Towards a dynamic model of the sign
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Ersu Ding
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.
References
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Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Stroke systems in Chinese characters: A systemic functional perspective on simplified regular script
- Staying over-optimistic about the future: Uncovering attentional biases to climate change messages
- The embodiment of connotations: A proposed model
- The semiotic abstraction
- Analyzing the fictional worlds of Pixar with an eye on digital humanities
- Void of sign
- Towards a dynamic model of the sign
- Toy stories: On the disciplinary regime of vibration
- 3D printing: Of signs and objects
