giver and the receiver. In addition to building on existing knowledge of the kola nut, this paper - semiotic in approach and based on many years of empirical study - establishes and elucidates the inherent qualities and contents that make kola nut unique, iconic and symbolic. The paper concludes that kola nut is a great icon of socio-economic, socio-cultural and religious values and thus it enhances national cohesion.

Creative artists can achieve cross-media integration of literature and dance. Blood Carmen, the novel by Hong Kong writer Huang Biyun, combines the rhythm and beat of literature with that of flamenco dance into a unified whole, tapping out a unique artistic work. First, the form of dance is blended into the form of language in order to create a unified, dynamic narrative. Second, literary style is blended with the style of dance. Third, the author, through her portrayal of the dancers’ lives, expertly evokes aspects of the unspeakable pain life often brings. Huang Biyun’s own soul resonates with flamenco, and from this deep, personal experience she has given us new possibilities for the cross-media narrative.